Passive Magnetic Bearing Design for a Small Wind Generator System

A passive magnetic thrust bearing for a small vertical wind generator system is considered in this paper. The passive magnetic bearing is designed to reduce the axial load of the rotor system. The load capacity of the passive magnetic bearing is analyzed by finite element analysis software. From the simulation results, a suitable solution for the passive magnets of the test wind generator system is verified to be 225.6N with about a 2mm air gap. The experiment results show that a wind generator system with the additional passive magnetic bearing can start at a lower wind speed and transfers more power to the generator. The proposed hybrid bearing system can increase efficiency by 20%~50%, as compared with a traditional system supported by roller bearings at the same wind speed.