Electric machine having a radial electrodynamic bearing

Dehez, Bruno [UCL] Kluyskens, Virginie [UCL] Baudart, François Dumont de Chassart, Corentin

The invention provides an electric machine comprising a radial bearing (10,11) for supporting a shaft of said electric machine, comprising an inductor (40) having an inductor axle (30), generating a magnetic field having p pole pairs, p being equal to or larger than 1; a motor/generator armature winding (170) having turns (100) arranged around an armature axis (35), magnetically coupled to said magnetic field, and connected to a source in such a manner that a torque is produced when a current is fed into said motor/generator armature winding (170) when said electric machine is a motor or connected to a load in such a manner that a current is produced in said load when said inductor is rotated, when said electric machine is a generator; a bearing armature winding (70) having turns (100) disposed around said armature axis (35), magnetically coupled to said magnetic field, and connected in a closed circuit in such a manner that the net flux variation intercepted by said armature winding (70) when said inductor (40) and said armature winding (70) are in rotation with respect to each other is zero when said inductor axle (30) and said armature axis (35) coincide and is different from zero when said inductor axle (30) and axis (35) do not coincide; a gap (50) between said inductor (40) and said winding (70). Said bearing armature winding (70) comprises p-1 or p+1 pole pairs. In a preferred embodiment, the two windings are combined in one multifunction winding.