Design process of a 10-MW class high temperature superconducting homo-polar generator for wind turbine

Abstract

High temperature superconductor (HTS) technology, which can provide a large electromotive force in a small area due to its larger current density than a normal conductor, can reduce the weight and loss of a generator, relative to a conventional machine. Moreover, once the HTS conductor has stabilized, the challenge of cooling the windings in large-scale generators can be resolved. Therefore, the technology has been studied for application to 10-MW class superconductor wind-turbine generators [1], [2]. Although an HTS conductor generator offering a higher torque density, lower weight, and higher efficiency than a conventional generator can be designed, the design must satisfy the critical magnetic field, critical current, and critical temperature of the superconducting winding. The HTS homo-polar generator has a simple structure with a fixed HTS conductor, and is one of the most suitable types of generator that can satisfy this requirement [3], [4]. Although many studies on the design of a homo-polar generator have been published, most focus on the usefulness of the analytical model, considering the power density, flux per pole, and leakage flux [5], [6]. Therefore, unlike these previous studies, this study takes a rather different approach to the design of an HTS homo-polar generator, and evaluates the design results using finite element analysis (FEA).