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A machine includes a rotor supported to rotate about a rotational axis and an actuator arranged to act on the rotor and control a position of the rotor about the rotational axis. A bladed turbomachine wheel is coupled to the rotor and has blade tips that pass closely to an adjacent, non-rotating sur

A machine includes a rotor supported to rotate about a rotational axis and an actuator arranged to act on the rotor and control a position of the rotor about the rotational axis. A bladed turbomachine wheel is coupled to the rotor and has blade tips that pass closely to an adjacent, non-rotating surface. A sensor is adjacent to the turbomachine wheel and arranged to sense the blade tips and output a position signal representative of the position of blade tips relative to the sensor. A controller is coupled to the sensor and the actuator and is adapted to receive the position signal from the sensor and generate and send a control signal to the actuator to control the position of the rotor based on the position signal from the sensor.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A machine, comprising: a rotor supported to rotate about a rotational axis;an actuator arranged to act on the rotor and control a position of the rotor relative to the rotational axis;a bladed turbomachine wheel coupled to the rotor and having blade tips that pass closely to an adjacent, non-rota

1. A machine, comprising: a rotor supported to rotate about a rotational axis;an actuator arranged to act on the rotor and control a position of the rotor relative to the rotational axis;a bladed turbomachine wheel coupled to the rotor and having blade tips that pass closely to an adjacent, non-rotating surface;a sensor adjacent to the turbomachine wheel and arranged to sense the blade tips and output a position signal representative of the position of blade tips relative to the sensor; anda controller coupled to the sensor and the actuator and adapted to receive the position signal from the sensor and generate and send a control signal to the actuator to control the position of the rotor based on the position signal from the sensor. 2. The machine of claim 1, where the position signal from the sensor comprises a periodic signal, each period corresponding to passage of a blade tip by the sensor, and where the machine further comprises a circuit to average the periodic signal into a monotonic signal. 3. The machine of claim 2, where the controller is adapted to generate and send a signal to the actuator to control the position of the rotor based on: a specified distance between the bladed turbomachine wheel and the adjacent, non-rotating surface, anda predetermined relationship between the monotonic signal, the speed of the rotor, and the position of the bladed turbomachine wheel. 4. The machine of claim 3, further comprising an axial position sensor arranged to measure the axial position of the rotor, and where the controller is coupled to the axial position sensor and adapted to receive a signal from the axial position sensor and generate and send a signal to the actuator to control the position of the rotor based on:a specified distance between the bladed turbomachine wheel and the adjacent, non-rotating surface;the signal from the axial position sensor; anda predetermined correlation between the monotonic signal, the speed of the rotor and the position of the bladed turbomachine wheel. 5. The machine of claim 4, where the specified distance is determined based on a specified efficiency of the turbomachine wheel. 6. The machine of claim 1, further comprising an axial position sensor arranged to measure the axial position of the rotor, and where the controller is further coupled to the axial position sensor and adapted to receive a signal from the axial position sensor and generate and send a signal to the actuator to control the axial position of the rotor based on the signal from the axial position sensor and the signal from the sensor adjacent to the turbomachine wheel. 7. The machine of claim 6, where the controller is adapted to generate, based on the signal from the sensor adjacent to the turbomachine wheel, an offset to the axial position sensor signal. 8. The machine of claim 1, where the control signal generated by the controller compensates for thermal expansion of the bladed turbomachine wheel. 9. The machine of claim 1, where the non-rotating surface is a shroud surface to the turbomachine wheel. 10. The machine of claim 1, where the bladed turbomachine wheel is a centrifugal impeller, the adjacent, non-rotating surface is a shroud surface, and the sensor is arranged to sense the blade tips oriented toward the shroud surface. 11. The machine of claim 1, where the bladed turbomachine wheel comprises a compressor, a pump, or a turbine. 12. The machine of claim 1, where the sensor comprises a coil with a bias magnet. 13. The machine of claim 1, where the actuator is a magnetic actuator associated with a magnetic bearing, and the machine of claim 1 further comprising a radial magnetic bearing arranged to support the rotor to rotate about the rotational axis. 14. A method, comprising: sensing passage of blade tips of a rotating bladed turbomachine wheel by a sensor and outputting a signal representative of the position of the blade tips relative to the sensor; andgenerating an actuator control signal to control a position of the bladed turbomachine wheel based on the signal. 15. The method of claim 14, where the signal representative of the position of the blade tips is periodic and the method comprises transforming the periodic to a monotonic signal. 16. The method of claim 15, where the method further comprises adjusting the monotonic signal to account for the rotational speed of the bladed wheel. 17. The method of claim 14, further comprising sensing the axial position of a rotor carrying the turbomachine wheel and outputting a second signal; and wherein generating an actuator control signal to control a position of the bladed turbomachine wheel comprises generating an actuator control signal to control a position of the bladed turbomachine wheel based on the first mentioned signal and the second signal. 18. A turbomachine, comprising: a magnetic bearing system comprising magnetic actuators that support a rotor to rotate about a rotational axis;a bladed turbomachine wheel coupled to the rotor and having blade tips that pass closely to an adjacent shroud surface;an axial position sensor arranged to sense the rotor and output an axial position signal representative of the axial position of the rotor;a sensor affixed at the shroud surface and arranged to sense the blade tips and output a position signal representative of the axial position of blade tips relative to the shroud surface; anda controller coupled to the axial position sensor, the sensor affixed at the shroud surface, and the magnetic actuators, the controller is adapted to control the axial position of the rotor based on the output from the axial position sensor and the sensor affixed at the shroud surface. 19. The turbomachine of claim 18, where the sensor affixed at the shroud surface outputs a periodic signal and the controller is adapted to transform the periodic signal to a monotonic signal; and where the controller is adapted to control the axial position of the rotor based on the output from the axial position sensor, the monotonic signal derived from the output of the sensor affixed at the shroud surface and the rotational speed of the rotor. 20. The turbomachine of claim 18, where the bladed turbomachine wheel comprises a compressor, a pump, or a turbine.