Centrifugal Pump Radial Bearing With Undercut Particle Passages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multistage centrifugal pumps experience abrasive wear and increased clearance due to solids in the slurry, leading to shaft wobble and increased pump leakage losses when pumping fluids with solids, such as slurries.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating radial bearing assemblies with particle passages defined by undercuts and concentric alignment of journal and bearing components, allowing for the passage of solids and reducing abrasive wear by providing a deviant path for particles, thereby maintaining consistent pump performance and minimizing leakage losses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the clearance between journal surface and bearing surface is limited to minimize shaft tilt, then shaft stability is improved, but abrasive wear from solids in slurry increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (particle passages with undercuts) between the journal surface and bearing surface that allows solids to pass through without causing direct abrasive contact. The undercut geometry creates a protective pathway that mediates the interaction between abrasive particles and bearing surfaces, reducing wear while maintaining operational clearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing surface is segmented into functional zones: smooth bearing surfaces for load support and undercut regions with particle passages for solid removal. This segmentation allows different portions of the bearing assembly to perform specialized functions - supporting radial loads while simultaneously managing abrasive particles to prevent wear.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If particle passages are incorporated into the radial bearing assembly, then abrasive wear is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The particle passages are merged with the existing bearing assembly structure rather than being separate components. The undercuts are integrated into the bearing surface geometry, combining the load-bearing function and particle removal function into a single unified structure, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The undercut features with particle passages are applied locally at specific positions on the bearing surface where solids are most likely to accumulate, rather than modifying the entire bearing assembly. This localized application reduces manufacturing complexity while effectively addressing abrasive wear at critical locations.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multiple radial bearing assemblies are used to support long shafts with multiple stages, then shaft support is improved, but cumulative abrasive wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each radial bearing assembly incorporates particle passages that act as intermediary pathways, allowing solids to bypass the bearing interfaces. This mediation prevents abrasive particles from causing cumulative wear across multiple bearing assemblies, extending their operational life while maintaining shaft support.
Solution Approach 2:
The presence of solids in the slurry, which would normally cause harmful abrasive wear, is converted into a beneficial flow path through the particle passages. The solids are directed through the undercut channels, where their motion through the passages actually helps clear the bearing interfaces and prevent particle accumulation that would lead to wear.
Data Source
AI summary
A radial bearing assembly for a centrifugal pump can include a first component that has a longitudinal axis and that includes discrete radial surfaces separated by undercuts, the discrete radial surfaces disposed at a radial distance from the longitudinal axis; a second component that has a longitudinal axis and that includes a radial surface disposed at a radial distance from the longitudinal axis; and, formed by concentric alignment of the longitudinal axis of the first component and the longitudinal axis of the second component, a journal and bearing clearance, defined by the difference between the radial distance of the radial surfaces of the first component and the radial distance of the radial surface of the second component, and axially deviant particle passages defined by the undercuts and the radial surface of the second component. Various other apparatuses, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed.