In this article, the stator winding circulating current inside parallel branches (CCPB) of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) is comprehensively investigated. Different from other studies, this study not only focuses on the CCPB in radial static air-gap eccentricity (RSAGE) and radial dynamic air-gap eccentricity (RDAGE) but also takes the radial hybrid air-gap eccentricity (RHAGE) cases into account. Firstly, the detailed expressions of CCPB in normal and radial air-gap eccentricity (RAGE) are obtained. Then, the finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental studies are performed on a four-pole DFIG with a rated speed of 1470 rpm in order to verify the theoretical analysis. It is shown that the RAGE increases the amplitude of the CCPB and brings new frequency components to the CCPB. For RSAGE, the CCPB brings new frequency components, which are f1 (50) and fμ (540/640). For RDAGE, the newly generated frequency components are f1± fr (25/75), fu ± fr (515/565/615/665, and k = ±1). For RHAGE, the newly added frequency components in RSAGE and RDAGE are present at the same time. In addition, the more the RAGE degree is, the larger the amplitude of characteristic frequency components will be. The results obtained in this paper can be used as a supplementary criterion for diagnosing DFIG eccentric faults.
