Developments and Tests on Retainer Bearings for Large Active Magnetic Bearings

Radial and axial active magnetic bearings due to their specific features and operating characteristics can meet technical requirements beyond the scope of conventional bearings. With these bearings rotating machines can be arranged encapsulated in the process medium without any risk of interaction with lubrication oil or stationary component parts during normal operation. They are thus predestined for use in gas-cooled high temperature reactors. This is true in particular because the demand of freedom from maintenance is met here in a way not reached in mechanical engineering before.