The ROMAC Research Facility
Lloyd Barrett, the University of Virginia
In a fault tolerance test platform, a 2-m-long mockup pump shaft is supported
in three radial magnetic bearings and one magnetic thrust bearing. This
apparatus is used to study fault tolerance strategies and has successfully
demonstrated its ability to tolerate multiple simultaneous power amplifier
failures as well as controller CPU failures. Seven single-sided eddy current
probes made by Bently Nevada (Minden, Nevada) are used to measure shaft
motion at the bearings for feedback to the controller. The controller bandwidth
is ~1 kHz. (Photo by George Gillies, courtesy of ROMAC.)
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The Rotating Machinery and Controls (ROMAC) Industrial Program supports
cooperative research efforts conducted by faculty, staff, and students in
the Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering and the Electrical Engineering
departments at the University of Virginia. The ROMAC program emphasizes
theoretical and experimental research in general areas of rotor dynamics,
turbomachinery, structural dynamics, magnetic bearings, the application
of automatic controls to the dynamics of rotating machinery, internal incompressible
flows, the coupling of internal flows to the dynamics of rotating machinery,
fluid film bearings, and seals. The interaction between industry and university
The left and right end radial magnetic bearings on a fault test facility
are shown in a close-up view. Two single-sided eddy current probes monitor
X and Y motion to a precision of <0.0001 in. at a bandwidth of ~2 kHz.
(Photos by George Gillies, courtesy of ROMAC.)
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professionals through the medium of ROMAC provides the university researchers
with an understanding of practical industrial problems with rotating machinery
while the industrial participants obtain very timely research results.
The magnetic bearing research program, housed in the ROMAC laboratories,
is one of the largest in the world. Experimental platforms include 12 magnetic
bearing rigs ranging from a tiny artificial heart pump up to a 200 HP centrifugal
compressor. The program's research covers the full spectrum of the technology,
from hardware issues (system dynamics, magnetics, amplifiers, sensing, and
controllers) to the the development of control methods.
Lloyd E. Barrett is Professor and Laboratory Director, ROMAC Laboratories,
Dept. of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering, the University
of Virginia, Thornton Hall, McCormic Rd., Charlottsville, VA 22903-2442;
804-924-3292, fax 804-982-2037.
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