Abstract -- This paper describes an analytical approach to

determine the losses in the rotors of synchronous machines

due to stator space and time harmonics. Based on the
formulation of electro-magnetic waves in the cylindrical
coordinate system, different geometrical layouts and winding
arrangements have been investigated. The analytically
calculated results of eddy-current losses in different parts of
the rotor, such as damper wedges, massive iron parts, screens
and permanent magnets, are compared with numerical
calculations, showing good coincidence. Analytical approaches
help to understand the physics and allow optimal solutions to
be found in a fast but still accurate way.

Index TermsAnalytical models, Eddy currents, Finite
element methods, Harmonic analysis, Magnetic fields,
Permanent magnets
I. NOMENCLATURE
E
r
electric field strength
H
r
magnetic field strength
D
r
electric flux density
B
r
magnetic flux density
J
r
current density

r
magnetic vector potential
S Poynting vector (complex power density)
P real part of S , active power density
J

Bessel function of the first kind of order

H
1

Hankel function of the first kind of order

C, C* 1
st
unknown constant of the solution of a
calculation region
D, D* 2
nd
unknown constant of the solution of a
calculation region
j imaginary unit
dielectric constant (permittivity)
electrical conductivity
,
r
,

magnetic permeability, in radial, in tangential

direction (in cylindrical coordinate system)
,
0
electrical angular frequency in radian /s
mechanical angular frequency in radian /s
= j
= / 2 ) /( 2 = , so-called
penetration or skin depth
d diameter
t time
r radial position or direction
tangential position or direction
z axial position or direction

X. Cui is with the Turbogenerators R&D Department, ALSTOM
(Switzerland) Ltd. (e-mail: xiaoli.cui@power.alstom.com).
J. Haldemann is with the Turbogenerators R&D Department, ALSTOM
(Switzerland) Ltd. (e-mail: johann.haldemann@power.alstom.com).
n pole pair number
k pole pairs per length, wave number
real order of the solution functions
m index of matrix coefficients
Z impedance
A excitation current sheet (linear density) [A/m]
U voltage
PM permanent magnet
curl curl operator, V V curl
r r
=
div divergence operator, V V div
r r
=
grad gradient operator, f f grad =
II. INTRODUCTION
HIS paper shows an approach and its application of
analytical modelling for the rotating machines especially
the synchronous generators. The aim of the analytical
model is to determine the rotor surface losses in the active
part. The methodology already used e.g. in [1] is easy to apply
and allows different designs to be assessed very quickly,
giving the opportunity to check the plausibility of results of
complex modelling using e.g. finite element (FE) methods. A
comparison between the analytical and FE calculations has
been done for a large turbogenerator ([2]) and for a small PM
synchronous hydro generator ([3]), as shown in the
following.
III. BASIC ANALYTICAL MACHINE MODEL
A. General Assumptions of the Model
The analytical model consists of a number of infinitely
long cylinders (shown as circles in 2D; See Fig. 1) around an
axis.

Fig. 1. Typical example: Magnetic field lines of a two pole arrangement
with rotor (diameter=1m), air gap (102mm) and stator, where the stator
carries a negative sequence current sheet at the bore and the rotor consists
of a conducting material (in order to present flux lines more clearly,
penetration depth has been assumed to be 50mm, which is larger than that
for realistic cases).

Analytical Time-Harmonic Approach to Calculate
Rotor Eddy-Current Losses due to Stator Harmonics
Xiaoli Cui, Johann Haldemann

T
978-1-4673-0141-1/12/$26.00 2012 IEEE
83


All electric and magnetic quantities are here assumed to be
distributed sinusoidally in space and time, as expressed by the
following formulation
( )


=
n t j
e
r
(1)
where
r
symbolizes any field quantity, j is the imaginary
unit, is the frequency in radian, t is the time, n is the
number of pole pairs and is the tangential position. In each
of the cylinders an axial conductivity and a radial and
tangential permeability can be given. At each boundary the
conditions for continuity have to be fulfilled. The excitation
can be done for example by introducing current sheets (steps
of H

) at the boundaries. The pole pair number and the

electric frequency have to be given.
B. Differential Equations and their Solutions
Starting from the Maxwell equations for the quasi-static
electromagnetic field:
J H curl
r r
= , (Ampres law) (2)
B
t
E curl
r r

