Experimental Investigations to Use Splash Lubrication for High-Speed Gears

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Neurouth ◽  
C. Changenet ◽  
F. Ville ◽  
M. Octrue ◽  
E. Tinguy

In order to use electric motors which run up to 40,000 rpm in future automotive applications, this study aims to experimentally investigate if splash lubrication technique is worth considering for high-speed gears, i.e., for tangential gear speed up to 60 m/s. To this end, a specific test rig has been used to operate a single spur or helical gear in various operating conditions (lubricant, oil sump volume, temperature, etc.). Churning loss is measured and, as the fraction of air in the lubricant (namely, oil aeration) can be influential on this source of dissipation, a specific sensor is also employed for online monitoring of oil sump aeration. By inserting some moveable walls in the gearbox, it is demonstrated that churning losses and oil aeration can be significantly reduced by mounting these flanges at an appropriate distance to the gear lateral faces. Based on dimensional analysis, an engineering criterion is proposed to properly choose the clearance between the tested gear and the flanges.

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 412 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Laruelle ◽  
C. Fossier ◽  
C. Changenet ◽  
F. Ville ◽  
S. Koechlin

Churning losses are a complex phenomenon which generates significant power losses when considering splash lubrication of gear units. However, only few works deal with bevel gears dipped lubrication losses. The objective of this study is to provide a wide variety of experimental tests on churning losses, especially getting interested in geometry of spiral bevel gears influence. A specific test rig was used in order to study a single spiral bevel gear partially immersed in an oil bath. Experiments have been conducted for several operating conditions in terms of speeds, lubricants, temperatures and gear geometries to study their impact on splash lubrication power losses. These experimental results are compared with the predictions from various literature sources. As the results did not agree well with the predictions for all operating conditions, an extended equation derived from previous works is introduced to estimate churning losses of bevel gears.


Author(s):  
Jingjing Luo ◽  
Dieter Brillert

Abstract Dry gas lubricated non-contacting mechanical seals (DGS), most commonly found in centrifugal compressors, prevent the process gas flow into the atmosphere. Especially when high speed is combined with high pressure, DGS is the preferred choice over other sealing alternatives. In order to investigate the flow field in the sealing gap and to facilitate the numerical prediction of the seal performance, a dedicated test facility is developed to carry out the measurement of key parameters in the gas film. Gas in the sealing film varies according to the seal inlet pressure, and the thickness of gas film depends on this fluctuated pressure. In this paper, the test facility, measurement methods and the first results of static pressure measurements in the sealing gap of the DGS obtained in the described test facility are presented. An industry DGS with three-dimensional grooves on the surface of the rotating ring, where experimental investigations take place, is used. The static pressure in the gas film is measured, up to 20 bar and 8,100 rpm, by several high frequency ultraminiature pressure transducers embedded into the stationary ring. The experimental results are discussed and compared with the numerical model programmed in MATLAB, the characteristic and magnitude of which have a good agreement with the numerical simulations. It suggests the feasibility of measuring pressure profiles of the standard industry DGS under pressurized dynamic operating conditions without altering the key components of the seal and thereby affecting the seal performance.


Author(s):  
B. R. Nichols ◽  
R. L. Fittro ◽  
C. P. Goyne

Many high-speed, rotating machines across a wide range of industrial applications depend on fluid film bearings to provide both static support of the rotor and to introduce stabilizing damping forces into the system through a developed hydrodynamic film wedge. Reduced oil supply flow rate to the bearings can cause cavitation, or a lack of a fully developed film layer, at the leading edge of the bearing pads. Reducing oil flow has the well-documented effects of higher bearing operating temperatures and decreased power losses due to shear forces. While machine efficiency may be improved with reduced lubricant flow, little experimental data on its effects on system stability and performance can be found in the literature. This study looks at overall system performance of a test rig operating under reduced oil supply flow rates by observing steady-state bearing performance indicators and baseline vibrational response of the shaft. The test rig used in this study was designed to be dynamically similar to a high-speed industrial compressor. It consists of a 1.55 m long, flexible rotor supported by two tilting pad bearings with a nominal diameter of 70 mm and a span of 1.2 m. The first bending mode is located at approximately 5,000 rpm. The tiling-pad bearings consist of five pads in a vintage, flooded bearing housing with a length to diameter ratio of 0.75, preload of 0.3, and a load-between-pad configuration. Tests were conducted over a number of operating speeds, ranging from 8,000 to 12,000 rpm, and bearing loads, while systematically reducing the oil supply flow rates provided to the bearings under each condition. For nearly all operating conditions, a low amplitude, broadband subsynchronous vibration pattern was observed in the frequency domain from approximately 0–75 Hz. When the test rig was operated at running speeds above its first bending mode, a distinctive subsynchronous peak emerged from the broadband pattern at approximately half of the running speed and at the first bending mode of the shaft. This vibration signature is often considered a classic sign of rotordynamic instability attributed to oil whip and shaft whirl phenomena. For low and moderate load conditions, the amplitude of this 0.5x subsynchronous peak increased with decreasing oil supply flow rate at all operating speeds. Under the high load condition, the subsynchronous peak was largely attenuated. A discussion on the possible sources of this subsynchronous vibration including self-excited instability and pad flutter forced vibration is provided with supporting evidence from thermoelastohydrodynamic (TEHD) bearing modeling results. Implications of reduced oil supply flow rate on system stability and operational limits are also discussed.


