A thrust bearing and a compressor including the same

The multi-ring pad thrust bearing with multiple oil supply structures and staggered tiles addresses high oil temperature issues, ensuring reliable operation by distributing lubricating oil evenly and preventing bearing failure in centrifugal compressors.

CN112524146BActive Publication Date: 2024-12-20GREE ELECTRIC APPLIANCE INC OF ZHUHAI
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202011504738.3
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2020-12-18
Publication Date
2024-12-20
Estimated Expiration
2040-12-18

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing thrust bearings in centrifugal compressors experience high oil temperatures at high speed and high power, leading to potential burning of the thrust bearing components and compressor shutdown.

Method used

A multi-ring pad thrust bearing design with multiple oil supply structures and staggered tile arrangements, including first and second oil supply paths and grooves, to distribute lubricating oil evenly and reduce temperature accumulation.

Benefits of technology

The design effectively reduces oil temperature, enhances load-bearing capacity, and prevents bearing failure, ensuring reliable operation even at high speeds and powers by mixing lubricating oil across multiple circles of pads.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention provides a thrust bearing and a compressor including the same, which relates to the technical field of compressors and solves the technical problem that the thrust bearing has too high oil temperature and is easy to burn out the pads at high speed and high power. The thrust bearing includes a bearing body, at least two circles of pads arranged on the bearing body, and an oil supply structure connected to each circle of pads to form at least two oil supply paths; the compressor includes the above-mentioned thrust bearing. The present invention greatly reduces the temperature accumulation caused by friction in the radial direction of the thrust bearing by setting multiple sets of second oil supply structures connected to two adjacent circles of pads and having a connection point with the first oil supply structure, and the temperature of the outer ring of the pads will be greatly reduced. In the radial direction, after the lubricating oil flows through the first circle of pads, it enters the second oil groove and mixes with the lubricating oil entering from the secondary oil supply port, reducing the accumulation of heat, so that the lubricating oil entering the second circle of pads will not cause the pads to burn out due to the excessively high oil temperature.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of compressors, and in particular to a thrust bearing and a compressor comprising the same. Background Art

[0002] Thrust bearings are key components of centrifugal compressors, affecting the safe and reliable operation of the compressor. Thrust bearings for centrifugal compressors mostly use tilting pad fluid dynamic lubrication, which has the advantages of large bearing capacity, stable operation, low friction power consumption, and long service life.

[0003] In the thrust bearing structure of the prior art, lubricating oil enters the oil inlet of the thrust bearing through the oil supply system, then enters the oil storage tank of the thrust bearing, and enters the wedge-shaped pad of the thrust bearing under the action of centrifugal force to form an oil film.

[0004] The applicant has found that the prior art has at least the following technical problems:

[0005] The existing thrust bearing structure is a single-ring tile structure. During the operation of the compressor, the oil temperature accumulates in the radial direction, causing the temperature of the outer ring of the tile to be high. Excessive oil temperature can easily cause tile burning, causing the compressor to shut down; especially at high speed and high power, as the speed increases, the axial force increases, the friction loss increases, the oil temperature rises, and the possibility of tile burning increases greatly, affecting the safe and reliable operation of the compressor. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a thrust bearing and a compressor comprising the same, so as to solve the technical problem in the prior art that the oil temperature of the thrust bearing is too high at high speed and high power, and the bearing is easily burned.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] The present invention provides a thrust bearing, comprising a bearing body, at least two circles of tiles arranged on the bearing body, and an oil supply structure connected with each circle of tiles to form at least two oil supply paths.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the oil supply structure includes a first oil supply structure connected to the first circle of the pads and at least one second oil supply structure connected to the two adjacent circles of the pads to provide lubricating oil to the outer circle of the pads; the first oil supply structure and the second oil supply structure have a connecting point on the thrust surface of the pads.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the bearing body includes a bearing seat and a bushing connected to the bearing seat, and the shoe is arranged on the bearing seat.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first oil supply structure includes an oil supply port opened on the bushing and connected to the inner cavity of the bushing, and a first oil groove radially distributed on the thrust surfaces of all the blocks; a throttling structure is provided at the end of the first oil groove.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, each set of the second oil supply structure includes a secondary oil supply port opened on the bushing, an oil cavity arranged on the end face of the bushing, an oil inlet channel connected to the secondary oil supply port and the oil cavity, a second oil groove opened along the circumferential direction between two adjacent circles of the tiles, a plurality of oil outlets opened in the second oil groove and corresponding to each of the tiles, and an oil inlet channel connected to the oil outlet and the oil cavity.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the ratio between the second oil groove area S1 and the entire thrust surface area S2 of the shoe is 1:20 to 1:10.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the depth of the second oil groove is 2-3 mm.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the tiles in two adjacent circles are arranged in a staggered manner or facing each other.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present invention, the staggered angle between two adjacent circles of tiles is 5°-10°.

