Development and Certification of a Skid Mounted AMB Controller for Hazardous Area Installation

Active magnetic bearing (AMB) controllers for hydrocarbon and other hazardous area applications are normally installed within a control room inside a safe (unclassified) area. This article describes the design and certification of an AMB controller for skid mounting within the hazardous area, drawing on recent development of a first of class system. The design challenges raised by the environmental requirements for outdoor installation are discussed together with the challenges resulting from the hazardous area certification requirements. The routes to hazardous area certification considered during the early phases of the development project are presented together with a description of the route finally chosen.