= , (Faradays law) (3)

0 = B div
r
, (no magnetic charges) (4)
0 = D div
r
, (no electric charges) (5)
with the material equations:
H B
r r
= (6)
and here in this paper
( ) 0 , ,

H H B
r r
=
r
, (7)
plus
E J
r r
= (8)
and here in this paper
( )
z z
E J = , 0 , 0
r
, (9)
one can write in the cylindrical coordinate system:
( )
z z
E H curl = , 0 , 0
r
(10)
|
|

\
|
= 0 , ,

H
t
H
t
E curl
r r
r
(11)
Assuming that all field quantities follow the formulation
of the wave propagation according to (1), the derivative in
time becomes j. Therefore according to Faradays law it
can be written as follows:
( ) 0 , ,

H H j E curl
r r
=
r
(12)
The derivative in the tangential space direction becomes jn.
With this the originally partial differential equation becomes
an ordinary differential equation.
The formulation of the above vector differential equations
are done in cylindrical coordinates, where the magnetic field
is present in the radial and tangential directions, the electric
field in the axial direction and all distributed in a sinusoidal
way in the tangential direction. The leading equation of the
electric field can be derived as follows:
= |

\
|
+

=
r
H
r
jn
H r
r r
H curl ) (
1
, 0 , 0

r

( )
z z
E E = = , 0 , 0
r
(13)
and
= |

\
|

= 0 , ,
z z
E
r
E
r
jn
E curl
r

( ) 0 , ,

H H j
r r
= (14)
From these two equations by shortening
E E
z
= , =
z
and
E E
r
z
=

,
r r
H H
r
=

and

H H
r
=

,
starting with E H
r
jn
H H
r
r
= + +

1
,
one can obtain the Bessel differential equation:
E j E
r
n E
r
E
r
= +

2
2
1 1
, (15)
which is the leading equation for the electric field E
(electrical conductivity 0). Similar equations exist for the
magnetic field H
r
and H

.
For regions without electrical conductivity ( = 0), the
Euler differential equation is obtained for E:
0
1 1
2
2
= + E
r
n E
r
E
r

. (16)
The solutions of the Bessel differential equation used in
this paper are the Bessel functions of the first kind
) ( r j J

and the third kind ) (

1
r j H

of the order
2
n
r

= (17)
with the complex argument r j ,
where

= j , (18)
yielding
) ( ) (
1
r j H D r j J C E

+ = , (19)
where C and D are the constants to be determined for each
region according to the boundary conditions.
With ) ( r j J

0 for r0; ) ( r j J

for r
and ) (
1
r j H

0 for r; ) (
1
r j H

for r0,
it can be derived that in the innermost region D = 0 and in the
outermost region C = 0 for (19).
The solutions of the Euler differential equation are the
functions

r and

r , giving

+ = r D r C E , (20)
where C and D are again the constants to be determined in
each region.
With

r 0 for r0;

r for r
and

r 0 for r;

r for r0,
it can be derived again that D = 0 in the innermost region and
C = 0 in the outermost region for (20).
The radial and tangential component of the magnetic field
H, can be derived from the electric field E as follows:
( )
|
|

\
|
= = 0 ,
1
, 0 , , E
j
E
r
n
H H H
r
r

r
(21)
For the case where 0, H
r
is:
( ) ) ( ) (
1
r j H D r j J C
r
n
H
r
r



+ =
(22)
and H

is:
|
|
|
|
|

\
|

+
=

)) ( ) ( (
)) ( ) ( (
1 1
1
1
r j H
r j
r j H D
r j J
r j
r j J C
H

(23)
For the case where = 0, H
r
is:
84


( )



+ = r D r C
r
n
H
r
r
(24)
and H

is:
( )
1 1
1

=

r D r C
j
H (25)
The differential equations (15) and (16) with the solutions
(19) and (20) describe the behaviour of the electric field.
With (22) to (25) the magnetic field H
r
and H

can be
determined.
C. Boundary Conditions and Equation System
In order to get solutions of a given problem, the boundary
conditions have to be formulated, so that E
z
and H

have to
be continuous as well as B
r
. With
z r
E
r
n
B

, the condition
for B
r
is automatically fulfilled. Therefore two conditions per
boundary have to be fulfilled, which means that, two
unknowns per region may be determined. The solutions given
in Section B show that always two unknowns C and D have
to be calculated.
The excitation of the system can be done by introducing a
current sheet as a step in H