[0017] The present invention provides a compressor, comprising the thrust bearing.

[0018] As a further improvement of the present invention, the compressor is a centrifugal compressor.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] The multi-ring pad thrust bearing provided by the present invention is not only suitable for the case of generally low speed, but also suitable for the case of high speed and high power, and solves the problem that the oil temperature of the thrust bearing is too high at high speed and high power, causing the pads to burn and the compressor to stop; the thrust bearing of the present invention is provided with multiple sets of second oil supply structures connected to two adjacent rings of pads and having a connection point with the first oil supply structure, so that the temperature accumulation caused by friction in the radial direction of the thrust bearing is greatly reduced, the temperature of the outer ring of the pad is greatly reduced, and the lubricating oil flows through the radial direction. After the first circle of pads, the oil enters the second oil groove and mixes with the lubricating oil entering from the secondary oil supply port, which reduces the accumulation of heat and prevents the lubricating oil entering the second circle of pads from burning due to excessive oil temperature. By setting multiple circles of pads, the force points of the thrust shaft are increased, the thrust bearing has better load-bearing capacity, and the problem of high temperature of individual pads caused by uneven thrust surface clearance due to assembly factors is improved. Since multiple circles of pads have secondary oil supply ports, when one circle of pads fails, the second and third circles of pads still have load-bearing capacity, thus avoiding dry friction of the thrust surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the first embodiment of the thrust bearing of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 is a top view of a first embodiment of a thrust bearing of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the thrust bearing of the present invention.

[0025] In the figure, 1, tile; 2, bearing seat; 3, bushing; 4, oil supply port; 5, first oil groove; 6, throttling structure; 7, secondary oil supply port; 8, oil cavity; 9, second oil groove; 10, oil outlet; 11, plug. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] To make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other implementation methods obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] The present invention provides a thrust bearing, comprising a bearing body, at least two circles of tiles 1 arranged on the bearing body, and an oil supply structure connected with each circle of tiles 1 to form at least two oil supply paths.

[0028] Furthermore, the lubricating oil provided by the oil supply structure connected to the first circle of pads 1 can pass through each circle of pads 1 in sequence under the action of centrifugal force and form a wedge-shaped oil film on the pads 1; the lubricating oil provided by the oil supply structure connected to the second circle of pads 1 can pass through the second circle and all subsequent outer circle pads 1 in sequence under the action of centrifugal force and form a wedge-shaped oil film on these pads 1. As a result, the lubricating oil thrown out from the inside to the outside can be mixed with the lubricating oil on the outside to form an oil film, reducing the accumulation of lubricating oil temperature, lowering the temperature of the outer circle of the pads, and avoiding burning of the pads.

[0029] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, the oil supply structure includes a first oil supply structure connected to the first circle of tiles 1 and at least one second oil supply structure connected to two adjacent circles of tiles 1 to provide lubricating oil to the outer circle tiles 1; the first oil supply structure and the second oil supply structure have a connecting point on the thrust surface of the tile 1. By setting the connecting point, the lubricating oil of the inner ring can be mixed with the low-temperature lubricating oil of the outer ring during the centrifugal ejection process, thereby reducing the oil temperature of the outer ring of the thrust bearing and avoiding the problem of tile burning.

