WORKSHOP ON NEXT-GENERATION WIND POWER

May 12, 2010

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Development and
Challenges of Permanent
Magnet Wind Generators

Ronghai Qu
GE Global Research Center
Electrical Power Conversion
Fixed Speed System Variable Slip System

WOUND ROTOR
INDUCTION GENERATOR TRANSFORMER INDUCTION GENERATOR TRANSFORMER

GRID GRID
3 3

GEAR BOX GEAR BOX

3
IGBT R
Rectifier
Control

Doubly-Fed Variable Speed System Full Conversion Variable Speed System

WOUND ROTOR SYNCHRONOUS

TRANSFORMER GENERATOR TRANSFORMER
INDUCTION GENERATOR

GRID GRID
3 3 3
GEAR BOX GEAR BOX Rectifier IGBT
3 Inverter

PM machines
3

IGBT POWER CONVERTORS

Variable
Variable Speed
Speed Systems
Systems Becoming
Becoming Industry
Industry Standard
Standard at
at High
High Power
Power
5/12/2010 WORKSHOP ON NEXT-GENERATION WIND POWER
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Permanent Magnet Generator
Stator Surface
PM w/
PMs Pole cap

Rotor

Design
Considerations
Spoke
Surface PM machine •Excitation PM
•Physical Magnet
protection
•Rotor mechanical
•Magnet cooling
•Demagnetization
protection
•Manufacturing
Interior
PM

Flux driven by PMs

5/12/2010 WORKSHOP ON NEXT-GENERATION WIND POWER

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Permanent Magnet vs. Doubly-fed Asynchronous
Machines

PM Doubly-fed
• Permanent magnets on rotor • Variable frequency current on
rotor
• High Efficiency / Low Cost of
Energy • Partial power conversion
• High reliability • Large rotor loss/exciting
current
• Lighter machine
• Slipping ring
• Sample rotor pole structure –
suitable for high pole number • Low Reliability
• Full power conversion

5/12/2010 WORKSHOP ON NEXT-GENERATION WIND POWER

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Drivetrain Weight – Geared vs. Direct Drive

Drivetrain Weight (mT) Direct

300 Drive

Geared

6000
Input torque (kNm)

5/12/2010 WORKSHOP ON NEXT-GENERATION WIND POWER

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Drivetrain Cost

Drivetrain cost

1 stg GBX 2 stg GBX 3 stg GBX PM Gen DT

Cost

Gear ratio

•Gearbox stage changes as gear ratio increases

•Gearbox cost jumps as stage changes
•Generator cost decreases as speed/gear ratio increases
•Drivetrain cost varies

5/12/2010 WORKSHOP ON NEXT-GENERATION WIND POWER

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PM Generator Application Trend
• More PM generators, more companies with PM
• Small Wind Generators (<100kW)
– Simple design, easy manufacturing and control
• High efficiency generator ( large turbines, >2MW) SKT Wind PM Generator
(200W~99kW) www.alxion.com
– Low cost of energy
• Light & high pole number generator (direct drive)
– Simple pole structure
• High reliability
– Direct Drive, no gearbox, high pole number,
simple rotor structure

Siemens 3MW DD PM Gen, 73mt

www.renewableenergyfocus.com

The Switch 4250Kw

15RPM DD PM
Generator
www.theswitch.com
ABB high speed PM Generator (2~5MW) GE offshore DD turbine
www.abb.com inhabitat.com

5/12/2010 WORKSHOP ON NEXT-GENERATION WIND POWER

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PM materials Global Deposit of Rare Earth Oxide (REO) ---128 M tons in total
( Optimistic Estimation: > 200 MMtons )
Canada
1% Australia
Other 5%
13%

• Ferrite and rare earth

India
1%

• 128MMton REO deposit has

been explored in the world
US
China
10%
55%

• 55% of global REO deposit

Russia

(>70MMton) is in China
15%

• 90-95% of annual output

from China
• 0.1MMton REO is
consumed in 2008
Output in China
NdFeB Output Growth
Output in the world

• Existing output capability

80000

larger than 0.15MMton

70000
60000

• Anticipated usage in 2015:

50000

~ 0.16MMton
40000
30000
20000
10000 Prediction
0
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
www.marketwatch.com; www.businessinsider.com; www.smenet.org;geo-nsdi.er.usgs.gov

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Challenges and Risks
Challenges and Risks Ways to address
• Less experience for the industry with • More prototypes, more
PM machines time
• Demagnetization • Live with it,
Better Gen design, or
More reliable converter.
• Magnet corrosion and aging loss • Not an issue?
Better coating?
• Future material shortage/high price? • Optimize magnet mass

• Unknown risks •

5/12/2010 WORKSHOP ON NEXT-GENERATION WIND POWER

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WTG Assembly

Manufacturing Site Assembly

5/12/2010 WORKSHOP ON NEXT-GENERATION WIND POWER

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Summary
• More PM Generators to be installed
• More Direct Drive PM generators to come
• More issues to be addressed

5/12/2010 WORKSHOP ON NEXT-GENERATION WIND POWER

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