Characterization of Five-Pad Tilting-Pad Journal Bearings Using an Original Test-Rig

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Chatterton ◽  
P. Pennacchi ◽  
A. Vania ◽  
E. Tanzi ◽  
R. Ricci
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Fluid Film ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Theoretical Evaluation ◽  
Oil Film ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Fluid Film Thickness ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

Tilting-pad journal bearings are installed with increased frequency owing to their dynamic stability characteristics in several rotating machine applications, typically in high rotating speed cases. This usually happens for new installations in highspeed compressors or during revamping operations of steam and gas turbines for power generation. The selection from a catalogue, or the design of a new bearing, requires the knowledge of the bearing characteristics such as babbitt metal temperatures, fluid-film thickness, load capacity, stiffness and damping coefficients. Temperature and fluid-film thickness are essential for the safety of the bearing. Babbitt metal is subject to creep at high temperatures, as it happens at high speed operations. On the contrary, at low speed or with high loads, oil-film thickness could be too low, resulting in metal to metal contact. Oil-film dynamic coefficients are largely responsible of the dynamic behaviour and of the stability of the rotor-tilting-pad-bearing system. Therefore, the theoretical evaluation and/or the experimental estimation of these coefficients are mandatory in the design phase. The theoretical evaluation of these coefficients for tilting pad journal bearings is difficult due to their complex geometry, boundary and thermal conditions and turbulent flow, whereas an experimental characterization requires a suitable test rig. The paper describes the test rig designed to this purpose and its unusual configuration with respect to other test rigs available in literature. Some preliminary tests performed for the bearing characterization are also shown.

Tilting Pad Journal Bearings: On Bridging the Hot Gap Between Experimental Results and Model Predictions

2014 ◽  
Vol 137 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis San Andrés ◽  
Yujiao Tao ◽  
Yingkun Li
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Fluid Film ◽  
General Character ◽  
Fluid Inertia ◽  
Force Coefficients ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Excitation Frequencies ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

The accurate prediction of the forced performance of tilting pad journal bearings (TPJBs) relies on coupling a fluid film model that includes thermal energy transport, and on occasion fluid inertia, to the structural stiffness of the pads' pivots and the thermomechanical deformation of the pads' surfaces. Often enough, the flexibility of both pads and pivots is ignored prior to the bearing actual operation; practice dictating that force coefficients, damping in particular, decrease dramatically due to pivot flexibility. Even in carefully conducted experiments, components' flexibilities are invoked to explain dramatic differences between measurements and predictions. A multiple-year test program at TAMU has demonstrated the dynamic forced response of TPJBs can be modeled accurately with matrices of constant stiffness K, damping C, and added mass M coefficients. The K-C-M model, representing frequency independent force coefficients, is satisfactory for excitation frequencies less or equal to the shaft synchronous speed. However, as shown by San Andrés and Tao (2013, “The Role of Pivot Stiffness on the Dynamic Force Coefficients of Tilting Pad Journal Bearings,” ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 135, p. 112505), pivot flexibility reduces the applicability of the simple constant parameter model to much lower excitation frequencies. Presently, a fluid film flow model predicts the journal eccentricity and force coefficients of a five-pad rocker-back TPJB tested at TAMU under a load-between-pad (LBP) configuration. The predictions agree well with the test results provided the model uses actual hot bearing clearances and an empirical characterization of the pivot stiffness. A study follows to determine the effects of pad preload, r¯P = 0.0, 0.27 (test article), and 0.50, as well as the load orientation, LBP, and load-on-pad (LOP), on bearing performance with an emphasis on ascertaining the configuration with most damping and stiffness, largest film thickness, and the least drag friction. In the study, a rigid pivot and two flexible pivots are considered throughout. Further examples present the effective contribution of the pads' mass and mass moment of inertia and film fluid inertia on the bearing force coefficients. To advance results of general character, predictions are shown versus Sommerfeld number (S), a design parameter proportional to shaft speed and decreasing with applied load. Both LBP and LOP configurations show similar performance characteristics; the journal eccentricity increasing with pivot flexibility. For LBP and LOP bearings with 0.27 preload, pivot flexibility decreases dramatically the bearing damping coefficients, in particular, at the low end of S, i.e., large loads. The model and predictions aid to better design TPJBs supporting large specific loads.