[0030] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, the bearing body includes a bearing seat 2 and a bushing 3 connected to the bearing seat 2 , and the shoe 1 is arranged on the bearing seat 2 .

[0031] The bushing 3 is connected to the bearing seat 2 by means of a snap connection or a plug connection; of course, other connection forms may also be used.

[0032] The first oil supply structure includes an oil supply port 4 opened on the bushing 3 and connected to the inner cavity of the bushing 3, and first oil grooves 5 arranged on the thrust surfaces of all the pads 1 and distributed in the radial direction; a throttling structure 6 is arranged at the end of the first oil groove 5.

[0033] The lubricating oil enters the oil supply port 4 through the oil supply system, then enters the inner cavity of the bearing seat 2 through the inner cavity of the bushing 3, and then enters the first oil groove 5. Under the action of centrifugal force, it enters the first circle of wedge-shaped pads 1 of the thrust bearing to form an oil film. Since the starting end of the first oil groove 5 is located on the inner side of the first circle of pads 1 and the end is located at the outermost circle of pads 1, the lubricating oil flows to the outer circle of pads 1 under the action of centrifugal force and enters each circle of wedge-shaped pads 1 to form an oil film.

[0034] Each set of the second oil supply structure includes a secondary oil supply port 7 opened on the bushing 3, an oil chamber 8 arranged on the end surface of the bushing 3, an oil inlet channel connected to the secondary oil supply port 7 and the oil chamber 8, a second oil groove 9 arranged circumferentially between two adjacent circles of tiles 1, a plurality of oil outlets 10 opened in the second oil groove 9 and corresponding to each tile 1, and an oil inlet channel connected to the oil outlet 10 and the oil chamber 8.

[0035] Through the above structural design, the lubricating oil enters through the secondary oil supply port 7 through the oil supply system, and then enters into the oil chamber 8 from the oil inlet channel. The oil chamber 8 is a circular ring structure and is arranged along the end face of the bushing 3, so that the lubricating oil can enter into the oil outlet 9 through each oil inlet channel. The oil outlet 8 corresponds to each tile 1, so that the lubricating oil can enter into each tile 1 to form an oil film. Since the second oil groove 9 is arranged in a full circle in an annular shape, it intersects with the radially distributed first oil groove 5 to form a connecting point. When the lubricating oil passes through the connecting point, it will mix with the lubricating oil of the inner circle and then flow out along the first oil groove 5, and continue to mix with the lubricating oil flowing through the second oil groove 9 of the next circle, so as to realize the continuous cooling of the lubricating oil and avoid the problem of burning the tile caused by the accumulation of oil temperature at the outer circle tile 1.

[0036] Considering that an excessively large oil groove area will reduce the bearing capacity of the thrust surface, and an excessively small oil groove will result in poor oil mixing, in the present invention, the ratio between the area S1 of the second oil groove 9 and the entire thrust surface area S2 of the pad 1 is 1:20 to 1:10. It should be noted here that the entire thrust surface area S2 of the pad 1 is equal to the sum of the areas of the pads 1 of all circles.

[0037] Furthermore, the depth of the second oil groove 9 is 2-3 mm. It should be noted that the depth of the first oil groove 5 and the depth of the second oil groove 9 can be the same or different.

[0038] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, two adjacent circles of tiles 1 are staggered or arranged opposite to each other. The staggered arrangement provides better bearing stability.

[0039] Furthermore, when two adjacent circles of tiles 1 are staggered, the staggered angle between the two adjacent circles of tiles 1 is 5°-10°.

[0040] Embodiment 1:

[0041] like Figure 1-Figure 3Retract. In the present embodiment, the tile 2 is arranged as two circles, the oil supply port 4 is opened on the circumferential surface of the bushing 3, the secondary oil inlet 7 is arranged opposite to the oil supply port 4, and the oil inlet channel connected with the secondary oil supply port 7 and the oil chamber 8 is T-shaped, including a first channel arranged along the axial direction of the bushing 3 and a second channel arranged along the radial direction of the bushing 3, one end of the second channel is connected with the secondary oil supply port 7, and the other end is connected with the first channel; this structural arrangement is for the convenience of processing. Of course, this part of the oil inlet channel can also be arranged into an L-shape, as long as the lubricating oil enters through the circumferential surface of the bushing 3 and flows out from the top surface of the bushing 3; when a T-shaped oil inlet channel is adopted, in order to prevent the lubricating oil from flowing back to the oil chamber 8 through the first channel, a plug 11 is arranged in the first channel.

