Analysis of Levitation Characteristics of Radial-Type Superconducting Magnetic Bearings

In the design of large-scale flywheel, load capacity and bearing constants (i.e. spring and damping constants) should be accurately calculated. In this report, a newly developed analysis method for radial-type superconducting magnetic bearings (SMBs) composed of several couples of magnet rings and magnetic material spacers is described. The analysis method is based both on electromagnetic FEM of the magnetic field and the 2- Dimensional Bean Model for analysis of magnetization of oxide superconductors. To obtain accurate magnetization hysteresis that reflects the complex magnetic fields, a superconductor is meshed into cells. Then the electromagnetic force between the magnetic fields of magnets and the magnetization of the superconductor are calculated. Recently, computer programs which can calculate the axial load capacity and bearing constants of radial-type SMBs have been developed. Calculated results on axial load capacity showed good agreement with experimental results.