Oceanic Wave Energy Conversion by a Novel Permanent Magnet Linear Generator Capable of Preventing Demagnetization

In the conventional permanent magnet linear generators (PMLGs) used for oceanic wave energy conversion system, demagnetization could cause everlasting degradation in electrical power generation. This paper presents a new design that can be applied to various PMLGs to avoid demagnetization. To check the effectiveness of the proposed technique, a PMLG is considered, which allows both the fixed and variable length of airgaps for analysis. The finite element analysis is used by using the software package ANSYS/Ansoft to simulate the testing PMLG for two conditions: with and without using the proposed technique. Different parameters and characteristics of the PMLG under both conditions are presented in detail. Both the simulation and test results show that the proposed design is able to avoid the demagnetization problem successfully.