Modeling and optimization of the maglev device for a vertical hydro-turbine

This paper proposes a maglev device for a vertical hydro-turbine to replace the thrust-bearing. The structure of the device is given. For the given mechanical structure, a design and optimization method is put forward and the process is provided. The dimension parameters are optimized to make the best use of material for bigger force density and better control performance. The ideal common linear model is built and the nonlinear programming method is used to decide the primary size parameters. The results are inaccurate tested by finite element analysis (FEA) because the model is rough. A more accurate reluctance network (RN) model is set up and the PSO method is applied to get the optimal point. The results from the two models are compared. The feasibility and validity of the latter method is verified.