. It means that a current in a

winding is represented by a radial concentrated current e.g. in
the radial middle of the conductors or at the boundary of the
iron. H

seen from inside the boundary compared to H

seen
from outside is different and this difference corresponds to
the current sheet value in A/m.
The equation system is built up by the equations given by
the boundary conditions. Each boundary allows formulating
two equations to determine two unknowns.
Fig. 2 shows how the structure of the equation system
looks like for the case as illustrated in Fig. 3.

(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

(
=
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

+
+
+ +
+ +
+ +
+ +
0
0
0

2
1
2
2
1
4 4 3
2 2 1
4 3 22 32
2 1 22 12
42 32 31
22 12 11
i
e
i
i
e i i
e i i
i i
i i
A
A
A
D
D
C
D
C
C
F F F
F F F
F F F F
F F F F
F F F
F F F

Fig. 2. Structure of the equation system of the analytical model, showing
the coefficient matrix, the vector of the unknowns and the right-hand-side
vector of the excitations.


Fig. 3. Illustration of the calculation regions and their boundaries
using a 2D model.



In Fig. 2,
mi
F is the value of the function at r = r (i-1) and
mi
F is the value of the function at r = r (i).
For regions with > 0, m = 1 is the value of the function
with variable C of (23), m = 2 is the value of the function
with variable D of (23), m = 3 is the value of the function
with variable C of (19), m = 4 is the value of the function
with variable D of (19).
For regions with = 0, m = 1 is the value of the function
with variable C of (25), m = 2 is the value of the function
with variable D of (25), m = 3 is the value of the function
with variable C of (20), m = 4 is the value of the function
with variable D of (20).
IV. INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE ANALYTICAL
APPROACH
A. Poynting Vector
To calculate the exchange of power in the radial direction
(from region to region), the Poynting vector S
r
can be used.
It is defined as follows:
H E S
r r r
= and with ( )
z
E E , 0 , 0 =
r
and ( ) 0 , ,

H H H
r
=
r

and, due to the fact that only the power which passes radially
is of interest, the Poynting vector then becomes
*
2
1

H E S = (active power density P = Re (S)), (26)

S, E, H

being complex values and H

* indicating the
conjugate complex value of H

. If P is integrated around the

circumference, one gets the total losses passing at a certain
radius (closed contour). To calculate the losses in a certain
ring region (Fig. 3), P has to be known at the outer and inner
boundary of that region. To obtain the tangential loss
distribution in such a region, either the local integrals of
E
2
/2 have to be calculated or the tangential Poynting
vector has to be integrated in the radial direction; together
with the results at radial inner and outer boundary of the
radial Poynting vector, one gets the integral of the Poynting
vector around a closed contour and therefore the loss in the
surrounded area.
In order to calculate more than one harmonic and
determine not only the total rotor damper losses but also the
peripheral distribution of the losses, the sum of the
instantaneous values E and H of all harmonics at selected
positions around the rotor can be obtained, and then the
instantaneous value of the Poynting vector is calculated by
multiplying E with H and integrated over time.
B. Mechanical Rotation and Distributed Excitation
By introducing a step of E at boundaries, e.g. on the rotor
surface, it is possible to introduce the mechanical rotation
(relative motion) into the model. But for the subject of the
paper this is not needed and therefore is not mentioned in this
paper. Instead of applying radial infinitesimal thin layers of
currents (current sheets), it is possible to define the exciting
currents in cylindrical rings with the current densities as a
function of the radius.
C. Plotting: Flux Line Plot
The following can be written for the magnetic flux density
by using (4) and the vector identity 0 ) ( = curl div
r
:
, ,
r

r
curl B
z
= =
|
|

\
|
= =
r r r
0
1

. (27)
Region 1
r1
r2
ri
2
Region i
,
r

C1
C2 & D2
Ci & Di
De
Region e
85


This leads to

d r B dr B
d r

r
dr
r

d
r
=
+ =
1
(28)
and if choosing time = 0, which means to take the real part of
B, one can get