[0042] The oil cavity 8 is an annular structure and is arranged along the circumferential direction of the end surface of the bushing 3; a second annular oil groove 9 is arranged along the circumferential direction on the thrust surface of the pad 1 of the bearing seat 2. In this embodiment, the second oil groove 9 is located between the first circle pad 1 and the second circle pad 2;

[0043] An oil outlet 10 is provided in the second oil groove 9. The number of the oil outlets 10 is the same as the number of the outer circle blocks 1, and the positions of the oil outlets 10 correspond to the positions of each block 1. The oil in the oil chamber 8 enters each oil outlet 10 and the second oil groove 9 through the oil inlet channel connected to the oil outlet 10. Under the action of centrifugal force, the oil enters the second circle blocks 1 and forms an oil film on the wedge surface of the second circle blocks 1.

[0044] Embodiment 2:

[0045] In this embodiment, the only difference from the embodiment 1 is that the pads 1 are arranged in three circles; thus, the number of the second oil supply structure is two sets, the oil outlet 10 and the second oil groove 9 of one set are arranged between the first and second circles of pads 1, and the oil outlet 10 and the second oil groove 9 of the other set are arranged between the second and third circles of pads 1. This structure is suitable for use in the case of particularly high speed, the number of annular oil chambers 8 on the top section of the bushing 3 is two, respectively corresponding to the position of the second oil groove 9; two secondary oil supply ports 7 are arranged on the circumferential surface of the bushing 3 and are connected to the two oil chambers 8 through two different oil inlet channels.

[0046] The present invention also provides a compressor, comprising the above-mentioned thrust bearing.

[0047] Furthermore, the above-mentioned compressor is a centrifugal compressor.

[0048] First of all, it should be explained here that “inward” refers to the direction toward the center of the accommodating space, and “outward” refers to the direction away from the center of the accommodating space.

[0049] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate directions or positional relationships based on the attached Figure 1 The orientation or positional relationship shown is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0050] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0051] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0052] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0053] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0054] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A thrust bearing, characterized in that: The bearing comprises a bearing body, at least two circles of tiles arranged on the bearing body, and an oil supply structure connected with each circle of tiles to form at least two oil supply paths; The oil supply structure comprises a first oil supply structure connected to the first circle of the pads and at least one second oil supply structure connected to two adjacent circles of the pads to provide lubricating oil to the outer circle of the pads; the first oil supply structure and the second oil supply structure have a connecting point on the thrust surface of the pads; The bearing body comprises a bearing seat and a bushing connected to the bearing seat, and the shoe is arranged on the bearing seat; The first oil supply structure includes an oil supply port opened on the bushing and communicating with the inner cavity of the bushing, and first oil grooves arranged on the thrust surfaces of all the pads and distributed in the radial direction; a throttling structure is arranged at the end of the first oil groove; Each set of the second oil supply structure includes a secondary oil supply port opened on the bushing, an oil cavity arranged on the end surface of the bushing, an oil inlet channel connected to the secondary oil supply port and the oil cavity, a second oil groove opened along the circumferential direction between two adjacent circles of the tiles, a plurality of oil outlets opened in the second oil groove and corresponding to each tile, and an oil inlet channel connected to the oil outlet and the oil cavity.

2. The thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ratio between the second oil groove area S1 and the entire thrust surface area S2 of the pad is 1:20 to 1:

10.

3. The thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second oil groove has a depth of 2-3 mm.

4. The thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tiles in two adjacent circles are arranged in a staggered manner or in a facing manner.

5. The thrust bearing according to claim 4, characterized in that: The staggered angle between the tiles in two adjacent circles is 5°-10°.

6. A compressor, characterized in that: Comprising a thrust bearing as described in any one of claims 1-5.