Design of multipole induction machine for an experimental setup for the CRAFT

Abstract A design study of a 50 kW multipole induction machine (IM) has been performed for an experimental setup, which will be a scaled-down version of the Counter Rotating Axial Floating Tilted (CRAFT) turbine. The CRAFT, a novel design for floating offshore wind, consists of two counter rotating tilted 3-bladed turbines on one mast. The power conversion system consists of a primary counter rotating permanent magnet synchronous generator and a secondary multipole IM. Six IMs with different configurations of rotor poles, rotor bars and stator slots have been evaluated with the finite element Analysis (FEA) simulation software Ansys MotorCAD. The IMs have been designed through a parametric study to achieve suitable parameters for the experimental setup. All machines have been investigated for their efficiency, power factor, weights, RMS currents and slip to find the most suitable IM for the experimental setup and CRAFT concept. Also, the machines weight has been investigated to find a cost-effective solution for the CRAFT. In conclusion, six IMs have been simulated with FEA for the experimental setup for the CRAFT.