=
= =

o
fix r
r
r
o
d r ) (B dr ) (B Re Re
0
(29)
shall pass the origin of the coordinate system.
With a few transformations the following can be obtained:
)) (n (E(r)) ) (n (E(r)) (

) (r, sin Re cos Im

1
= (30)
If = (r,) is given, by choosing r it can be written with
E = E (r):
) ( cos ) Re( ) Re( ) ( cos ) Im(
) cos( ) Im( ) ( 2 ) (
2 2 2 2 2
2


n E E n E
n E
= +
+
(31)
This is a quadratic equation in (cos(n)), of which the
solutions can be determined. If we get two real solutions, it
means that we get the position of on the radius r, where the
potential line is passing; and a second position , where the
same line comes back. If the solutions of the quadratic
equation are complex, it means that on the radius r no
potential line of the potential is passing. For n > 1 the
solutions have to be multiplied and moved by multiples of
360/n.
D. Change of Coordinate System
In electrically conducting regions the solutions based on
Bessel functions may cause numerical problems if the
penetration depth is small. A method to find valuable
solutions even in such cases is to switch to Cartesian
coordinate system. Due to the fact that penetration depth is
small, accurate results will be still obtained (curvature is not
seen by the electromagnetic field wave). The leading
equation for the electric field E in the Cartesian case, where
E = E
z
and H consists of an x and y component and both E
and H behave in a sinusoidal way in the y-direction and
therefore are travelling waves in the y-direction, is
E E k E
x
y
=
2 2

(32)
with
( ) ky t j
e E E

=

v
,
y
j = and
2
2
x
E
E

=
If the Cartesian approach is again not successful, it is
possible to apply an impedance Z as a boundary condition,
which combines the electric and magnetic field. With this
idea it is always possible to find a solution. This boundary
formulation looks as follows:
2 2
k
j
H
E
Z
x
y
y
y
z

+
= = (33)
Using the Cartesian coordinate system according to (32),
the wave length has been determined based on the average
radius of the observed area.
E. Multiple harmonics
In order to calculate the losses of more than one harmonic
in the rotor of an electrical machine, the presented
methodology has to be applied for each harmonic
individually. Special attention has to be given when
frequencies and/or pole pair numbers of different harmonics
are the same. If frequencies are the same, the tangential
distribution of the losses on the rotor will not be uniform,
but the losses will be constant in time; if pole pair numbers
are the same, the losses in time will be varying, but the
tangential distribution of the losses on the rotor will be
uniform.
V. NEGATIVE SEQUENCE CURRENT LOSSES IN A
TURBOGENERATOR ROTOR
A 2-pole turbogenerator of above 500MVA is required to
be able to withstand 7% negative sequence steady-state
current load. A finite element (FE) approach has been done to
check the level of losses in the damper system in the active
part. The damper system consists of Nibrofor slot wedges
and the magnetic rotor iron. Two different rotor layouts have
been investigated: in the first there are 4 additional damper
wedges in the pole zone; in the second there are no pole-zone
damper wedges.
Firstly the load case has been calculated (rated overexcited
load at the rated voltage) using a magneto-static 2D FE
approach to define the rotor current and load angle (Fig. 4).
In a second step the winding harmonics have been determined
(5
th
and 7
th
at 300Hz, 11
th
and 13
th
at 600Hz, 17
th
and 19
th
at
900Hz; seen from the rotor) and put pair-wise in the FE
model in the stator winding to calculate the losses on the
rotor surface with a harmonic approach (iron modelled with
the non-linear boundary condition). And thirdly the same has
been done for the negative sequence losses.


Fig. 4. Flux line plot according to magneto-static calculation for a 2-pole
turbogenerator with 4 damper wedges in the pole zone (at load).

The loss distribution (in terms of loss density) on the rotor
surface with 4 damper wedges in the pole zone is illustrated
in Fig. 5, where the blue curves correspond to the losses due
to the winding harmonics only, while the red curves indicate
the sum of losses due to winding harmonics and negative
sequence load. Those pillars as shown in Fig. 5 indicate the
losses in the damper wedges, between which are the teeth
(rotor iron); the symmetry axis of the pole iron is located in
the middle of the plot.
Without damper wedges in the pole zone, as illustrated in
Fig. 6, the rotor losses under the same loading condition are
increased compared to the case with 4 damper wedges in the
pole zone (Fig. 5). This is because the negative sequence
current has to flow in the magnetic rotor iron, which has a
smaller electrical conductivity. Due to high permeability of
the magnetic rotor, the penetration depth is small.

