A Lightweight, Direct-Drive, Fully Superconducting Generator for Large Wind Turbines
- Advanced Magnet Lab, Palm Bay, FL (United States)
- Emerson Inc., St. Louis, MO (United States)
The current trend in the offshore wind turbine industry favors direct-drive generators based on permanent magnets, as they allow for a simple and reliable drivetrain without a gearbox. These generators, however, do not scale very well to high power levels beneficial for offshore wind, and their use in wind turbines over 6 MW is questionable in terms of mass and economic feasibility. Moreover, rare earth materials composing the permanent magnets are becoming less available, more costly and potentially unavailable in the foreseeable future. A stated goal of the DOE is a critical materials strategy that pursues the development of substitute materials and technology for rare earth materials to improve supply chain flexibility and meet the needs of the clean energy economy.Therefore, alternative solutions are needed, in terms of both favorable up-scaling and minimizing or eliminating the use of permanent magnets. The generator design presented in this document addresses both these issues with the development of a fully superconducting generator (FSG) with unprecedented high specific torque. A full-scale, 10-MW, 10-rpm generator will weigh less about 150 metric tons, compared to 300 metric tons for an equivalent direct-drive, permanent magnet generator. The developed concept does not use any rare earth materials in its critical drive components, but rather relies on a superconductor composed of mainly magnesium and boron (MgB2), both of which are in abundant supply from multiple global sources.
- Research Organization:
- Advanced Magnet Lab, Palm Bay, FL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Wind and Water Technologies Office (EE-4W)
- DOE Contract Number:
- EE0005140
- OSTI ID:
- 1340499
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-AML-5140
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
A Comparison of Generator Technologies for Offshore Wind Turbines
Optimization and Comparison of Modern Offshore Wind Turbine Generators Using GeneratorSE 2.0: Preprint