Design of Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Generators for Small Wind Turbines using the Open AFPM online tools

Presented by Kostas Latoufis. Introduction by Kimon Silwal.

The OpenAFPM modeling tools can be used for designing Axial Flux Permanent Magnet (AFPM) generators for wind electric systems with the use of the open source finite element analysis software ‘Finite Element Method Magnetics’ (FEMM). This series of design tools have been developed by the Rural Electrification Research Group (RurERG) in order to assist designers and practitioners involved with small scale wind electric systems. The OpenAFPM tools series consists of three design tools named MagnAFPM, UserAFPM and OptiAFPM. The tool MagnAFPM can be used for designing a generator for a specific set of rotor blades and a specific set of permanent magnet dimensions. The tool UserAFPM can be used to validate the performance of a specific generator geometry by performing a finite element analysis using FEMM. The tool OptiAFPM uses the particle swarm optimization (PSO) to optimize the dimensions of the permanent magnets used in the generator design for a specific set of rotor blades, while minimizing the generator’s cost and mass, and maximizing its efficiency. During the webinar examples on how to use the OpenAFPM tools will be presented and will be followed by Q&A sessions aimed at assisting the users of the tools in their designs.

Click here to use the OpenAFPM tools.

About the presenters

Kostas Latoufis is an electrical and electronic engineer with a specialization in off-grid renewable energy systems. He received an MEng degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Imperial College of London (UK) in 2000 and since 2004 he has been working as a researcher in the SmartRUE research group of the Electric Power Division of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), in the area of Distributed Energy Resources. He is currently completing his PhD theses on locally manufactured small wind turbine technology in the Fluids Division of the NTUA School of Mechanical Engineering. He started constructing locally manufactured small wind turbines in 2007 with the F.A.R.M.A. collective, later with the Rural Electrification Research Group (RurERG) of the NTUA and then with the School of the Earth ‘Nea Guinea’. He organizes design and hands-on courses in renewable energy systems, such small wind turbine, pico-hydro and solar panel construction courses and has carried out several off-grid renewable energy installations in permaculture farms in Greece and in rural development projects in Central America, South Asia and East Africa. He is a member of the executive board of the WindEmpowerment association and collaborates with other international projects such as the Open Building Institute, the Hydro Empowerment Network and the P2P Lab.

Kimon Silwal is an Electrical and Electronic Engineer graduate from Kathmandu University. He joined KAPEG in 2010 in the position of research staff and is currently working as the company manager. He has worked as activity leader and project leader in more than 20 research and development projects until now with locally manufactured small wind technologies, solar-wind hybrid systems, low head pico-hydro turbines and control system, electric cooking stoves and water purification systems for off-grid applications in collaborations with national and international universities and government organization. Currently, his involvement has been focused towards assisting the Government of Nepal (Alternative Energy Promotion Center) in establishing effective standards, guidelines, and delivery models while consolidating various areas for the further development of the off-grid solar and wind hybrid sector in Nepal.

The creation of the online user interface of the OpenAFPM modeling tools has been supported by WISIONS as part of the SEPS project ‘Online Design Tools for Locally Manufactured Small Wind Turbines’.

For any feedback, questions, comments get in touch at windempowerment.group@gmail.com

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