86



Fig. 5. Loss distribution on the rotor surface with 4 damper wedges in the
pole zone (x-axis: tangential position of the rotor with pole zone marked;
y-axis: loss density in kW/m
2
).


Fig. 6. Loss distribution on the rotor surface WITHOUT damper wedges
in the pole zone (x-axis: tangential position of the rotor with pole zone
marked; y-axis: loss density in kW/m
2
).


(a) (b)
Fig. 7. Effect of screening negative sequence fields mainly by currents in
the wedges: (a) a shorter distance between wedges is shown; (b) a larger
distance between wedges (more flux enters the magnetic iron) is shown.

As can be realized, actually no flux lines are shown in the
magnetic rotor iron as illustrated in Fig. 7. This is due to the
fact that the magnetic iron has been modelled by applying a
non-linear impedance boundary condition.
The analytical approach has been implemented for the
following three cases, according to Table I, II and III (which
show the geometry data and material properties as the
necessary inputs for the calculation model), respectively:
- Case 1: calculation of the winding zone, distance between damper
wedges set as 100%;
- Case 2: calculation of the pole zone, distance between damper
wedges set as 200% and 300% yielding the average: 250%;
- Case 3: calculation of the pole zone without damper wedges.
The calculation regions, as referred to Fig. 3, are denoted
as: 1 = rotor iron, 2 = wedge zone, 3 = air gap, 4 = stator, 5 =
outside.

TABLE I
CALCULATION OF WINDING ZONE WITH DAMPER WEDGES (CASE 1)
Region Number 1 2 3 4 5
Rel. Permeability rel 70 1.689* 1 1000 1
[MS/m] 2.43 8.23*
Radius [m] 0.578 0.6 0.7222 1.4

TABLE II
CALCULATION OF POLE ZONE WITH DAMPER WEDGES (CASE 2)
Region Number 1 2 3 4 5
Rel. Permeability rel 70 3.747* 1 1000 1
[MS/m] 2.43 3.71*
Radius [m] 0.578 0.6 0.7222 1.4

TABLE III
CALCULATION OF POLE ZONE WITHOUT DAMPER WEDGES (CASE 3)
Region Number 1 2 3 4 5
Rel. Permeability rel 70 70** 1 1000 1
[MS/m] 2.43 2.43
Radius [m] 0.578 0.6 0.7222 1.4

* The relative permeability _rel_model and the conductivity _model
for the analytical model are defined and explained in Appendix A. The
separation of the losses between the wedge and the iron on the basis of the
electrical conductivity is not very accurate.
** The relative permeability rel in this case has been set to 70 for the
iron. This value corresponds to the tangential magnetic field H due to the
negative sequence current at the rotor surface and the corresponding
permeability according to the saturation curve. The losses on the surface of
magnetic iron without damper wedges have been multiplied by 4/3 which
takes into account the non-linear iron behaviour acc. to the theory by
Rosenberg (See [7]). The analytic model results in an underestimation of
the losses, but the coincidence is very good, if a pre-saturation due to the
load is taken into account.

The same harmonics as in the FE model have been taken
into account for the results in Fig. 8. It shows the distribution
of the Poynting vector S
r
on the rotor, which is fixed to the
rotor and does not move.
dt t H t E S
k
k
t
k
k

= ) ( ) ( ) (
, ,
(34)
Equation (34) shows the integral over time of the sum of E(t)
at position of all harmonics k, which is multiplied with the
sum of H(t) at position of all harmonics k. The variation of
the Poynting vector corresponds to the loss distribution on
the rotor surface, and is due to harmonics, which have neither
the same pole numbers nor the same velocity, but do have the
same frequency seen from the rotor (interference).


Fig. 8. Loss distribution (variation of the real part of the Poynting
vector) on the rotor surface of one pole pair (x-axis: rotor tangential
position in mechanical degree; y-axis: loss density in W/m
2
), calculated
using the analytical approach for negative sequence current including
winding harmonics for Case 3 (without damper wedges; loss distribution
curves obtained in Case 1 and 2 are at lower level and with the same shape).

