Research On Numerical Calculation Of Lubricating Properties Of Water-lubricated Thrust Bearing Of Submersible Pump

A thrust bearing is an important component of a submersible pump which is water-lubricated. It will have better theoretic significance and engineering application to save energy, protect environment, improve the mechanical efficiency of marine propulsion system and reduce the friction and abrasion of the bearings.In this article, combined with the project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the water-lubricated thrust bearing of the submersible pump is taken as research subject, and its theoretical research is carried out, including the elastohydrodynamic lubrication, characteristic of thermal-structural coupled system, and simulation test of bearings and so on.Main research work and its conclusions are as follows:1) According to Reynolds equation and boundary conditions, the discrete equations are obtained without considering the elastic deformation. The changing trends of the lubrication performance parameters of the water-lubricated thrust bearing can be obtained. And based on classical theory of J.Boussinesq, elastic deformation equation can be deduced. Reynolds equation is solved coupled with elastic deformation equation. And the elastohydrodynamic lubrication characteristics of the water-lubricated thrust bearing can be obtained for the thrust bearing design.2) The total frictional heat, which is from the friction pair of both thrust pad and thrust ring of thrust bearing, is calculated, and the friction heat distribution method and convective heat transfer coefficient are provided. The rule has been studied in use of finite element software ANSYS and direct coupling method, that the thrust pad temperature field is influenced with the different operating conditions, geometry structures and material thermal conductivity coefficients. The results show that the fiction heat is greater and the temperature there is higher near by the water leakage approaches and the outer diameter place of the thrust pad. But the temperature all around the thrust pad is lower, because of the portion friction heat absorbed by convective heat transfer between both thrust pad and fluid.3) In order to verify the correctness of numerical analysis of lubrication performance and finite element solving results in temperature field of the thrust bearing, the tests have been done. The measuring results make clear that the changing trends of friction coefficient of the thrust bearing, water film thickness, pressure distribution, and temperature distribution of the thrust pad are consistent with the theoretical results, which also have better attested the conclusion of the theoretical analysis.