Design and Experiment of Large-Scale AFPM Generator for Direct-Driven Wind Turbine

Recently, the demand for alternative energy sources has increased due to concerns over energy depletion and environmental pollution. Renewable energy technologies, such as wind and tidal power systems, have gained significant attention, and system capacities continue to expand to improve energy conversion efficiency. In particular, direct-drive wind turbines with capacities exceeding 10 MW are under development, intensifying the interest in large-scale direct-drive wind generators. This paper presents the design and experimental validation of an axial flux permanent magnet generator (AFPMG) for direct-drive wind turbine applications. The overall design methodology of the AFPMG is described, and a quasi–3D finite element (FE) model is proposed for performance analysis. The proposed model is verified through comparison with a full 3D FE analysis. Furthermore, a 2.5 MW direct-drive AFPMG prototype was manufactured, and experiments were conducted to validate both the design and analysis results.