Performance Analysis of Gas-Expanded Lubricants in a Hybrid Bearing Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Author(s):  
Brian K. Weaver ◽  
Gen Fu ◽  
Andres F. Clarens ◽  
Alexandrina Untaroiu

Gas-expanded lubricants (GELs), tunable mixtures of synthetic oil and dissolved carbon dioxide, have been previously shown to potentially increase bearing efficiency, rotordynamic control, and long-term reliability in flooded journal bearings by controlling the properties of the lubricant in real time. Previous experimental work has established the properties of these mixtures and multiple numerical studies have predicted that GELs stand to increase the performance of flooded bearings by reducing bearing power losses and operating temperatures while also providing control over bearing stiffness and damping properties. However, to date all previous analytical studies have utilized Reynolds equation-based approaches while assuming a single-phase mixture under high-ambient pressure conditions. The potential implications of multi-phase behavior could be significant to bearing performance, therefore a more detailed study of alternative operating conditions that may include multi-phase behavior is necessary to better understanding the full potential of GELs and their effects on bearing performance. In this work, the performance of GELs in a fixed geometry journal bearing were evaluated to examine the effects of these lubricants on the fluid and bearing dynamics of the system under varying operating conditions. The bearing considered for this study was a hybrid hydrodynamic-hydrostatic bearing to allow for the study of various lubricant supply and operating conditions. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based approach allowed for a detailed evaluation of the lubricant injection pathway, the flow of fluid throughout the bearing geometry, thermal behavior, and the collection of the lubricant as it exits the bearing. This also allowed for the study of the effects of the lubricant behavior on overall bearing performance.


Author(s):  
Alexander O. Pugachev ◽  
Clemens Griebel ◽  
Stacie Tibos ◽  
Bernard Charnley

In this paper, a hybrid brush pocket damper seal is studied theoretically using computational fluid dynamics. In the hybrid sealing arrangement, the brush seal element with cold clearance is placed downstream of a 4-bladed, 8-pocket, fully partitioned pocket damper seal. The new seal geometry is derived based on designs of short brush-labyrinth seals studied in previous works. Transient CFD simulations coupled with the multi-frequency rotor excitation method are performed to determine frequency-dependent stiffness and damping coefficients of pocket damper seals. A moving mesh technique is applied to model the shaft motion on a predefined whirling orbit. The rotordynamic coefficients are calculated from impedances obtained in frequency domain. The pocket damper seal CFD model is validated against available experimental and numerical results found in the literature. Bristle pack in the brush seal CFD model is described as porous medium. The applied brush seal model is validated using the measurements obtained in previous works from two test rigs. Predicted leakage characteristics as well as stiffness and damping coefficients of the hybrid brush pocket damper seal are presented for different operating conditions. In this case, the rotordynamic coefficients are calculated using a single-frequency transient simulation. By adding the brush seal, direct stiffness is predicted to be significantly decreased while effective damping shows a more moderate or no reduction depending on excitation frequency. Effective clearance results indicate more than halved leakage compared to the case without brush seal.



Author(s):  
Christos I. Papadopoulos ◽  
Pantelis G. Nikolakopoulos ◽  
Lambros Kaiktsis

In the present paper, a study of stiffness and damping in sector-pad micro thrust bearings with artificial surface texturing is presented, based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The bearing pads are modeled as consecutive three-dimensional independent microchannels, each consisting of a smooth rotating wall (rotor) and a partially textured stationary wall (stator). CFD simulations are performed, consisting in the numerical solution of the Navier–Stokes equations for incompressible isothermal flow. The goal of the present study is to characterize the dynamic behavior of favorable designs, identified in previous optimization studies, comprising parallel and convergent thrust bearings with rectangular texture patterns. To this end, a translational degree of freedom (DOF) along the thrust direction and a rotational (tilting) DOF of the rotor are considered. By implementing appropriate small perturbations around the equilibrium (steady-state) position and processing the simulation results, the stiffness and damping coefficients of the bearing are obtained for each DOF. The computed dynamic coefficients of textured thrust bearings are compared to those of conventional (smooth slider) designs. It is found that the dependence of bearing stiffness and damping on geometrical parameters exhibits the same trends for both DOFs. Both stiffness and damping are found to increase with bearing width. In general, increasing the bearing convergence ratio results in increased bearing stiffness and decreased damping. Finally, the present results demonstrate that properly textured parallel sliders are characterized by an overall dynamic performance that is superior to that of smooth converging sliders.