1966 ◽  
Vol 181 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. K. Csillag

The demand for electric power has doubled in the last decade. The most economical way to meet this demand is by building large-output generating units. The study of the major factors which determine the output of such generators shows that the only effective way to increase the output is by improving the cooling of their windings. For that reason design has progressed from air-cooling to indirect hydrogen-cooling, then to direct hydrogen-cooling. Now the trend is towards direct water-cooling where the water is in direct contact with the copper windings. The introduction of water into the stator winding was established in 1956 (1)† and was in fact directly responsible for the present increase in unit rating. The introduction of water to a rotating winding presents difficult problems in both design and manufacture. The test rig dealt with in this paper was built to study some of these problems and to carry out experimental investigations on a full size model of the special hydraulic features for a water-cooled turbo-generator rotor. The investigations were concentrated around the following five different problems which are dealt with in detail: (1) increase in pressure drop due to rotation; (2) free-rotating seal (inlet seal) (2); (3) vacuum-breaking device (water outlet) (3); (4) loss-distribution in the rotor; (5) measurement of the rotor vibrations in various operating conditions.


Author(s):  
M. Rautenberg ◽  
M. Malobabic ◽  
A. Mobarak ◽  
M. Abdel Kader

A Clausius-Rankine-cycle has been proposed to recover waste heat from a piston engine. This waste heat is then used to supercharge the cylinders by means of a steam turbocharger. The advantage of using this steam turbocharger system is to avoid the losses due to the engine back pressure which accompany the use of the conventional exhaust gas turbocharger. The mass flow rate of turbines for steam turbochargers in the range from 1 to 10 kW is about 0.03 to 0.08 kg/s. This implies a special turbine design, characterised by partial admission and supersonic flow, which unfortunately leads to low turbine efficiencies. A small Pelton turbine for steam has been designed and produced. The turbine is connected to the radial compressor of a conventional exhaust gas turbocharger which works, in this case, as a brake to dissipate the generated turbine power. A special test rig has been built to carry out the experimental investigations on the proposed Pelton turbine. The test rig is supplied with superheated steam from the University’s power plant. Two different rotors for this Pelton turbine have been tested under the same operating conditions (rotor 2 see Fig. 1). Some experimental test results of a special Pelton turbine are presented and discussed in this report.


Author(s):  
Ulrich Rathmann ◽  
Sven Olmes ◽  
Alex Simeon

Performance and efficiency optimization is one of the major tasks in the turbo machinery industry. Therefore efforts for scientific and technical improvements focus on optimization and reduction of losses. Secondary losses are of major interest because of their parasitic character related to stage efficiency and power output. One of these losses is over tip leakage of blades. Common practice is a minimization of this clearance with abrasive/abradable combinations. With this technique the blade tip (abrasive material) can rub into its counterpart (heat-shield, abradable material on casings or liners) and therefore minimize the operating tip-clearance. This technology is well established in compressor and turbine engineering since many years [1]. Field experience shows that abrasive/abradable systems do not always work as intended. In some cases rubbing conditions are reversed so that the intended abradable cuts into the abrasive. Any benefit on operating tip-clearance will then be minor at best or even negative. Rubbing behavior is difficult to predict, especially for new materials or geometries where no experience is available. In close cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil (Switzerland), ALSTOM has developed a test rig that allows simulating engine-operating conditions and therefore evaluate abrasive/abradable combinations before actual implementation into an engine. The rig is designed to reproduce circumferential velocities and incursion rates that are typical for gas turbine engines in the compressor as well as in the turbine. Forces and temperatures are measured as quantitative data, visual appearance and metallographic condition of test specimens are recorded as qualitative data that allow a more detailed assessment of material combinations and operating conditions. This paper describes the design of a high-speed wear rig facility to test single blade and fully shrouded rub configurations. In addition the validation of the test rig against real engine experience and knowledge is shown.


Author(s):  
Arman Ahamed Subash ◽  
Haisol Kim ◽  
Sven-Inge Möller ◽  
Mattias Richter ◽  
Christian Brackmann ◽  
...  

