• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.29 no.2 s.233
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• pp.239-246
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• 2005

A rotor dynamic analysis is implemented to confirm the vibration stability of the high speed centrifugal chiller coupled with gear system. As the rotating speed of the centrifugal chiller under investigation is increased up to 17605rpm at the pinion rotating part, the bearing instability is getting higher and, furthermore, the rotor-bearing system might experience a few critical speed which lead to system failure due to the excessive vibration. In this study, considering the loading capacity and stability conditions, offset journal bearings are adopted for the pinion rotating system and general cylindrical bearings are used for motor part. From the modal analysis, the system is found to be stable as the critical damping ratio which shows the damping characteristics of the system are positive over all operating ranges, and in addition, the synchronous rotating frequency does not come across with any whirl natural frequency. From these results the authors confirm the vibration stability of the rotor-bearing system suggested in this study.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.37-44
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• 2017

A DE-side LBP tilting pad journal bearing of a 1-stage overhung heat-pump compressor in a propylene process exhibited abnormal high-temperature behavior. Its temperature had been relatively high at $78^{\circ}C$ from the beginning of operation. In 2014, after three years of operation, it increased suddenly and reached $103^{\circ}C$. Installing a varnish removal equipment and others managed to stabilize the temperature at $95^{\circ}C$. We undertook a troubleshooting approach for reviewing the comprehensive status and integrity of the temperature design of the bearing. We performed lubrication and heat-balance analysis, based on the design engineering data and documents supplied by the OEM. For the base design data of DE-side TPJB, evaluating the effects of key design variables on bearing metal temperature showed that firstly, increasing the bearing clearance and supply oil flow-rate, and next, changing the oil type, and finally, increasing the machined pad clearance and offset, are more effective in reducing the bearing metal temperature. Furthermore, a clarification meeting with the OEM revealed that an incorrect decision had been made to decrease the bearing clearance to eliminate the SSV harshness issue, while not maintaining a sufficient oil flow-rate. We conducted a detailed retrofit design analysis, wherein we increased the oil flow-rate and bearing clearance by decreasing the preload. We predicted that the bearing temperature would decrease to $63^{\circ}C$ from $75.7^{\circ}C$ even at the rerate condition. Finally, after installing and operating a retrofit replacement bearing in 2015, the bearing temperature stabilized at a low temperature of $65^{\circ}C$. Currently (January. 2017), two year later, the bearing metal temperature remains at $65^{\circ}C$. Therefore, we can conclude that the abnormal high-temperature behavior of the bearing has been resolved completely.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.268-272
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• 2023

This study explores the characteristics of tilting pad journal bearings used in the high-speed rotating shaft systems of centrifugal compressors. A centrifugal compressor is a high-speed rotating machine that is widely used to compress gases or vapors employed in various industrial applications. It transfers the centrifugal force of a fast-spinning impeller to the fluid and compresses it under high pressure. Many high-speed rotating shaft systems, which require high stability, use tilting pad journal bearings. The characteristics of these bearings can vary depending on several properties, and identifying the appropriate characteristics is essential to optimize the design on a case-to-case basis. In this study, the authors perform a time-dependent analysis of the properties of tilting pad journal bearings and the rotordynamics of the rotating shaft system using COMSOL Multiphysics software. Specifically, the authors analyze the characteristics of the tilting pad journal bearings by performing a parametric sweep using parameters such as pad clearance, maximum tilting angle, preload, number of pads, and pad pivot offset. The authors then use the results of the bearing-characteristics analysis to evaluate the vibration of the rotating shaft and verify its operation within a desirable range. The understanding gained from this study will allow us to determine the optimal properties of these bearings and the limiting operational speed using COMSOL Multiphysics software.