Product category:
Bearings
News Release from: SKF UK | Subject: Magnetic bearing technology
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 07 October 2004
Power generation gains magnetic support
SKF has provided magnetic bearing technology that supports the rotating parts of a new 1.2MW high-speed generator.
SKF has provided magnetic bearing technology that supports the rotating parts of a new 1.2MW high-speed generator Coupled to an industrial gas turbine, the generator is part of a system designed and built by Turbo Genset, a UK company specialising in innovative high-speed machines used to produce electrical energy
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 1 Aug 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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It offers a 50 to 60% reduction in size compared with traditional low-speed systems of the same power rating and can consume natural gas or a variety of other fuels.
The SKF magnetic bearings offer many attractive features.
These include oil-free operation, no wearing components, virtually maintenance free, vibration free operation, advanced and low energy consumption.
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The VA201 range of Y-bearing units suits applications where operating temperatures are between -40 and +250C and the VA228 series suits environments of between -150 and +350C.
Magnetic bearings are now suitable for a wider usage thanks to new developments that have seen a reduction in size of the control systems and an increase in their performance.
A magnetic bearing system has three main elements: a bearing stator and rotor to apply electromagnetic forces to levitate the shaft; position sensors to identify the position of the shaft in five axes; and a controller and control algorithms to keep the shaft at a predefined position.
The magnetic bearing stator comprises a stack of laminations with copper coils wound around it to form a series of poles.
A current is supplied to each coil to produce an attractive force that levitates the shaft inside the bearing.
The controller controls the current applied to the coils by monitoring the position signal from the positioning sensors in order to keep the shaft at the desired position throughout the operating range of the machine.
Usually there is 0.5 to 2mm air gap between the rotor and stator depending on the application.
The shaft is typically driven by another source such as a turbine or engine; alternatively, a motor is integrated to the shaft design to drive the shaft.
Distributed power systems have a wide potential in industrial, commercial, mobile and remote applications such as manufacturing sites, housing complexes, hospitals, shopping malls, entertainment centres, small communities, leisure facilities and offshore facilities.
They can be installed to supplement grid-delivered electricity in periods of high demand or grid breakdowns.
With the world demand for energy expected to continue to increase strongly in the future, and large-scale deregulation of electrical power markets, such systems are expected to become preferred choices for many providers.
The 1.2MW system from Turbo Genset is due for market launch in Q2 2005, after field trials currently taking place in combined heat and power applications. Request a free brochure from SKF UK ...
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