Design, Fabrication and Testing of an Axial Magnetic Coupler for High Speed Applications

Magnetic coupling provides a means of transmitting torque across an isolating barrier without direct contact, and is widely applied in isolated systems where physical connection is undesirable or impossible. This article describes the design, fabrication, and testing of an axial magnetic coupler for a concentrating dish solar power system. In addition to electromagnetic performance, Particular attention is paid to mechanical performance in terms of stress, strain and potential vibration under high speed operation. COMSOL software for multiphasic simulation and existing approximate analytical formulas are used to meet a pre-defined set of design specifications. A full-scale prototype was built and its torque transmission was compared to the simulated results under.