A 300 000-r/min Magnetically Levitated Reaction Wheel Demonstrator

Magnetic bearings can be used in reaction wheel systems to avoid several drawbacks of ball bearings, such as limited lifetime due to mechanical friction and lubricant monitoring/sealing requirements. Therefore, this letter discusses an electrical machine topology with integrated reaction wheel and magnetic bearings. The slotless/ironless structure, together with a new electromagnetic arrangement resulting in a shorter rotor than in earlier works, enables efficient operation at very high speeds, which in turn enables the miniaturization of the system. Measurements taken on a demonstrator prototype at 300 000 r/min show a significant increase of the feasible operational speed range compared to the state-of-the-art reaction wheels for small satellites, which typically run below 10 000 r/min.