Developing Magnetic Bearings for Subsea Oceanic Environments

Abstract

The article deals with the set-up environment especially designed and implemented to improve vibration attenuation of rotating machines installed on subsea environments. Active Magnetic Bearing Control (AMBC), including vibration attenuation or suppression associated to the passive magnetic bearings (PMB) design for subsea oceanic gas compressors and motors is the aim of the article. Gas production forecast and production was the motivation for subsea gas compression using High-speed Variable Speed Drives (VSD) in order to keep the actual gas production volume at the initially forecasted levels using underwater compressors and motors equipped with active magnetic bearings (AMB).
Robust control algorithms for AMBC using the most efficient technologies to ensure performance are demanded. With the developed test-rig, the improvement of vibration control algorithms to be applied on subsea motors and compressors equipped with hybrid magnetic bearings (HMB), (consists of active and passive magnetic bearings) is the objective of the work. The implemented test-rig provides us a test environment which can be modified to support different scenarios with regard to structural components, loads and severe operating conditions.