Author(s):  
C. I. Papadopoulos ◽  
P. G. Nikolakopoulos ◽  
L. Kaiktsis

In the present paper, a study of stiffness and damping in sector-pad micro-thrust bearings with artificial surface texturing is presented, based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The bearing pads are modeled as consecutive three-dimensional independent micro-channels, each consisting of a smooth rotating wall (rotor) and a partially textured stationary wall (stator). CFD simulations are performed, consisting in the numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible isothermal flow. The goal of the present study is to characterize the dynamic behavior of favorable designs, identified in previous optimization studies, comprising parallel and convergent thrust bearings with rectangular texture patterns. To this end, a translational degree of freedom (DOF) along the thrust direction and a rotational (tilting) DOF of the rotor are considered. By implementing appropriate small perturbations around the equilibrium (steady-state) position and processing the simulation results, the stiffness and damping coefficients of the bearing are obtained for each DOF. The computed dynamic coefficients of textured thrust bearings are compared to those of conventional (smooth slider) designs. It is found that the dependence of bearing stiffness and damping on geometrical parameters exhibits the same trends for both DOFs. Both stiffness and damping are found to increase with bearing width. In general, increasing the bearing convergence ratio results in increased bearing stiffness and decreased damping. Finally, the present results demonstrate that properly textured parallel sliders are characterized by an overall dynamic performance which is superior to that of smooth converging sliders.



2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. I. Papadopoulos ◽  
L. Kaiktsis ◽  
M. Fillon

The paper presents a detailed computational study of flow patterns and performance indices in a dimpled parallel thrust bearing. The bearing consists of eight pads; the stator surface of each pad is partially textured with rectangular dimples, aiming at maximizing the load carrying capacity. The bearing tribological performance is characterized by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, based on the numerical solution of the Navier–Stokes and energy equations for incompressible flow. Realistic boundary conditions are implemented. The effects of operating conditions and texture design are studied for the case of isothermal flow. First, for a reference texture pattern, the effects of varying operating conditions, in particular minimum film thickness (thrust load), rotational speed and feeding oil pressure are investigated. Next, the effects of varying texture geometry characteristics, in particular texture zone circumferential/radial extent, dimple depth, and texture density on the bearing performance indices (load carrying capacity, friction torque, and friction coefficient) are studied, for a representative operating point. For the reference texture design, the effects of varying operating conditions are further investigated, by also taking into account thermal effects. In particular, adiabatic conditions and conjugate heat transfer at the bearing pad are considered. The results of the present study indicate that parallel thrust bearings textured by proper rectangular dimples are characterized by substantial load carrying capacity levels. Thermal effects may significantly reduce load capacity, especially in the range of high speeds and high loads. Based on the present results, favorable texture designs can be assessed.



Author(s):  
Riccardo Da Soghe ◽  
Cosimo Bianchini ◽  
Antonio Andreini ◽  
Lorenzo Mazzei ◽  
Giovanni Riccio ◽  
...  

Combustor liner of present gas turbine engines is subjected to high thermal loads as it surrounds high temperature combustion reactants and is hence facing the related radiative load. This generally produces high thermal stress levels on the liner, strongly limiting its life expectations and making it one of the most critical components of the entire engine. The reliable prediction of such thermal loads is hence a crucial aspect to increase the flame tube life span and to ensure safe operations. The present study aims at investigating the aerothermal behavior of a GE Dry Low NOx (DLN1) class flame tube and in particular at evaluating working metal temperatures of the liner in relation to the flow and heat transfer state inside and outside the combustion chamber. Three different operating conditions have been accounted for (i.e., lean–lean partial load, premixed full load, and primary load) to determine the amount of heat transfer from the gas to the liner by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The numerical predictions have been compared to experimental measurements of metal temperature showing a good agreement between CFD and experiments.



