Subsynchronous Vibration Patterns Under Reduced Oil Supply Flow Rates

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.

Author(s):  
Bradley R. Nichols ◽  
Roger L. Fittro ◽  
Christopher P. Goyne

Reduced oil supply flow rates in fluid film bearings can cause cavitation, or lack of a fully developed hydrodynamic film layer, at the leading edge of the bearing pads. Reduced oil flow has the well-documented effects of higher bearing operating temperatures and decreased power losses; however, little experimental data of its effects on system stability and performance can be found in the literature. This study looks at overall system performance through observed subsynchronous vibration (SSV) patterns of a test rig operating under reduced oil supply flow rates. The test rig was designed to be dynamically similar to a high-speed industrial compressor. It consists of a flexible rotor supported by two tilting pad bearings in vintage, flooded bearing housings. Tests were conducted over a number of supercritical operating speeds and bearing loads, while systematically reducing the oil supply flow rates provided to the bearings. A low amplitude, broadband SSV pattern was observed in the frequency domain. During supercritical operation, 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. Under lightly loaded conditions, the amplitude of the subsynchronous peak increased dramatically with decreasing oil supply flow rate and increasing operating speed. Under an increased load condition, the subsynchronous peak was largely attenuated. A discussion on the possible sources of this SSV including self-excited instability and pad flutter forced vibration is provided with supporting evidence from thermoelastohydrodynamic (TEHD) bearing modeling results.


2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley R. Nichols ◽  
Roger L. Fittro ◽  
Christopher P. Goyne

Reduced oil supply flow rates in fluid film bearings can cause cavitation, or lack of a fully developed film layer, over one or more of the pads due to starvation. Reduced oil flow has the well-documented effects of higher bearing operating temperatures and decreased power losses; however, little experimental data are available on its effects on system stability and dynamic performance. The study looks at the effects of oil supply flow rate on dynamic bearing performance by comparing experimentally identified damped natural frequencies and damping ratios to predictive models. A test rig consisting of a flexible rotor and supported by two tilting pad bearings in flooded housings is utilized in this study. Tests are conducted over a range of supercritical operating speeds and bearing loads while systematically reducing the oil supply flow rates provided to the bearings. Shaft response measured as a magnetic actuator is used to perform sine sweep excitations of the rotor. A single-input, multiple-output system identification technique is then used to obtain frequency response functions (FRFs) and modal parameters. All experimental results are compared to predicted results obtained from bearing models based on thermoelastohydrodynamic (TEHD) lubrication theory. Both flooded and starved model flow assumptions are considered and compared to the data. Differences in the predicted trends of the models and the experimental data across varying operating conditions are examined. Predicted pressure profiles and dynamic coefficients from the models are presented to help explain any differences in trends.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Leprince ◽  
C. Changenet ◽  
F. Ville ◽  
P. Velex

In order to investigate the oil projected by gears rotating in an oil bath, a test rig has been set up in which the quantity of lubricant splashed at several locations on the casing walls can be measured. An oblong-shaped window of variable size is connected to a tank for flow measurements, and the system can be placed at several locations. A series of formulae have been deduced using dimensional analysis which can predict the lubricant flow rate generated by one spur gear or one disk at various places on the casing. These results have been experimentally validated over a wide range of operating conditions (rotational speed, geometry, immersion depth, etc.).


Author(s):  
Kamran Siddiqui ◽  
Wajid A. Chishty

For gas turbines burning liquid fuels, improving fuel spray and combustion characteristics are of paramount importance to reduce emission of pollutants, improve combustor efficiency and adapt to a range of alternative fuels. Effervescent atomization technique, which involves the bubbling of an atomizing gas through aerator holes into the liquid fuel stream, has the potential to give the required spray quality for gas turbine combustion. Bubbling of the liquid stream is presently used in a wide range of other applications as well such as spray drying, waste-water treatment, chemical plants, food processing and bio- and nuclear-reactors. In order to optimize control of the required aeration quality and thus the resulting spray quality over a wide range of operating conditions, it is important that the dynamics of bubble formation, detachment and downstream transport are well understood under these circumstances. The paper reports on an experimental study conducted to investigate the dynamics of gas bubbles in terms of bubble detachment frequency when injected from an orifice that is subjected to a liquid cross-flow. The experiments were conducted over a range of gas and liquid flow rates and at various orientations of the liquid channel. Analyses presented here are based on shadowgraph images of two-phase flow, acquired using a high speed camera and a low intensity light source. An image processing algorithm was developed for the detection and characterization of the bubble dynamics. Results show that bubble detachment frequency is a function of both liquid cross-flow rate and the gas-to-liquid flow rate ratio.


1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (18) ◽  
pp. 2575-2589 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Grünbaum ◽  
D Eyre ◽  
A Fogelson

Parallel tentacular structures with lateral cilia that produce suspension-feeding and respiratory flows occur repeatedly in many diverse taxonomic groups. We use a computational hydrodynamic model of flow through ciliated tentacles to simulate flow rates through ciliated tentacle arrays. We examine the functional relationship of one performance measure, flow rate per unit length of array, to geometrical variables, such as cilia length, cilia tip speed and the gap between adjacent tentacles, and to hydrodynamic operating conditions, such as adverse pressure drops across the array. We present a scaling and interpolation scheme to estimate flow rates for a wide range of geometries that span many taxa. Our estimates of flow rate can be coupled with the hydrodynamic characteristics of biological piping systems to understand design trade-offs between components of these systems. As a case study, we apply the model to the blue mussel Mytilus edulis by investigating the effect on performance of changes in the gap between neighboring tentacles. Our model suggests that the observed gaps between tentacles in M. edulis reflect flow-maximizing geometries. Even relatively weak adverse pressure drops have strong effects on flow-maximizing geometries and flow rates. One consequence is that an intermediate range of pressure drops may be unfavorable, suggesting that animals may specialize into high-pressure and low-pressure piping systems associated with differences in organism size and with their strategy for eliminating depleted water.


