Performance analysis of aluminium wound double fed induction generator for cost-efficient wind energy conversion systems

Abstract Currently, both limited fossil fuel resources and environmental factors have increased the use of renewable energy sources. Renewable energy resources, such as wind energy systems, are gaining popularity, resulting in increased competition among manufacturers. This study aims to achieve a cost-efficient wind energy conversion system by designing and analysing the performance of a 250 kVA aluminium wound double-fed induction generator (DFIG). The advantages and disadvantages of aluminium windings are compared with those of copper windings, and three DFIG models are created: Model-1 with a copper winding set, Model-2 with the same geometry as Model-1 but designed with an aluminium winding set, and Model-3 with an aluminium winding set and slightly different stator and rotor diameters. The three DFIG models were analysed using finite element analysis (FEA) in ANSYS Maxwell, and the simulation results were obtained. According to the FEA results, Model-1 with copper windings had a higher efficiency than Model-2 with aluminium windings, but Model-2 had better cost and weight performance than Model-1. Model-3 and Model-1 had similar efficiencies, but Model-3 had a slightly greater torque ripple compared to Model-1 because of a slightly different stator and rotor diameter. Although the total machine weight of the aluminium-wound DFIGs was slightly increased, the total manufacturing costs were less than those of the copper-wound DFIGs at the same efficiency levels.