Electrical engineering

Control engineering

Magnetic bearing

Magnetic levitation

Engineering

Magnet

Voltage

Rotor (electric)

Computer science

Mechanical engineering

Induction motor

IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications

This article reviews bearingless motor technology for medium and high power applications. Historically, bearingless motors have resided in research settings and certain niche commercial applications. Significant literature has been dedicated to developing designs that feature highly specific geometry, restricted by applications with a unique set of needs, oftentimes with low power requirements. The first part of this article reviews existing and potentially new use-cases of magnetic levitation in transportation and industrial applications. The second part of the article reviews bearingless motor technology for these applications, presents a comprehensive literature review of prototype test results, and highlights efforts to generalize and increase the power rating of bearingless motor technology. The final part of this article derives sizing equations of different bearingless motor topologies, which are summarized as a design tool for developing industrial-scale bearingless motor technology.

Review of Bearingless Motor Technology for Significant Power Applications