New Applications and Advancements in Magnetic Bearing Systems for Pumps and Compressors

Magnetic bearings have been used in a variety of pipeline applications, but have not yet achieved industry wide acceptance. They continue to be installed in more innovative and challenging applications which take advantage of the efficiency gains and other information they make available to end users. Despite the promise offered by the technology, issues concerning cost and reliability remain the primary concern among end users. This sets the stage for a discussion of recent operating experience, and advancements currently underway to address the cost and reliability issues. Such advancements include digital control, simplified control hardware, feed forward algorithms and on-line diagnostic capability.