TABLE IV
COMPARISON OF CALC. LOSSES WITH METHODS: ANALYTICAL VS. 2D FE
(ONLY FOR NEGATIVE SEQUENCE CURRENTS)
Case 1 Case 2 Case 3
Losses [kW/m2] analytical 2.01 4.46 32.29
Losses [kW/m2], 2D-FE
damper wedge
iron
average
with pre-saturation of rotor iron
due to load case

3.40
0.25
2.05

12.50
3.70
5.70



39.57

31.55
% analytical / 2D-FE
with pre-saturation
98% 78% 82%
102%
87


Table IV shows the calculated results for the three cases
using the analytical and FE methods for comparison. As can
be seen, the calculated losses are quite accurate when the
teeth are smaller (Case 1); for larger teeth (Case 2) the
analytical result is around 1/5 lower. It has to be pointed out
that, in Case 2 the pitch from wedge to wedge in the pole
zone is set as 2 and 3 in the FE model, while in the
analytical model the pitch is uniformly set as 2.5, i.e. the
average of 2 and 3.
VI. HARMONIC LOSSES IN THE ROTOR OF APERMANENT
MAGNET SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR (PMSG)
A 3-phase 24-pole PMSG of 300kW, 3.3kV has 108 slots
with a coil pitch of 4. Most of the harmonic losses on the
rotor are due to the slot harmonics. The geometric
configuration of the 2D calculation model can be described
in this way (See [3]): after the air gap of around 5.5mm, there
are a stainless steel cylinder of 2mm, a copper cylinder of
3mm and 24 circumferentially distributed PM poles with 8
separated segments per pole (each segment: 18mm wide,
180mm long and 15mm in height), followed by the massive
rotor body. The air gap field fundamental value sums up to
0.84T. The machine active part length is 180mm.

TABLE V
CALCULATION OF LOSSES IN THE CONDUCTIVE ROTOR PARTS OF A PMSG
Harmonic order Freq.
[Hz]
Current sheet
[kA/m]
losses [W]
analytical
losses [W]
2D-FE
Fundamental: 12 0 58.8 - -
Slot harm. 108-
12=96 and
108+12=120
450
135
135
Sum:
11549
Sum:
11312
Stainless steel cylinder
Copper cylinder
Magnets (radial + tangential field losses)
rotor body (massive iron)
533
10942
54+18
2
575
10688
47
2
24
48
150
3.7
7.5 86 84
60
84
300
6.9
2.3 52 56
204
228
900
17.8
19.8 12 -



(a)

(b)
Fig. 9. (a) Distribution of harmonic losses on the rotor surface of one
pole pair (PMSG), calculated using the approach of Poynting vector (See
(34)); (b) Plot of instantaneous values of the Poynting vector as shown in
(a). (x-axis: rotor tangential position in mechanical degree; y-axis: losses in
W/m.)
The loss values shown in Table V represent the results
excited by the fundamental current wave in the stator. The
comparison of loss calculation at rotor frequency of 450Hz
using analytical vs. 2D-FE methods shows a difference of
approx. 2%. If higher time harmonics exist, the same
approach can be taken and the results can be added to those in
Table V.
As can be seen from Fig. 9 (a), the losses in the rotor are
not homogeneously distributed, because the harmonics have
different pole pair numbers, but some of them especially the
slot harmonics (flux pulsation) have the same frequency on
the rotor. The positions with maximum losses show a loss
density of around twice the average value.
In the analytical model the losses in the PMs have been
calculated without field rejection, as done also in [4], [5] and
[6]. The losses in permanent magnets normally have to be
kept very low and therefore magnets are divided into isolated
sub-magnets. The corresponding size and the rather low
electrical conductivity of the sub-magnets, and as a
consequence the large penetration depth, allow for eddy
current loss calculation formulation with the assumption of
no field rejection by the eddy currents.
In the analytical model the magnet area is defined as an air
region. Based on the formula given in Appendix B, the sum
(over the height) of radial field losses and the losses of the
tangential field (average over the height) have been
determined (Table V). A comparison of calculation of losses
in the magnets using the analytical and the 2D-FE approaches
does show some difference. It may be due to the low loss
value in the magnets compared to the losses in other parts of
the rotor.
Special attention has to be given to the pulsation or the
slot harmonics. Pulsation is the effect of the slotting on the
air gap field which is modulated. The pulsation can be
understood as the slot harmonics of the stator current sheet
and of the rotor current sheet transformed to the stator
bore. The losses of the two components cannot be simply
added, because they are not linear independent. E and H have
to be firstly calculated for both and then multiplied for the
loss calculation. Rotor field harmonics have been neglected.
In this paper the air gap field has been taken to calculate the
pulsation (formula according to [8], with Equation 232 for
flux pulsation on rotor surface, then transformation of the
flux pulsation to a stator current at the bore, with which rotor
losses have been determined).
VII. CONCLUSION
Two types of synchronous generators, a large 2-pole
turbogenerator of above 500MVA (Section V) and a small
24-pole PM synchronous hydro generator of 300kW (Section
VI), were investigated by calculating the rotor eddy-current
losses using the analytical method initiated from the Maxwell
equations, as described in Section III and IV. The analytically
calculated results of eddy-current losses in different parts of
the rotor, such as damper wedges, massive iron parts, screens
and permanent magnets, are compared with numerical
calculations, showing good coincidence (See the comparisons
in Table IV for the turbogenerator; Table V for the PM hydro
generator). Therefore, the analytical calculation method
presented in this paper demonstrates its usefulness.
VIII. APPENDICES
A. Combination of wedge and tooth (turbogenerator)
Under the condition that the wave length (per pole pitch) is
longer than the pitch between two wedges, and the air gap
field is rejected completely by the eddy currents (wedge and
tooth height larger than penetration depths), one is able to
calculate analytically the total losses of a combination of
non-magnetic wedges and steel teeth made of magnetic iron,
88