scholarly journals Cooled Pads for Tilting-Pad Journal Bearings

Lubricants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Steven Chatterton ◽  
Paolo Pennacchi ◽  
Andrea Vania ◽  
Phuoc Vinh Dang
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Oil Film ◽  
External Cooling ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

Tilting-pad journal bearings (TPJBs) are widely installed in rotating machines owing to their high stability, but some drawbacks can be noted, such as higher cost with respect to cylindrical journal bearings and thermal issues. High temperatures in the pads correspond to low oil-film thicknesses and large thermal deformations in the pads. Therefore, the restriction of the maximum temperature of the bearing is a key aspect for oil-film bearings. The temperature reduction is generally obtained by adopting higher oil inlet flowrates or suitable oil nozzles. In this paper, the idea of using cooled pads with internal channels in which an external cooling fluid is circulated will be applied to a TPJB for the first time. The three-dimensional TEHD model of the TPJB, equipped with a cooled pad, will be introduced, and the results of the numerical simulations will be discussed. Several analyses have been performed in order to investigate the influence of cooling conditions, such as the type, flowrate, inlet temperature and number of cooled pads. Two types of pad geometry with different cross-sections of the cooling circuit, namely, circular and six-square multi-channel sections, have been compared to the reference bearing with solid pads. Simple experimental tests were performed by means of a test rig equipped with a cooled pad bearing obtained with the additive manufacturing process, thus showing the effectiveness of the solution and the agreement with the predictions.

scholarly journals Analysis of the multiphase lubricating oil effect on the performance of the tilting-pad journal bearing

2021 ◽  
pp. 112-112
Author(s):  
Yuchuan Zhu ◽  
Zhengyi Jiang ◽  
Ling Yan ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Fangfang Ai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Research Direction ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Lubricating Oil ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Oil Film ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

As heavy industry develops, large amounts of tilting-pad journal bearings are widely used in advanced technology and key equipment. So, it has become a hot research direction to ensure the stable operation of tilting-pad journal bearings by using multiphase lubricating oil. The aim of the present research was to clarify whether using the multiphase lubricating oil has a positive effect on the performance of the bearings. The approach is based on computational multiphase fluid dynamics and finite-element method. Reynolds averaged equations of multiphase flow was applied to computation for improving the accuracy. The change of loading capacity of oil film was studied with computational fluid dynamics simulation under particles added to the lubricating oil. The results indicate that the bearing capacity of bearing increases when the particle content, diameter and density increase. The performance of bearing becomes better when the multiphase lubricating oil is applied in the oil film of bearing. The implications of these results are that the development of multiphase lubricating oil has important practical significances.

Effect of Scratches on a Tilting-Pad Journal Bearing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Chatterton ◽  
Paolo Pennacchi ◽  
Andrea Vania ◽  
Mohamed Amine Hassini ◽  
Antoine Kuczkowiak
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Dynamic Performance ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Hydrodynamic Performance ◽  
Axial Position ◽  
Steam Turbines ◽  
Local Pressure ◽  
Oil Film ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearing

