Solar electric motor on superconducting bearings: design, producing and potential applications
Résumé
This paper presents a study of the design and production of an original structure of a solar electric motor levitating on superconducting bearings. This kind of solar electric motors is also known as Mendocino motors. The structure and the operating principle are first exposed. Then an electric model of the machine is obtained through analytical modeling of electromagnetic quantities. It will be shown that different topologies can be obtained and that each topology can be devoted to a dedicated application. The study will especially focus on the magnetic bearings of the motor since only this part is superconducting. Two configurations of NdFeB permanent magnets with YBCO pellets are considered for the motor bearings. One configuration allows, for example, to optimize the cooling of the superconducting YBCO pellet used for the bearing. Depending on the machine configuration (horizontal or vertical) and of the configuration of the bearings, it will be shown that it is possible to levitate a mass of a few kilograms. Finally, we discuss the potential application of such machine as a pump or circulator for cryogenic fluids.