Proceedings of ASME Turbo Expo 2014: Turbine Technical Conference

and Exposition, June 16-20, 2014, Düsseldorf, Germany

Paper GT2014-25914

ON THE PREDICTED PERFORMANCE OF OIL

LUBRICATED THRUST COLLARS IN
INTEGRALLY GEARED COMPRESSORS
Luis San Andrés Karl Wygant
Mast-Childs Professor, Fellow ASME Director of Engineering
Travis A. Cable Andron Morton
Research Assistant Research Engineer
Mechanical Engineering Samsung Techwin
Texas A&M University Houston, TX 77079,USA

1
Supported by Samsung Techwin
Integrally Geared Compressors
Compared to single
shaft multistage
compressors, industry
selects IGCs for their:
• increased thermal
efficiency,
• decreased footprint,
&
• ease of access for
maintenance and
overhaul.

2
All pictures & components are a courtesy of Samsung Techwin
Components of an IGC
impellers
pinion gears
pinion G/B frame suction-adapter castings

bull gears
journal bearings

IGV assemblies
volute castings

pinion thrust
bearings
journal bearings 3
The bull gear/pinion gear
Impellers - compressor

Pinion (helical)
gear

Bull
gear

THRUST
COLLARS

Pinion trust/radial Bull gear trust/radial

bearing bearing
4
The thrust collar (TC)

Lubricated zone in thrust collar

transmits axial load from pinion
shaft & gear to bull gear shaft.
Load is from gas pressure acting on
the front and back sides of an
impeller plus the axial component of
the transmission contact force in a
helical gear.

5
IGCs performance and customization
1. Ensure Operational
Reliability 2. Offer High
 Minimize vibration Performance
 Design for coupling life and  On design
endurance  And off design
 Lasting seals  Minimize parasitic losses
Build a process
Design
based on that targets
validated user concerns
predictive on core
tools

4. Baseline Unit Cost

3. Field Support  Master impellers
 Interchangeability  Standardized subcomponents
 Common components  Controlled development

6
The thrust collar (TC)
Sadykov, V.A. and Shneerson, L.M,  empirical formula for diametral
“Helical Gear Transmissions with interference fit. Tested SEVEN
1968
Thrust Collars,” Russian configurations. Gives design rule
Engineering Journal. (taper angles).

Fingerhut, U., Rothstein, E. and  Introduce IGCs in USA: operation

Sterz, G., “Standardized and design guidelines. TCs save space
Integrally Geared Turbomachines and complexity as they dispense with
1991
– Tailor made for the Process large OD hydrodynamic thrust
Industry,” Proceedings of the 20th bearings.
Turbomachinery Symposium.
Deitz, P. and Mupende, I.,  Introduce FE structural models. A
“Pressure ridge – An Old safety ring near a press fit TC
2006 Machine Element with a New increases its load capacity before TC
Potential Application,” slips.
Konstruktion.
Thoden, D., “Elasto-  Complete EHD analysis of TCs
2006, hydrodynamic Lubrication of to optimize geometry for largest
2009 Pressure Ridges,” Clausthal load at design speed. Only one
University of Technology. taper angle.
Objective
P pinion gear b bull gear
To advance engineering
analysis for prediction of the bull gear

unsteady forced response of pinion

gear
thrust collars in geared
compressors. Thrust washers

Unknown:
Selection of taper angles to
improve TC performance
Design Practice:
Nominal taper angle < 2 degrees.

No certain knowledge on taper angle

and its effect on TC performance, in
particular for load capacity. 8
Means to the objective
• Produce lubrication model for Numerical FE model for
prediction of film pressure (static prediction of pressure
field an extensions to
and dynamic), temperature rise, include thermal energy
power loss, reaction force & transport
moments in a thrust collar.

• Perform parametric studies to Maximize film

determine effect of taper angles on thickness and
performance of thrust collar. stiffness, minimize
flow rate and friction
coefficient.

• Calibrate tool predictions against Parallel test program

experimental or published results. at TurboLab (Dr.
Childs)
9
Kinematics of thrust collar

B : BG speed
TC : PG speed

Film thickness
(exaggerated)
 : taper angle

10
Generation of hydrodynamic pressure
Assumptions
Laminar thin film flow.
Incompressible lubricant.
Rigid surfaces. Steady state.
1   h3  p  1   h3  p 
r   
r r  12  r  r θ  12  r  
1    h  1    h 
 r 
  B b sin    
   
 Bb cos   TC    
  r 
r r   2   r θ   2 

B : BG speed
TC : PG speed
: oil viscosity
h : film thickness 
 
h( r ,θ )  hR1   R1  d  b r ,θ  tan  φB     R1  r  tan  φTC  

 : taper angles 11
Numerical method of solution
Solve Reynolds equation
with isoparametric finite
element with bi-linear
Coarse shape functions.
mesh
Greate GUI: engineering
design tool.

