Identification of electrical steel market needs through market intelligence analysis In the past decade, market intelligence analysis has been intensively used to understand market dynamics and to anticipate future evolutions. Soft magnetic materials, such as non-oriented electrical steels, are widely used in numerous and diverse applications: from motors in kids toys to hydro-power-plant generators. Due to this huge spectrum of applications, it is essential to apply a market intelligence framework – including the segmentation analysis – to identify the market needs for each segment. In principle, the market of non-oriented electrical steel can be divided into four segments: energy, transportation, industry, and residential. The following paragraphs provide a glimpse of some applications, focusing on the Energy transition and e-Mobility markets.
ELECTRICAL STEEL IN THE ENERGY TRANSITION MARKET Wind energy is considered to be the most promising renewable energy, and it is expected to penetrate the world’s electricity production significantly. Wind energy is obtained by converting kinetic wind energy to electric energy using an electric generator. The wind energy conversion system is categorised according to whether it is based on the drivetrain architecture or on electric generator technology. These
factors will largely determine the selection of electrical steel grades in order to achieve optimal system performance. From the drivetrain architecture point of view, the geared drivetrain is the common technology. However, there is a strong interest nowadays in the direct drivetrain architecture, especially in offshore wind farms. Thanks to the absence of the gearbox, the system is more reliable. In practice, there are several electric generator topologies depending on
the drivetrain architecture and speed variability. Currently, the geared drive doubly fed induction generator, operating at a moderate speed range, is the most dominant generator topology. On the other hand, the direct drive low speed permanent magnet synchronous generator is the most promising topology for the future, especially in offshore windmills. This is because of its high performance – including the high efficiency and power density – which results in substantial energy-savings each year.
