Suspension Performance of a Two-Axis Actively Regulated Consequent-Pole Bearingless Motor

The objective of this study is to investigate the suspension performance of a proposed two-axis actively regulated consequent-pole bearingless motor with C-shaped segmented cores. The motor is intended for use in compact, contamination-free centrifugal pumps. In this bearingless motor, the two-axis radial motion of the rotor is actively regulated. Additionally, the axial and tilting motions of the rotor are passively stabilized. In addition, rotating angle detection is not required for active magnetic suspension, unlike conventional permanent-magnet-type bearingless motors. The test machine is stably driven without any mechanical contact at a rated speed of 3000 r/min. The rotor vibration in the actively and passively regulated directions is less than 1/10th of the range of rotor motion. The test results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed bearingless motor for centrifugal pump applications.