INPUT: thrust collar configuration, operating speeds, oil

type, and applied force,

OUTPUT: pressure field, drag torque and power loss,

flow rate.

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Numerical method of solution
Axial force coefficients
Perturbation of Reynolds equation for small amplitude
axial displacements leads to PDEs to obtain axial and
stiffness damping force coefficients

R1
θmax
K z  i  Cz   
rleft
θmin
pz r dr d
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Thrust collars TAPER ANGLES

φB >φTC φTC >φB

BG taper angle > TC angle TC taper angle > B angle

Surface taper angles define performance of TC

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Effect of taper angles on
TC performance
Question: How do small
changes in taper angle affect
the operating film thickness,
friction, flow, and force
coefficients of a TC?

φB - φTC = 0.1 and 0.2

Select: φB = φTC nominal
φTC - φB = 0.1 and 0.2
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Example of TC performance
Operating Conditions
Load W 1.0
Speed (BG/TC)  10/115
Geometry R2/R1 7.14 W/A=5.48 MPa
d/R1 7.78
Lubricant ISO VG 32
Supply Temperature Ts 40 °C
Dynamic Viscosity (40°C) μ 0.0275 Pa.s
Ambient Pressure pa 100 kPa d
Lubricated Zone c
Max. angle θmax 47.3°
Length c/R1 1.47
Width at θ = 0 l/R1 0.36 width
Area Alub  R12 0.12

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Pressure & film thickness fields

φB =φTC
φB=1.25 φTC
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P  p p  p Alub W
* *
φB=0.8 φTC
Pressure & flow field φB =φTC

Region of cold lubricant

entering thrust collar.
Important for adequate
location of oil source and
to avoid starvation.

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Peak film pressure
P= W = 1.0

P  p Alub W *

Thrust Collar, R1

Film peak pressure 

increases with taper angle Gear radius, rright

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Minimum film thickness
W = 1.0

Film thickness ~ uniform for taper angles > 0.6

φB =φTC gives the largest minimum film thickness.

 20
h h/h
Friction coefficient f

f  *
ωTCW R1

φB =φTC gives the lowest drag friction.

As the TC taper angle increases, large pressures in the lubricated
zone drive the increase in friction.

f ~ 0.003  Drag power ~ a few kW. 21

Axial stiffness
 h 
K z  Kz   W
h
~ 100 MN/m
W  W = 1.0

W
h

Stiffness decreases with taper angle. Magnitudes are

large. φ =φ select
B TC

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Axial damping
 hTC  W
24.5 kNs/m
Cz  Cz   h TC


W W = 1.0
 

Damping decreases with taper angle. Magnitudes

are good (damping ratio > 0.2)

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Conclusions I
For the specific TC, taper angles
 B  0.4 and TC  0.6
lead to the lowest friction factor (f~0.0027),
produce large axial stiffness and damping, while
operating with an adequate minimum film thickness.

The peak hydrodynamic pressure is ~300 bar (4.35

kpsi). Its effect on a local elastic deformation of the
lubricated surfaces is yet to be determined.

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Effect of load on TC
performance
Question: How does load
affect the operating film,
friction and force
coefficients of a TC?

 B 0.4  B 0.6  B 0.6

Select:  ,  and 
TC 0.6 TC 0.4 TC 0.6

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Film thickness vs. load

Film thickness decreases with load.

Largest for same B & TC taper angles.

 26
h h/h
Friction factor vs. load

f  *
ωTCW R1

Friction factor drops with load. All TC

configurations give similar performance.
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Stiffness & damping vs. load

 h 
K z  Kz  
W 

Both K & C increase

with load. TC with
 hTC 
TC = 0.6 > B=0.4 gives Cz  Cz 
 W 

largest K & C.
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Conclusions II
As load increases, min. film decreases and peak
pressure rises, force coefficients increase.
For the specified TC, taper angles
 B 0.4  B 0.6  B 0.6
 ,  and 
TC 0.6 TC 0.4 TC 0.6

Produces large axial stiffness and damping.

TC system damping ratio is good:
   TC Cz 2 K    Cz
 
2 K   0.30 to 0.42
 z   z 
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Predictive tool ready for engineering path

analysis and design.
Acknowledgments
Paper GT2014-25914

Thanks to Samsung Techwin

Questions (?)

Learn more at http://rotorlab.tamu.edu

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Current work
•Numerical solution of thermal energy transport
equation

• Analysis for determining misalignment effects

• Determination of mechanical deformation effects

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Thermal energy transport
Temperature raise causes drop in lubricant viscosity
affecting performance of TC. Model uses an effective film
temperature (Teff) across lubricated area.

 1  1  
ρcP  hTeff    rq r eff 
T   qθ eff   
T
 t r r r θ 
h B Teff  TB   hTC Teff  TTC   

Convection of heat by fluid flow

Convection into BG and TC surfaces
h3  p  2  p  2 
: Power 
12
   
 r   r   
 

loss/area = 
 2  bB cos    rTC    rTC  
 B 
2 2
 b
h  32