3D Numerical Studies of a Radial-Type Superconducting Magnetic Bearing Consisting of HTS Coils and PM

Abstract

High temperature superconducting (HTS) coils have promising applications in superconducting magnetic bearings (SMB). In this paper, we designed a radial-type SMB consists of permanent magnet (PM) rotor and HTS coil stator. The internal rotor is a Halbach array of PM and iron sheet. The external stator consists of two closed double pancake HTS coils connected in series and an open-loop coil. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model was established to analyze the levitation force and radial stability of the proposed SMB. The results indicate that the SMB can support load of 4613 N under 120 A current. The SMB exhibits an axial stiffness of 911 N/mm and a radial stiffness of 435 N/mm, with stiffness decreasing as the coil current increases. This work contributes to exploring the potential of HTS coils in bearing applications and guides the design of SMB.