Capacitive Power Transfer Through Rotational and Sliding Bearings

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Capacitive Power Transfer Through Rotational and Sliding Bearings CAPACITIVE POWER TRANSFER THROUGH ROTATIONAL AND SLIDING BEARINGS by Skyler S. Hagen A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Science (Electrical Engineering) at the UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN – MADISON 2016 i Abstract Throughout the history of electrification, applications have existed for the transmission of electrical energy from stationary sources to moving loads. Electrical equipment which is expected to move along tracks, or in cyclical, pivoting, or rotational patterns of motion often requires externally-supplied electrical power to operate. Various techniques have been used with success in the past such as brushes with sliding contacts [1], cable connections (when practical), and various inductive and capacitive contactless power transfer strategies [2],[3],[4],[5]; however, each has its own limitations in longevity and/or complexity. Applications for power transfer to moving loads proliferate in the automotive and traction industries, as well as automation and manufacturing. Both of these categories have strict requirements on reliability. Failure in operation can be hazardous to human life and property in the case of transportation and heavy equipment traction. In the case of manufacturing, the reliability requirement is justified by the large opportunity cost incurred by machine down time. The following is a proposition for a technology which is well suited for many key modern applications. Using the nanofarad-scale capacitance already present in a variety of rotational and linear journal bearings, along with a simple soft-switching high frequency power converter circuit, power levels in the 102-103 watt range have successfully been transferred capacitively from stationary power sources to moving loads. This capacitive power transfer strategy opens up the opportunity for dual utilization of bearings, as mechanical support members and power transfer mechanisms. Background theory and experimental results are discussed for both rotary and linear power transfer through commercially available plain journal bearings. Power transfer at 600 watts is demonstrated through a pair of rotational hydrodynamic journal bearings; 111 watts through off-the-shelf linear plain bearings sliding on anodized aluminum shafting. ii Acknowledgements First, I would like to thank Professor Daniel C. Ludois for his continual help and advice during my master’s degree work. His creative thinking and inventiveness have inspired me to find ways to apply my undergraduate education in physics to solving modern electrical and mechanical problems. The hours he has spent (both at school and at home) proofreading papers, seeking out new research opportunities, and ensuring I have continued funding for my research and education at UW Madison, are legion. Secondly, I acknowledge the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium and its excellent sponsors for their support; both monetarily and by their informative weekly seminars and equipment contributions to our labs. The close family atmosphere offered by WEMPEC makes it enjoyable to be at school each day. In addition to the WEMPEC faculty, I would especially like to thank Helene Demont, James Sember, Raymond Marion, and Kyle Hanson for their dedication to keeping WEMPEC and its laboratories running like a well-oiled machine. A special thank you goes out to Ryan Knippel for his guidance learning to use machining and metalworking tools necessary for prototyping, as well as Jiejian Dai for designing, fabricating, and operating the high frequency power electronics required for my capacitive power coupler prototypes. Many other students and UW employees, though unnamed here, provided invaluable assistance at different times with this research work. I extend my deepest appreciation to my parents, Dr. Ethan and Lynn Hagen, for teaching, by example, the benefit of hard work and patience through trials. Their support, whether it be financially or through their advice and prayers, have shaped me into the person that I am. Finally, I thank GOD, the Author of Liberty and the Inventor of invention itself. iii Table of Contents ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………….. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………………….iii LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………………..iv LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………………vi NOMENCLATURE…………………………………………………………………………vii CHAPTER 1: Motivation and Review of State of the Art……………………………………1 CHAPTER 2: Physical Principles of Capacitive Power Coupling…………………..………16 CHAPTER 3: Prototypes and Experimental Results………………………………………...33 CHAPTER 4: Conclusions and Future Work………………………………………………...85 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………91 iv List of Figures Fig. 1. Synchronous machine rotor ............................................................................................................... 1 Fig. 2. Example automation equipment which uses flexible cable-ways...................................................... 2 Fig. 3. Linear brush and contact bar system ................................................................................................. 3 Fig. 4. One method of brush adjustment ....................................................................................................... 6 Fig. 5. Schematic diagram of a typical wound field synchronous generator ................................................ 8 Fig. 6. Photo of a 4-pole generator rotor with brushless exciter ................................................................... 9 Fig. 7. Cross-section diagram of gapped rotating transformer .................................................................... 11 Fig. 8. Example flexible circuit ................................................................................................................... 13 Fig. 9. Nikola Tesla’s first demonstration of electrostatic wireless power transfer. ................................... 16 Fig. 10. Basic approach to capacitive power transfer. ................................................................................ 17 Fig. 11. Examples of a rotational journal bearing and linear plain bearings ............................................... 20 Fig. 12. Illustration of hydrodynamic shaft liftoff ...................................................................................... 21 Fig. 13. Different bearing and shafting combinations................................................................................. 22 Fig. 14. Basic parallel plate capacitor ......................................................................................................... 23 Fig. 15. The cylindrical bearing gap rectangular approximation ................................................................ 24 Fig. 16. Open frame generator test fixture. ................................................................................................. 34 Fig. 17. Stator and rotor of the first journal bearing capacitive power coupler .......................................... 37 Fig. 18. Assembled capacitive power coupler, prototype #1. ..................................................................... 39 Fig. 19. Capacitance vs. speed plot for the first capacitive power coupler prototype ................................. 40 Fig. 20. Thermal image recorded during testing of the initial CPC prototype. ........................................... 41 Fig. 21. Capacitive power coupler rotor of prototype #2. ........................................................................... 46 Fig. 22. Rotating rectifier designed for second capacitive power coupler prototype. ................................. 46 Fig. 23. Assembled CPC rotor, version 2. .................................................................................................. 47 Fig. 24. Connection for measurement of bearing capacitance .................................................................... 48 Fig. 25. Capacitance vs. speed plot for 2nd prototype ................................................................................. 49 Fig. 26. Resonant dc-dc converter circuit ................................................................................................... 50 Fig. 27. Waveforms for 300w and 600w tests ............................................................................................ 52 Fig. 28. System block diagram for wound field generator connected to resistive load. ............................. 53 Fig. 29. Generator output waveform, 2.74kW ............................................................................................ 54 Fig. 30. Waveforms from 4.89kW generation test ...................................................................................... 55 Fig. 31. Rotor ring and stator bearing as received from manufacturer ....................................................... 58 Fig. 32. Final journal bearing capacitive power coupler rotor and stator. .................................................. 60 Fig. 33. Stator bearings installed on rotor hub ............................................................................................ 62 Fig. 34. Photos of the final journal bearing capacitive power transfer assembly ....................................... 62 Fig. 35. Capacitance vs. speed measurement for third capacitive power coupler ....................................... 63 Fig. 36. Response of system to load step ...................................................................................................
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