An Investigation into the Performance of Magnetically Geared Devices for Marine Hydrokinetic and Wind Applications

基于风力和旋转的海洋流体动能转换装置通常依赖于机械变速箱来增加它们的速度，以便匹配电磁发电机的要求。然而，机械变速箱正在产生可靠性问题，并且变速箱的维护会显著增加能源的平准化成本。替代方法，如使用直接驱动发电机在较高的功率水平变得不切实际，由于其固有的低扭矩每体积的能力。本研究将探讨使用磁齿轮发电装置的理论和实际性能能力。磁性齿轮箱提供了许多优于传统机械齿轮箱的优点，因为磁性齿轮箱在没有任何物理接触的情况下产生速度变化，它不需要齿轮润滑并且具有固有的过载扭矩限制能力。通过将磁力齿轮箱耦合到发电机，可以显著提高发电机系统的可靠性，并且体积尺寸可能与其机械齿轮等效物相当。通过提高可靠性，磁齿轮传动发电机可以降低风能和海洋能转换的平准化成本。这可以增加可再生能源的利用，从而有助于减少与化石燃料燃烧有关的空气污染物的排放。 本研究的主要目标是（1）开发建模工具，以了解轴向磁齿轮和径向磁齿轮拓扑结构的缩放和成本/性能权衡。(2)构造并测试定子驱动连续可变磁齿轮和轴向驱动直接驱动磁齿轮发电机。(3)实验评估所提出的磁齿轮装置在宽的速度和扭矩范围内的效率。 当使用铁氧体和稀土磁体时，轴向和径向通量聚焦磁齿轮设计之间的实际性能权衡将在成本的背景下确定。功率流、效率和功率因数特性将相对于现有技术被表征。这项研究将导致更好地了解使用磁齿轮，连续可变磁齿轮和磁齿轮直接驱动电机时的能量转换过程。 当使用通量聚焦磁齿轮拓扑结构时，实现非常高的质量和体积扭矩密度所需的技术将被仔细定义。将连续可变磁齿轮集成到网格中的功率流和控制方程将被导出。本科生和研究生都将协助这项研究。未被充分代表的学生将积极参与这项研究。将为当地高中学生举办外联活动和年度夏季研究活动。研究成果将在主要期刊、会议和研讨会上传播，以使科学和工业界受益。

Wind and rotary based marine hydrokinetic energy conversion devices often rely on a mechanical gearbox to increase their speed so as to match the requirements of the electromagnetic generator. However, mechanical gearboxes are creating reliability concerns and the maintenance of the gearbox can significantly add to the levelized cost of energy. Alternative approaches such as using a direct-drive generator become impractical at higher power levels due to their inherently low torque-per-volume capability. This research will investigate the theoretical and practical performance capabilities of using magnetically geared generation devices. A magnetic gearbox offers a number of advantages over traditional mechanical gearboxes in that a magnetic gearbox creates speed change without any physical contact, it does not require gear lubrication and has an inherent overload torque limiting capability. By coupling a magnetic gearbox to a generator the reliability of the generator system can be significantly improved and the volumetric size could potentially be comparable to its mechanically geared equivalent. By improving reliability a magnetically geared generator could reduce the levelized cost of wind and ocean power conversion. This could increase the utilization of renewable energy resources and consequently help reduce the emission of airborne pollutants associated with the combustion of fossil fuels. The primary goals of this research are to (1) develop modeling tools to understand the scaling and cost/performance trade-offs of axial magnetic gears and radial magnetic gear topologies. (2) Construct and test a stator driven continuously variable magnetic gear and an axially driven direct-drive magnetically geared generator. (3) Experimentally assess the efficiency of the proposed magnetic gear devices over a wide speed and torque range. The practical performance trade-offs between axial and radial flux-focusing magnetic gear designs when using ferrite and rare-earth magnets will be determined in the context of cost. The power flow, efficiency and power factor characteristics will be characterized with respect to existing technology. This research will lead to a greater understanding of the energy conversion process when using magnetic gears, continuously variable magnetic gears and magnetically geared direct-drive electrical machines. The techniques required to achieve very high mass and volumetric torque densities when using flux focusing magnetic gear topologies will be carefully defined. The power flow and control equations for the integration of a continuously variable magnetic gear into the grid will be derived. Both undergraduate and graduate students will assist with this research. Underrepresented students will be actively involved in this research. Outreach activities and yearly summer research experiences for local high-school students will take place. The research results will be disseminated in leading journals, conferences, and workshops in order to benefit the scientific and industrial community.