Abstract Many industrial rotating machines are equipped with hydrodynamic journal bearings, such as centrifugal compressors, steam turbines, pumps and motors. After some time from the installation, however, the surface of the bearings often presents imperfections and slight damages mainly caused by the presence of harder particles in the lubricant during start-ups and shut-downs, when the hydrodynamic mechanism is not well developed and the mixed lubrication can occur. The presence of scratches on a bearing can lead to variations of the oil film thickness which, in turn, causes significant degradation of the bearing hydrodynamic performance. For example, the reduction of the minimum oil-film thickness can lead to the increase in the local temperature, to local pressure peaks and, finally, to the failure of the bearing. Experimental data relating to scratches on journal bearings are extremely limited in the literature especially for tilting-pad journal bearings (TPJBs). An experimental activity was carried out to study the effect of artificial scratches on pads on the static and dynamic behaviors of a TPJB. The number of scratches, the depth and the axial position have been investigated and the dynamic coefficients have been estimated as well. The experimental results confirmed a degradation of the dynamic performance of the bearing in case of scratches, that it has has been also confirmed by means of numerical simulations.

The Role of Pivot Stiffness on the Dynamic Force Coefficients of Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis San Andrés ◽  
Yujiao Tao
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Fluid Film ◽  
Virtual Mass ◽  
Force Coefficients ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Frequency Independent ◽  
Bearing Force ◽  
Film Stiffness ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

Recent comprehensive experimental data showcasing the force coefficients of commercial size tilting pad journal bearings has brought to rest the long standing issue on the adequacy of the [K,C,M] physical model to represent frequency independent bearing force coefficients, in particular viscous damping. Most experimental works test tilting pad journal bearings (TPJBs) with large preloads, operating over a large wide range of rotor speeds, and with null to beyond normal specific loads. Predictions from apparently simple fluid film bearing models stand poor against the test data which invariably signals to theory missing pivot and pad flexibility effects, and most importantly, ignoring significant differences in bearing and pad clearances due to actual operation, poor installation and test procedures, or simply errors in manufacturing and assembly. Presently, a conventional thermo hydrodynamic bulk flow model for prediction of the pressure and temperature fields in TPJBs is detailed. The model accounts for various pivot stiffness types, all load dependent and best when known empirically, and allows for dissimilar pad and bearing clearances. The algorithm, reliable even for very soft pad-pivots, predicts frequency reduced bearing impedance coefficients and over a certain frequency range delivers the bearing stiffness, damping and virtual mass force coefficients. Good correlation of predictions against a number of experimental results available in the literature bridges the gap between a theoretical model and the applications. Predicted pad reaction loads reveal large pivot deflections, in particular for a bearing with large preloaded pads, with significant differences in pivot stiffness as a function of specific load and operating speed. The question on how pivot stiffness acts to increase (or decrease) the bearing force coefficients, in particular the dynamic stiffness versus frequency, remains since the various experimental data show contradictory results. A predictive study with one of the test bearings varies its pivot stiffness from 10% of the fluid film stiffness to an almost rigid one, 100 times larger. With certainty, bearings with nearly rigid pivot stiffness show frequency independent force coefficients. However, for a range of pad pivot stiffness, 1/10 to ten times the fluid film stiffness, TPJB impedances vary dramatically with frequency, in particular as the excitation frequency grows above synchronous speed. The bearing virtual mass coefficients become negative, thus stiffening the bearing for most excitation frequencies.

scholarly journals Performance of Tilting Pad Journal Bearings with the Same Sommerfeld Number

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3529
Author(s):  
Sung-Hwa Jeung ◽  
Junho Suh ◽  
Hyun Sik Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Behavior ◽  
Elastic Deformation ◽  
Heat Generation ◽  
Thermal Deformation ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Hertzian Contact ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Oil Film ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

