Design and fabrication of permanent magnetic bearings for small wind turbines

Name: C. Chantharasenawong

Organization : King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. Department of Mechanical Engineering

Name: V. Junburanasiri

Organization : King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. Department of Mechanical Engineering

Name: J. Sirichotirat

Organization : King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. Department of Mechanical Engineering

Name: B. Paowasant

Organization : King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. Department of Mechanical Engineering

Email : bovornlak.pao@gmail.com

keyword: Magnetic levitation

ThaSH: Wind turbines

ThaSH: Magnetic bearings

Abstract: This study aims to propose a design of thrust bearing for rural area electricity generation wind turbines which require low maintenance because of the lack of maintenance skills and tools. Moreover, wind turbines installed in off-grid areas in Thailand are always exposed to the natural elements, therefore typical thrust ball bearings are likely to require more frequent maintenances which defeats the purpose of such turbines. Using passive magnetic thrust bearing could overcome this issue because it operation is contactless. However, passive magnetic bearings are currently not commercially available in Thailand. This work proposes a prototype of passive magnetic bearing for a Savonius type vertical axis wind turbine whose mass is under 30kg and a power rating below 30W. The design used in this study consists of two parts, the flange and the housing. Permanent magnets are aligned in circular pattern in four rings, one in the flange, one in the housing and the other two use to lock the first two layers in place. The magnetic bearing performance is evaluated by comparing the wind turbine mechanical power output between when the system is with and without the magnetic bearing. A field test is conducted in Samutsakorn province near Tha Chin estuary near a shrimp farm with no tall trees and buildings within 300m. The mean wind speed is approximately 5 m/s. The passive magnetic bearing is able to stably levitate the wind turbine at high rotational speed and there is no contact between rotational parts and stationary parts so it is likely to require less frequent maintenance. The wind turbine without magnetic bearing is superior to the wind turbine with magnetic bearing in all tests. This is because axial vibration occur due to varying repulsive force from discrete magnet configuration. In order to improve the design, continuous magnet configuration may be used since it produces constant repulsive force. ฃ

King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok. Central Library

Address: BANGKOK

Email: library@kmutnb.ac.th

Created: 2016

Modified: 2026-07-21

Issued: 2026-07-21

บทความ/Article

application/pdf

BibliograpyCitation : In Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Engineering. The 7th TSME International Conference on Mechanical Engineering 2016 (TSME-ICoME7) (AMM0010). Bangkok : Chulalongkorn University

eng

©copyrights King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok

ลำดับที่.	ชื่อแฟ้มข้อมูล	ขนาดแฟ้มข้อมูล	จำนวนเข้าถึง	วัน-เวลาเข้าถึงล่าสุด
1	TSME-ICoME7 2016AMM0010.pdf	380.66 KB

ใช้เวลา

0.044934 วินาที