Transverse Flux Permanent Magnet Generator for Ocean Wave Energy Conversion

Modern energy demands led the scientific community to renewable energy sources, such as ocean wave energy. The present work describes a model for a cost efficient rotary electrical generator, optimized for ocean wave energy conversion. The electrical power, supplied by low speed mechanical movement, requires the use of electrical machinery capable of generating high amounts of torque. Among the analyzed topologies, the one selected for further study was the Transverse Flux Permanent Magnet machine (TFPM). This topology differs from the conventional ones, presenting high power and torque densities, and allowing to independently set machine current and magnetic loadings in the machine. The machine was designed and analyzed through the use of a 3D FEM software. The obtained results show that the TFPM is a strong candidate to be used in large scale converting systems.