Electromagnetomechanical Coupled Vibration Analysis of a Direct-Drive Off-Shore Wind Turbine Generator

In large direct-drive off-shore wind turbine generators one challenge is to engineer the system to function securely with an air gap length of about a thousandth of the outer rotor diameter. Compared to the large diameter of the generator rotor, the rolling element bearings can only be constructed with a relatively limited size. This makes it challenging to design appropriate constructions able to transmit the large applied magnetic forces encountered in the air gap of direct drive wind turbine generators. Currently, this challenge is met by designing stiff heavy rotors that are able to withstand the forces in the air gap. Incorporating flexibility into the design of the rotor structure can lead to a lighter less expensive rotor. In order to be able to do this the magnetomechanical coupling in the air gap and its effect on the structural dynamics need to be taken into account when predicting the intended flexibility. This paper introduces an approach for a multiphysical modal analysis that makes it possible to predict the dynamics of the strongly coupled magnetomechanical system. The new method is validated using measurements of a simple lab setup. It is then applied to a single-bearing design direct-drive wind turbine generator rotor to calculate the changes of the structural dynamics caused by the electromagnetomechanical coupling.