Abstract
A new model of magnetically levitated (Maglev) vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) is presented. The rotor is suspended by two permanent magnet (PM) attractive type passive magnetic bearings (PMBs), and the position control of one of the PMs is used to stabilize the axial motion of the rotor. The PM is supported by the two leaf springs and actuated by the two electromagnets to control its axial position. The proposed structure can support the rotor without mechanical contact and reduce the rotation loss. Moreover, it is possible to change the radial stiffness by changing the air gap between the rotor and two PMBs, provides the ability to avoid the resonance at the critical speed. In this paper, the structure of the proposed Maglev VAWT is introduced, and the mathematical model is derived. Then, the control method is discussed, and the local feedback loop strategy is introduced for easy gain tuning. The levitation and rotation are experimentally confirmed, and the results show that the stable levitation and rotation can be performed and the rotation loss is quite low.
