Abstract
In this paper, the performance of a Dual-Stator Winding Synchronous Reluctance
Generator (SynRG) suitability for off-grid wind power generation is analyzed. The rotor of
the SynRG has a slitted-rotor core to improve selected vital performance parameters. The
SynRG with a slitted-rotor core was modeled using a two-dimensional (2D) Finite Element
Method (FEM) to study the electromagnetic performance of key parameters of interest. To
validate the FEA results, a prototype of the SynRG with a slitted rotor was tested in the
laboratory for no-load operation and load operation for unity, lagging, and leading power
factors. To evaluate the capability of the SynRG with a slitted-rotor core to operate in a
wind turbine environment, the machine was modeled and simulated in Matlab/Simulink
(R2023a) for dynamic responses. The FEA results reveal that the SynRG with a slitted-rotor
core, compared with the conventional SynRG with the same ratings and specifications,
reduces the torque ripple by 24.51%, 29.72%, and 13.13% when feeding 8 A to a load with
unity, lagging, and leading power factors, respectively. The FEA results also show that
the induced voltage on no-load of the SynRG with a slitted-rotor core, compared with the
conventional SynRG of the same ratings and specifications, increases by 10.77% when the
auxiliary winding is fed by a capacitive excitation current of 6 A. Furthermore, the same
results show that with a fixed excitation capacitive current of 6 A, the effect of armature
reaction of the SynRG with a slitted-rotor core is demagnetizing when operating with
load currents having a lagging power factor, and magnetizing when operating with load
currents having unity and leading power factors. The same patterns have been observed in
the experimental results for different excitation capacitance values. The Matlab/Simulink
results show that the SynRG with a slitted-rotor core has a quicker dynamic response than
the conventional SynRG. However, a well-designed pitch-control mechanism for the wind
turbine is necessary to account for changes in wind speeds.