Comparison of Halbach, Radial and Axial Magnet Arrangement for Single Phase Tubular Permanent Magnet Linear Alternators

Linear alternators converts linear motion directly into electricity. Linear alternators can be used in applications such as hybrid electric vehicles, Stirling engines, free piston engines, and renewable energy applications. This paper compares halbach, radial and axial magnet arrangement for single phase tubular permanent magnet linear alternator. Modeling has been done using FEMM and the electrical parameters such as power, open circuit voltage, load voltage and current have been compared. It was seen that the halbach arrangement provides best power output in comparison with radial and axial arrangement for the chosen configuration. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages associated with the three magnet arrangements have been discussed in detail.