both electrically conducting. The analytical model parameters
of the relative permeability _rel_model and conductivity
_model can be determined as follows.
1) Determination of the relative permeability
_rel_model:
Based on the fact that the flux is basically a tangential one
(See Fig. 7), the permeability represents the series connection
of non-magnetic wedge material and magnetic tooth. This
series connection takes account of penetration depths and
magnetic material properties. The relative permeability of the
steel is given by knowing the saturation level at the operation
point of the machine, formulated as:
_rel_model =
pitch / (width
wedge
+ width
tooth
/ _rel_Fe *
wedge
/
tooth
)
(Remark: according to (7) a radial and a tangential
permeability could be introduced. But the effect on the losses
in an anisotropic analytical model is small. Therefore this
relative permeability is taken for both directions.)
2) Determination of the electrical conductivity
_model:
The eddy currents flow in the axial direction of the
machine and the equivalent conductivity _model is defined
by a parallel connection of wedges and teeth with different
width, penetration depth and electrical conductivity for both
materials. Therefore _model has to satisfy the following:
width
wedge
*
wedge
*
wedge
+ width
tooth
*
tooth
*
tooth
=
pitch * _model * _model
This is done when applying the following formula:
_model = (
wedge
* width
wedge
2
+
tooth
/ _rel_Fe * width
tooth
2

+ sqrt(
wedge
*
tooth
/ _rel_Fe) * 2 * width
wedge
* width
tooth
) /
pitch
2
* _rel_model
B. Eddy current loss calculation in a brick without field
rejection (PMSG)
A conductor brick of the thickness b, height h and length l,
with the electrical conductivity and the permeability , is
exposed to a homogeneous magnetic field with the amplitude
H and the electric frequency ( = 2**f).

According to Faradays law, the
voltage induced along the bricks
length has the amplitude:
U(x) = * ( * H) * (l * x),
with U(x = 0) = 0.
The resistance of a thin strip with the
thickness of dx is
R(x) = (1 / ) * l / (h * dx) .
Hence, the eddy-current losses
dissipated in this thin strip is
dPeddy (x) = U(x)
2
/ R(x) / 2
= ( *H)
2
*
2
* * h * l * x
2
*dx / 2,
which results in the eddy-current
losses Peddy dissipated in the whole
brick by integrating dPeddy(x) along
the x-axis from -b/2 to b/2:
Peddy = (*H)
2
*
2
* *h* l * b
3
/ 24
Fig. 10. A conductor brick with
eddy currents due to the
homogeneous magnetic field

