Optimization of high voltage geared permanent-magnet synchronous generator systems

This paper focuses on the Optimization of Medium Voltage Geared Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Systems in an attempt to reduce the amount of rare earth material used. The aim is to decrease the weight and cost of large scale Medium Voltage (MV) Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators, to be used in a Medium Voltage system configuration. A genetic algorithm is used for the design optimization which minimizes the generator cost and permanent magnet material. The approach is used to optimize a range of PMSGs with power ratings of 3 MW, 5 MW and 10 MW. Finally, a detailed comparison is presented of each design. The comparative results show that a Medium Voltage single-stage Geared PMSG is more cost-effective than both the Low Voltage Direct-Drive and Low Voltage Geared concepts.