SKF group company S2M landed a two-year contract from MAN Diesel & Turbo and Aker Solutions Norway to supply custom-built SKF magnetic bearings and associated electronics for the subsea gas compression trains to be deployed on Statoil’s Åsgard field in the Norwegian Sea. The innovative bearings, which operate at high speed and will be fitted on the motor compressor shaft systems, are described by SKF as ‘an ultra-efficient, oil-free, frictionless and virtually maintenance-free alternative to mechanical bearings’.
In a magnetic bearing system the rotating drive shaft is supported and held in position by electromagnetic forces generated in radial and axial directions. These forces are generated and controlled by sophisticated electronics and copper-wired electromagnets to provide contactless, wear-free operation.
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