Circuit Coupled Simulation of Claw-Pole Machines: Comparison between Different Topologies

The paper is devoted to a 3D-FEA based comparison between different topologies of claw-pole alternators, namely: conventional claw-pole alternator (CPA), inter-pole PM claw-pole alternator (IPM-HECPA) and hybrid-excited brushless claw-pole alternator (HEBCPA). The study is initiated by a description of the studied topologies and an analysis of their rotor-stator main linkage flux. Then, a special attention is paid to their on-load features which is predicted by 3D-finite element analysis (FEA), with emphasis on the armature voltage and current waveforms, their harmonic contents as well as their output current waveform. In order to highlight the effects of the inter-pole PMs and the removing of the brush-ring system, the investigation of the onload features is started by the conventional CPA with a single DC-excitation in the rotor, then it is extended to the hybrid excited topologies.