Feasibility Study of Carbon Nanotube Winding for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Considering Coupled Electromagnetic- Thermal Aspects

The increasing demand for lightweight, high-efficiency electrical machines has driven research into copper-carbon nanotube (Cu-CNT) composites as alternatives to copper windings. While Cu-CNT-based conductors show promise, their bi-directional electromagnetic-thermal behavior in permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) remains underexplored. This study evaluated the feasibility of Cu-CNT windings to enhance power density, thermal management, and efficiency through a coupled analysis using 2D electromagnetic finite element analysis integrated with a lumped parameter thermal network. Two Cu-CNT materials with a resistivity of 7.12 × 10<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">−8</sup> Ω.m (Cu-CNT #1) and 2.12 × 10<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">−8</sup> Ω.m (Cu-CNT #2) were tested over speeds ranging from 1000 to 4800 RPM with parametric variations in axial length and outer diameter. Results show that Cu-CNT #2 delivered higher specific power and, at high temperatures, achieved better efficiency than the copper-based model. Due to limited composite material samples from current processing and manufacturing, a copper coil prototype was manufactured for validation. The good agreement between the simulation and the test results of the copper-based confirms the accuracy of the coupled electromagnetic-thermal analysis. As a result, the correctness of the Cu-CNT-based model is validated.