Rotordynamic Performance of High-Tc superconductor Bearings

고온초전도베어링의 회전체역학적 특성

The dymanic properties of the high-Tc superconductor journal bearings used in the KEPRI flywheel energy storage system was experimentally estimated by using the imbalance excitation method. The test reveals that the superconductor bearings have very low stiffness compared to that of typical oil film bearings with similar geometry and almost the same amount of damping as in roller bearings, which may not be helpful for the system to pass through the critical speeds. However, it was found out that the cross-coupled stiffness and damping terms were almost negligible so that the system could be more stable than the one using lil film bearings. Also with proper design of the rotor-bearing system and accurate balancing of the rotor, the high-Tc superconductor bearing is one of the most viable alternatives to the conventional ones due to its oil-free, non-contact running capability in a vacuum environment, which is literally essential for highly efficient flywheel energy storage systems.