Subsidised by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia within the 2i 2024 Programme, this initiative has made it possible to develop a rapid analysis and design tool
With more than 60 years of experience in the manufacture of electric motors and generators for the global naval industry, the Bizkaia company Alconza has started to work on a new line of auxiliary power generators and more innovative custom excitation systems. The project it is working on, named APAGRAT, was subsidised by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, within the 2i 2024 Programme for the Promotion of Innovation and Advanced Investment,
The Basque manufacturer Alconza is undertaking this competitiveness improvement project it began last year with the aim of strengthening and consolidating its position in the market of permanent magnet motors and increasing its global market share, where it is one of the benchmark companies. Its goal is to achieve a new range of auxiliary excitation systems based on PMSM (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor) by creating a quick, intuitive and highly accurate design tool.
Excitation systems are a crucial component in electrical generators, especially in salient pole synchronous machines. The main function of these small electronic systems is to energise the generator’s main exciter. This excitation current makes it possible to create the magnetic field necessary for the generator to generate electricity. The excitation system enables us to regulate the output voltage of the main generator by varying the excitation current that feeds the rotor. In some cases, the excitation system also plays a role in starting the generator, providing the initial current necessary to create the magnetic field.
APAGRAT’s specific challenges
In the course of this programme, co-financed by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, the directors of Alconza have set various specific challenges. Firstly, it intends to train the company to design and manufacture PMSM-type auxiliary excitation systems in-house without resorting to third-party firms. At the same time, the Bizkaia manufacturer aims to notably reduce the economic and time resources required by the process of adapting these designs to the needs of each project.
To achieve these goals, Alconza’s engineering team has set various operational targets. Firstly, it aims to study, analyse and characterise the influence of the different manufacture tolerances (sheet metal cutting, packing, magnetic performance of the magnets, etc.) in the auxiliary permanent magnet excitation systems (PMSM).
A second objective will be to design and develop analysis tools to quickly and precisely draw up the ad hoc designs of the auxiliary PMSM excitation systems required by the salient pole generators. Similarly, the idea is to design and develop a range of auxiliary excitation systems based on PMSM topology. Finally, they aim to experimentally validate both the tools developed and the range of auxiliary exciters.