Author(s):  
Andrea G. Sanvito ◽  
Giacomo Persico ◽  
M. Sergio Campobasso

Abstract This study provides a novel contribution toward the establishment of a new high-fidelity simulation-based design methodology for stall-regulated horizontal axis wind turbines. The aerodynamic design of these machines is complex, due to the difficulty of reliably predicting stall onset and poststall characteristics. Low-fidelity design methods, widely used in industry, are computationally efficient, but are often affected by significant uncertainty. Conversely, Navier–Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can reduce such uncertainty, resulting in lower development costs by reducing the need of field testing of designs not fit for purpose. Here, the compressible CFD research code COSA is used to assess the performance of two alternative designs of a 13-m stall-regulated rotor over a wide range of operating conditions. Validation of the numerical methodology is based on thorough comparisons of novel simulations and measured data of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) phase VI turbine rotor, and one of the two industrial rotor designs. An excellent agreement is found in all cases. All simulations of the two industrial rotors are time-dependent, to capture the unsteadiness associated with stall which occurs at most wind speeds. The two designs are cross-compared, with emphasis on the different stall patterns resulting from particular design choices. The key novelty of this work is the CFD-based assessment of the correlation among turbine power, blade aerodynamics, and blade design variables (airfoil geometry, blade planform, and twist) over most operational wind speeds.



2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jongin Yang ◽  
Alan Palazzolo

Part II presents a novel approach for predicting dynamic coefficients for a tilting pad journal bearing (TPJB) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element method (FEM), including fully coupled elastic deflection, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics. Part I presented a similarly novel, high fidelity approach for TPJB static response prediction which is a prerequisite for the dynamic characteristic determination. The static response establishes the equilibrium operating point values for eccentricity, attitude angle, deflections, temperatures, pressures, etc. The stiffness and damping coefficients are obtained by perturbing the pad and journal motions about this operating point to determine changes in forces and moments. The stiffness and damping coefficients are presented in “synchronously reduced form” as required by American Petroleum Institute (API) vibration standards. Similar to Part I, an advanced three-dimensional thermal—Reynolds equation code validates the CFD code for the special case when flow Between Pad (BP) regions is ignored, and the CFD and Reynolds pad boundary conditions are made identical. The results show excellent agreement for this validation case. Similar to the static response case, the dynamic characteristics from the Reynolds model show large discrepancies compared with the CFD results, depending on the Reynolds mixing coefficient (MC). The discrepancies are a concern given the key role that stiffness and damping coefficients serve instability and response predictions in rotordynamics software. The uncertainty of the MC and its significant influence on static and dynamic response predictions emphasizes a need to utilize the CFD approach for TPJB simulation in critical machines.



2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Galindo ◽  
Roberto Navarro ◽  
Luis Miguel García-Cuevas ◽  
Daniel Tarí ◽  
Hadi Tartoussi ◽  
...  

Zero-dimensional/one-dimensional computational fluid dynamics codes are used to simulate the performance of complete internal combustion engines. In such codes, the operation of a turbocharger compressor is usually addressed employing its performance map. However, simulation of engine transients may drive the compressor to work at operating conditions outside the region provided by the manufacturer map. Therefore, a method is required to extrapolate the performance map to extended off-design conditions. This work examines several extrapolating methods at the different off-design regions, namely, low-pressure ratio zone, low-speed zone and high-speed zone. The accuracy of the methods is assessed with the aid of compressor extreme off-design measurements. In this way, the best method is selected for each region and the manufacturer map is used in design conditions, resulting in a zonal extrapolating approach aiming to preserve accuracy. The transitions between extrapolated zones are corrected, avoiding discontinuities and instabilities.



2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Umberto Stuppioni ◽  
Alessio Suman ◽  
Michele Pinelli ◽  
Alessandro Blum

Abstract This paper addresses the problem of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of gaseous cavitation (GC) in lubricating positive-displacement pumps (PDPs). It is important for designers and analysts to predict the dynamic features of air release/dissolution processes which characterize this phenomenon, along with their effects on filling capability and noise-vibration-harshness behavior of the machine. The focus is on the empirical tuning of the commercial homogeneous-flow cavitation model known as dissolved gas model (DGM). Considering an automotive case study of a balanced vane pump (BVP), the effects of air modeling on numerical predictions of discharge flow/pressure ripple and volumetric efficiency have been studied. The tuning time parameters of the model have been correlated to the machine Reynolds number as part of a simplified theoretical background based on dimensional analysis. Considering experimental data at different operating conditions, the tuned model has shown a good capacity in predicting the pressure ripple and the flowrate at the discharge of the pump.



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