On the Development of a Design Procedure of the Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Hydrogenerator Thrust Bearings Taking into Account the Heat Exchange

Abstract

The problem solution for the thrust sector bearing of a hydrogenerator with oil lubrication is considered. The value of the most important hydrodynamic characteristic of the thrust bearing, which is the lifting force, is defined. The pressure field is determined by the direct numerical integration of the Navier-Stokes equations for a lubricating oil layer. The case of the absence of heat exchange between the lubrication layer and solid-state components of the thrust bearing and the case when the heat exchange is taken into account are considered. The calculation results, which are compared with an experiment, are presented. The research results can serve as the basis to develop automation systems for designing hydrogenerator thrust bearings.