1984 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-100
Author(s):  
D. Prasad ◽  
J.G. Henry ◽  
P. Elefsiniotis

Abstract Laboratory studies were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of diffused aeration for the removal of ammonia from the effluent of an anaerobic filter treating leachate. The effects of pH, temperature and air flow on the process were studied. The coefficient of desorption of ammonia, KD for the anaerobic filter effluent (TKN 75 mg/L with NH3-N 88%) was determined at pH values of 9, 10 and 11, temperatures of 10, 15, 20, 30 and 35°C, and air flow rates of 50, 120, and 190 cm3/sec/L. Results indicated that nitrogen removal from the effluent of anaerobic filters by ammonia desorption was feasible. Removals exceeding 90% were obtained with 8 hours aeration at pH of 10, a temperature of 20°C, and an air flow rate of 190 cm3/sec/L. Ammonia desorption coefficients, KD, determined at other temperatures and air flow rates can be used to predict ammonia removals under a wide range of operating conditions.


2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (5) ◽  
pp. 1029-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. O. Schunk ◽  
G. F. Nellis ◽  
J. M. Pfotenhauer

Growing interest in larger scale pulse tubes has focused attention on optimizing their thermodynamic efficiency. For Stirling-type pulse tubes, the performance is governed by the phase difference between the pressure and mass flow, a characteristic that can be conveniently adjusted through the use of inertance tubes. In this paper we present a model in which the inertance tube is divided into a large number of increments; each increment is represented by a resistance, compliance, and inertance. This model can include local variations along the inertance tube and is capable of predicting pressure, mass flow rate, and the phase between these quantities at any location in the inertance tube as well as in the attached reservoir. The model is verified through careful comparison with those quantities that can be easily and reliably measured; these include the pressure variations along the length of the inertance tube and the mass flow rate into the reservoir. These experimental quantities are shown to be in good agreement with the model’s predictions over a wide range of operating conditions. Design charts are subsequently generated using the model and are presented for various operating conditions in order to facilitate the design of inertance tubes for pulse tube refrigerators. These design charts enable the pulse tube designer to select an inertance tube geometry that achieves a desired phase shift for a given level of acoustic power.


2014 ◽  
Vol 747 ◽  
pp. 119-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Vandre ◽  
M. S. Carvalho ◽  
S. Kumar

AbstractCharacteristic substrate speeds and meniscus shapes associated with the onset of air entrainment are studied during dynamic wetting failure along a planar substrate. Using high-speed video, the behaviour of the dynamic contact line (DCL) is recorded as a tape substrate is drawn through a bath of a glycerol/water solution. Air entrainment is identified by triangular air films that elongate from the DCL above some critical substrate speed. Meniscus confinement within a narrow gap between the substrate and a stationary plate is shown to delay air entrainment to higher speeds for a wide range of liquid viscosities, expanding upon the findings of Vandre, Carvalho & Kumar (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 707, 2012, pp. 496–520). A pressurized liquid reservoir controls the meniscus position within the confinement gap. It is found that liquid pressurization further postpones air entrainment when the meniscus is located near a sharp corner along the stationary plate. Meniscus shapes recorded near the DCL demonstrate that operating conditions influence the size of entrained air films, with smaller films appearing in the more viscous solutions. Regardless of size, air films become unstable to thickness perturbations and ultimately rupture, leading to the entrainment of air bubbles. Recorded critical speeds and air-film sizes compare well to predictions from a hydrodynamic model for dynamic wetting failure, suggesting that strong air stresses near the DCL trigger the onset of air entrainment.


Author(s):  
M. Vardelle ◽  
P. Fauchais ◽  
A. Vardelle ◽  
A.C. Léger

Abstract A study of the flattening and cooling of particles plasma-sprayed on a substrate is presented. The characteristic parameters of the splats are linked to the parameters of the impacting particles by using an experimental device consisting of a phase Doppler particle analyzer and a high-speed pyrometer. However, during the long experiments required to get reliable correlations, it was observed that variations in plasma spray operating conditions may alter the particles behavior in the plasma jet. Therefore, a simple and easy-to-use system was developed to control in real time the spray jet. In this paper, the effect of carrier gas flow rate, arc current and powder mass flow rate is investigated. The results on zirconia and alumina powders show the capability of the technique to sense the particle spray position and width.


Author(s):  
Bo Zhang ◽  
Shemiao Qi ◽  
Sheng Feng ◽  
Haipeng Geng ◽  
Yanhua Sun ◽  
...  

Two multileaf gas foil journal bearings with backing bump foils and one set of gas foil thrust bearings were designed, fabricated, and used in a 100 kW class microturbine simulated rotor system to ensure stability of the system. Meanwhile, a preliminary test rig had been built to verify the simulated system stability. The rotor synchronous and subsynchronous responses were well controlled by using of the gas foil bearings. It is on the multileaf gas foil bearings with backing bump foils that the test was conducted and verified for the first time in open literatures. The success in the experiments shows that the design and fabrication of the rotor and the gas foil bearings can provide a useful guide to the development of the advanced high speed rotating machinery.


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