Exploring the electrical performance of advanced and environmental-friendly novel nanomaterial wires in generator winding through finite element analysis

Nanocarbon-based materials, including carbon nanotubes, have been considered to replace conventional metals for electrical wires, mainly due to their exceptional properties and the rapid increase in global demand for better electrical energy generation, transmission, and conversion. However, the numerical examination of the performance of the electrical machine with different novel carbon nano-based materials is still challenging. Advanced carbon-based materials are proposed as a hypothetical winding material to initiate discussion and examine potential possibilities. This study thoroughly examines and compares different carbon nanomaterials for winding material in a permanent magnet generator. The generator's performance was investigated for three stator winding materials: carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn, carbon nanotube aluminum composite (Al/CNT), and carbon nanotube copper composite (Cu/CNT). A finite-element model of a machine is used to provide the performance study and focuses on the machine-generated voltages, currents, and efficiencies. The simulation was carried out using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The findings illustrate that CNT yarn, Al/CNT, and Cu/CNT composite wire as a winding produces maximum voltages of 15.2, 50.1, and 70 V, respectively, when rotated at 100 rpm. It is observed that the proposed use of carbon nanomaterials is being explored as a possible way to replace the pure metal-based winding of the electrical machine. We conclude that carbon nanotube copper composite wire may be better for winding machine applications than carbon nanotube yarn. These results may be used to design a permanent magnet generator for industrial applications based on their requirements.