Fig. 10 shows the cross section of the conductor brick,
with the magnetic field laying vertically, the electric field and
therefore currents laying perpendicular to the cross section.
The eddy current losses P
eddy
induced in the brick is expressed
as P
eddy
= ( *H)
2
*
2
* * h * l* b
3
/ 24, which can be
derived with the thinking as described beside Fig. 10.
Due to symmetry, it has been assumed that the current
distribution is proportional to the middle of the thickness b.
The total current in the brick sums up to zero at any time,
which is the main condition for the solution.
Assuming that the magnetic field is not homogeneous over
the thickness b (H = H(x)), one is able to formulate in a
similar manner the virtual eddy currents flowing in such a
brick relative to an arbitrarily chosen reference position. After
having integrated (e.g. numerically) the virtual eddy currents,
one can subtract this sum from the virtual solution, so that
the condition of having no residual current is fulfilled. In this
way one gets the real eddy current distribution. The impact on
the losses of having homogeneous or inhomogeneous field
distribution over the brick is of minor importance. An
approach with a homogeneous field distribution based on the
average magnetic field across the brick will be sufficient in
most cases.
C. Remarks to Analytical Models
The Carter factor of slotting in the air gap is taken into
account in all calculations.
The winding factor analysis is done with the slot width
(important for higher harmonics) taken into account.
IX. REFERENCES
[1] M. Markovic, Y. Perriard, An Analytical Determination of Eddy-
Current Losses in a Configuration With a Rotating Permanent
Magnet, IEEE Trans. on Magnetics, vol. 43, no. 8, pp. 33803386,
Aug. 2007.
[2] Gas cooled Alstom turbogenerator of above 500MVA, see Alstoms
Topgas brochure (hydrogen cooled turbogenerators) downloadable
from the company website: www.alstom.com
[3] Xiaoli Cui, Andreas Binder, Erwin Schlemmer, Straight-Flow
Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Design for Small Hydro
Power Plants, Proc. of Int. Conf. on Clean Electrical Power
Renewable Energy (ICCEP), Capri, Italy, p. 323-328, May 2007.
[4] Yacine Amara, Jiabin Wang, David Howe, Analytical Prediction of
Eddy-Current Loss in Modular Tubular Permanent-Magnet
Machines, IEEE Transactions of Energy Conversion, Vol. 20, no. 4,
Dec. 2005, p.761ff
[5] Kais Atallah, David Howe, Philip H. Mellor David A. Stone, Rotor
Loss in Permanent-MAGNET Brushless AC Machines, IEEE Trans.
on Industry Applications, Vol. 36, no. 6, Nov./Dec. 2000, p.1612ff
[6] Jiabin Wang, Kais Atallah, R. Chin, W.M. Arshad, H. Lendenmann,
Rotor Eddy-Current Loss in Permanent-Magnet Brushless AC
Machines, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 46, no. 7, July
2010, p.2701ff
[7] Rosenberg, E. Wirbelstrme in massivem Eisen, Elektrotechnik
und Maschinenbau EuM 1923, p. 317 / Elektrotechnische Zeitschrift
ETZ 44 (1923), p. 513 518
[8] Richter R., Elektrische Maschinen Tome 1, 3
rd
Edition, 1967,
Birkhuser Verlag, Basel
X. BIOGRAPHIES
Xiaoli Cui was born in China on July 6, 1978. She received B.Sc in 1999
and M.Sc in 2002, both in Electrical Engineering, from Xi'an Jiaotong
University, China. From 2004 to 2009 she was a research and teaching
assistant (PhD candidate) at the Institute of Electrical Energy Conversion,
Darmstadt University of Technology (TU Darmstadt), Germany. She joined
ALSTOM in 2009. She is R&D Engineer in electrical design and
calculation for turbogenerator product development, at the
Turbogenerators R&D Department of ALSTOM, Birr, Switzerland.
Johann Haldemann was born in Switzerland on May 14, 1955. He
received the Dipl. Ing. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich (ETH Zrich) in 1981 and the Dr.
sc. ETH degree in Electrical Engineering from ETH Zrich in 1997. He
joined ALSTOM, former ABB / BBC, in 1981. He is Expert in electrical
basics for turbogenerator product development, at the Turbogenerators
R&D Department of ALSTOM, Birr, Switzerland.
H H
b
h
I
x
0
-b/2 b/2
dx

89
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