Load point calculation for low voltage synchronous generator using finite element method

The aim of this paper is to propose a procedure to compute synchronous generator characteristics at steady-state operation. It uses a minimum set of finite-element static calculations to determine the generator electromagnetic performances without loss of accuracy. The load point calculation, consisting on the output voltage and the power factor, is obtained by means of a root-finding algorithm. An application of the procedure is shown for a low voltage generator of 60 kVA. A parametric design case of the rotor is also described, changing the pole shoe span and the ratio between the maximum and the minimum airgap length under the pole shoe.