Rim Driven Thruster and Method for Propelling a Ship

A rim driven thruster, comprising:

• a stator body;
• an annular rotor body that is positioned in the stator and that comprises radially inwardly projecting blades;
• at least one axial bearing adjacent to the rotor, wherein the at least one axial bearing is configured to transfer and/or contain axial tilt and/or axial forces acting on the rotor body;
• an electromagnetic actuator system that is configured to selectively impart a driving force to the rotor;
• an electromagnetic radial bearing between the stator and the rotor;
• a control unit that is configured for controlling the electromagnetic actuator system to selectively drive the rotor, and wherein the control unit is configured for controlling the electromagnetic actuator system to generate and/or maintain the electromagnetic bearing;
• at least one sensor that is configured to direct or indirectly measure a position of the rotor with respect to the stator, and wherein sensor measurement data comprises bearing data and rotation drive data;
• and
• a signal filter that is configured to separate the bearing data and the rotation drive data from each other.