Accuracy Improvement for Complex Harmonic Analysis Modelling of a Wound Field Synchronous Generator

Complex harmonic analysis provides a computationally efficient alternative to finite element analysis for modelling multi-phase wound field synchronous machines. This paper presents three methods that could improve the accuracy of the complex harmonic analysis: by improving the equivalent airgap; by including a saturation factor and by using image methods for computing end winding inductance. The comparison against a finite element method and experiment shows the improved complex harmonic method could predict waveforms reliably, where a dynamic finite element method would be time consuming. This paper shows the method is valid for a five-phase generator.