Practical Controller Design for Rotors on Magnetic Bearings by Means of an Efficient Simulation Tool

This paper describes in detail by means of a realistic example and an efficient simulation tool the whole procedure of the magnetic bearing controller design. In a first step the suitability of the rotor is assessed. The objectives for the actual controller design to ensure a robust system, which is suited for the application, are then explained. In a first step of the design a controller structure, which is a series of proven filters with stable poles, is defined. The strategy to select the filters is determined by the rotor properties and the hardware characteristics of the bearing. The parameters of the controller are then optimized to fulfill the objectives. The optimization can be automated by the definition of suited goals, which are closely related to the objectives. Finally the performance of the resulting rotor-bearing system is assessed.