A study of the variation of synchronous machine parameters due to saturation: a numerical approach

Abstract

This paper shows the variation of the fundamental parameters of synchronous machine two-axis equivalent circuits due to magnetic saturation. The different magnetic states of the machine are obtained using finite-element magnetostatic solutions. This way the permeability patterns of the saturable parts of the machine can be stored and used in a specially designed finite-element program that outputs the standstill frequency response (SSFR) of the machine. A hybrid genetic algorithm, capable of finding global extrema is then applied to obtain the parameters of two equivalent circuit structures for the d-axis. The process is repeated for each magnetic state, so that the variation of parameters can be seen. The magnetic states of the machine are validated by comparing the measured open-circuit characteristic with the one calculated from the finite-element model. In order to validate the d-axis equivalent circuit parameters identified, they have been adopted in the simulation of a synchronous machine short-circuit and the results obtained have been compared to those calculated by a transient finite-element program.