Magnetically Geared Propulsion Motor for Subsea Remote Operated Vehicle

The integration of a magnetic gear (MG) and permanent magnet machine to realize a torque dense, hermetically sealed, low maintenance subsea propulsion thruster is investigated. An MG element with an airgap shear stress more than 140 kPa was developed and manufactured. The careful selection of design parameters enabled the hermetically sealed magnetically geared thruster to achieve more than 90% efficiency at its peak power requirement.