This paper presents the change of non-dimensional characteristics and thermal behavior of different sized tilting pad journal bearings (TPJBs) with the same Sommerfeld number. A three-dimensional (3D) TPJB numerical model is provided considering the thermo-elastic hydro-dynamic (TEHD) lubrication model with pad thermal-elastic deformation. The pivot stiffness is assumed to be the combination of linear and cubic stiffness based on the Hertzian contact theory. The TPJBs in a configuration of load between pad (LBP) with the same Sommerfeld number having seven different sizes are simulated, and their non-dimensional dynamic and static characteristics and thermal behavior are compared. Pad thermal and elastic deformation are both taken into account. If the changes in lubricant viscosity, thermal deformation, and elastic deformation of journal/pads due to viscous shearing are ignored, the bearings with identical Sommerfeld numbers should show the same performance characteristics. However, the heat generation at the bearing clearance during operation (a) induces a decrease in viscosity and heat transfer to journal/pads and (b) results in a thermal deformation. Furthermore, the elastic deformation of the tilting pads and pivots also affects the bearing dynamic performance. For the same Sommerfeld number, the numerical analyses provide how the viscous shearing and elastic deformation lead to a change in bearing performance. For the small bearings with the same Sommerfeld number, the non-dimensional characteristics did not change significantly, where the heat generation was small being compared to the large sized bearing. The largest change in non-dimensional characteristics occurred when the maximum temperature of the oil film increased by 30 °C or more compared to the lubricant supply temperature. The root cause of the change in the non-dimensional characteristics is the viscous shearing in the oil film, and the thermal deformation of the structures surrounding the oil film acts in combination. These results provide insight into the Sommerfeld number, which can be used for the early stage of bearing design.

Thermal Deformation of Pads in Tilting 5-Pad Journal Bearing

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Strzelecki ◽  
L. Kusmierz ◽  
G. Poniewaz
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Oil Film ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Drive Trains ◽  
Shaft Misalignment ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearings ◽  
Turbine Drive ◽  
Oil Film Pressure

In high speed compressors and turbine drive trains, the tilting 5-pad journal bearings are applied. Tilting-pad journal bearings are good option because they have very good hydrodynamic stability at high speed and are less sensitive to load direction and shaft misalignment. The paper introduces thermo-elastic deformations of tilting 3-pad journal bearing with asymmetric support of pads and operating at the conditions of adiabatic oil film. The deformations of pads were obtained based on the oil film pressure and temperature distributions. Reynolds, energy, geometry and viscosity equations have been solved numerically on the assumption of aligned orientation of bearing and journal axis and at static equilibrium position of journal.

Two Dimensional Analytical Analysis of Fluid Film Thickness on Pivoting Tilting Pad Bearings

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weishun William Ni ◽  
Christian L. Griffiths ◽  
Daniel J. Bartholme ◽  
Richard Hergert
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Fluid Film ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Analytical Analysis ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Tilting Pad Bearings ◽  
Fluid Film Thickness

Improving Tilting-Pad Journal Bearing Predictions: Part I—Model Development and Impact of Rotor-Excited Versus Bearing-Excited Impedance Coefficients

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason C. Wilkes ◽  
Dara W. Childs
Keyword(s):  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Force Components ◽  
Rotor Journal ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearing ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

The floating-bearing-test-rig concept was initially developed by Glienicke in 1966 and has since been used to test many tilting-pad journal bearings (TPJBs). The impedances measured during these tests have been compared to rotor/journal perturbed impedance predictions. Since the inertial acceleration of a pad is different for bearing perturbed and rotor perturbed motions, the bearing’s reaction force components for bearing perturbed and journal perturbed motions will also differ. An understanding of how bearing perturbed and rotor perturbed impedances differ is needed to assess the validity of past, present, and future comparisons between TPJB test data and predictions. A new TPJB perturbation model is developed including the effects of angular, radial, and transverse pad motion and changes in pad clearance due to pad bending compliance. Though all of these pad variables have previously been included in different analyses, there are no publications containing perturbations of all four variables. In addition, previous researchers have only perturbed the rotor, while both the bearing and rotor motions are perturbed in the present analysis. The applicability of comparing rotor-perturbed bearing impedance predictions to impedances measured on a bearing-perturbed test rig is assessed by comparing rotor perturbed and bearing perturbed impedance predictions for an example bearing.

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