Abstract Experimental investigations were performed using a standard 3rd generation dry low emission (DLE) burner under atmospheric pressure to study the effect of central and pilot fuel addition, load variations and H2 enrichment in a NG flame. High-speed OH-PLIF and OH-chemiluminescence imaging were employed to investigate the flame stabilization, flame turbulence interactions, and flame dynamics. Along with the optical measurements, combustion emissions were recorded to observe the effect of changing operating conditions on NOX level. The burner is used in Siemens industrial gas turbines SGT-600, SGT-700 and SGT-800 with minor hardware differences. This study thus is a step to characterize fuel and load flexibility for these turbines. Without pilot and central fuel injections in the current burner configuration, the main flame is stabilized creating a central recirculation zone. Addition of the pilot fuel strengthens the outer recirculation zone (ORZ) and moves the flame slightly downstream, whereas the flame moves upstream without affecting the ORZ when central fuel injection is added. The flame was investigated utilizing H2/NG fuel mixtures where the H2 amount was changed from 0 to 100%. The flame becomes more compact, the anchoring position moves closer to the burner exit and the OH signal distribution becomes more distinct for H2 addition due to increased reaction rate, diffusivity, and laminar burning velocity. Changing the load from part to base, similar trends were observed in the flame behavior but in this case due to the higher heat release because of increased turbulence intensity.


Author(s):  
S. Münz ◽  
A. Schulz ◽  
S. Wittig

At the Institut für Thermische Strömungsmaschinen in Karlsruhe new design concepts for thermally high-loaded ceramic gas turbine components were developed. The present concept is based on a load-oriented segmentation in combination with a flexible suspension and thermal insulation of the ceramic structure. The concept was applied to a flame tube for a small gas turbine. In order to ensure real operating conditions, a Klöckner Humboldt Deutz T216 type gas turbine was used as test bed for the ceramic combustor. The paper gives a description of the combustor and the test rig. Furthermore, experimental results of the engine tests with special emphasis on the liner wall temperature distribution for various steady and transient operating conditions are presented. A major result of the tests is that the design concept proved to be reliable under real engine conditions. After more than 100 hours no failure of the ceramic parts occured. In order to determine the thermal load of the ceramic flame tube under real conditions, the experimental investigations are supported by numerical calculations.


Author(s):  
Thomas Hagemann ◽  
Hardwig Blumenthal ◽  
Christian Kraft ◽  
Hubert Schwarze

A theoretical algorithm for the analysis of bidirectional interaction of combined journal and thrust bearings is presented. While many theoretical and experimental investigations on the operating behavior of single journal and thrust bearings can be found only few results for combined bearings are available. However, combined bearings interact by exchanging lubricant and heat which can affect significant changes of boundary conditions compared to a single bearing application. Therefore, a novel procedure is developed to combine two separate codes for journal and thrust bearings in order to iteratively determine the coupling boundary conditions due to the special design of the entire bearing unit. The degree of interaction strongly depends on the type of lubrication. In a first step predictions are verified by measurement data for a combined bearing with a fixed-pad offset-halves journal bearing and a directed lubricated tilting-pad thrust bearing. Experiments were conducted on a high speed test rig up to sliding speeds of 107 m/s at the mean radius of the thrust bearing. As expected the interaction of the two oil films is comparably low in the investigated speed and load range for this bearing design because of the active lubrication of both bearings and the low hydraulic resistance of the thrust bearing. In order to theoretically investigate interaction of thrust and journal bearings in more details a combined bearing with fixed-pad thrust parts lubricated exclusively by the side flow of the journal bearing is studied. A variation of modeling level, pocket design of the journal part, thrust load and rotating frequency provides the following results: (i) hydraulic and energetic interaction have to be modelled in details, (ii) the axial flow resistance of the pockets strongly influences flow rates and the pressure level at the interfaces (iii) the level of interface pressure rises with increasing thrust loads and decreasing rotor speed, (iv) the axial bearing clearance is rather of minor importance for the investigated bearing. Finally, improvements in order to predict operating conditions more precisely are comprehensively discussed.


Author(s):  
Laura S. Beermann ◽  
Corina Höfler ◽  
Hans-Jörg Bauer

Gas turbine engines are subject to increased performance and improved efficiency, which leads to rising core temperatures with additional cooling needs. Reducing the parasitic leakage in the secondary flow system is important to meet the challenging requirements. New seal designs have to be tested and optimized at engine like conditions, like high pressure of up to 9 bar and surface speed of up to 280 m/s as well as an adjusted flow field. Flexible seal designs are an innovative approach to reduce leakage mass flows significantly. Axial and radial movements during transient operating conditions can be compensated easily, thus allowing a smaller gap width and minimizing rub and heat load. This paper describes the design and construction of a new rotating test rig facility. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the only test rig with an adjustable gap width and flow field in a high pressure and speed range. The facility is capable of up to 8 bar differential pressure across the seal and up to 4 bar back pressure. The high revolution engine facilitates a surface speed of up to 280 m/s. A traversable casing allows a quick change of the gap width during operation and simulates radial and axial rotor/stator movements in the engine. The seal movement as well as the resulting gap width are measured during operation to fully understand the seal behavior. An important feature of the new test rig is the continuously adjustable pre-swirl system. It has been designed to cover the different flow conditions in the real engine. Therefore, a RANS parameter study of the pre-swirl chamber has been conducted, which shows the adjustability of different pre-swirl ratios for constant and changing inlet mass flows.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document