Comparison between pole-placement control and sliding mode control for 3-pole radial magnetic bearings

This paper presents two control techniques for a radial active magnetic bearing (AMB) system in a kinetic energy storage flywheel: Pole placement control and Sliding mode control. Both control methods are based on a previous feedback linearization of the nonlinear 3-pole magnetic bearing configuration. The whole system is modelled and simulated in MATLAB/Simulink so that both controls can be compared taking into consideration the transitory and stationary responses. Experimental results are presented and compared to the simulations in order to verify the proposed simulation models and to analyze the most suitable version to be implemented in the prototype.