Rotary screw machine with rotor thrust load balancing
AssigneeSullair Corporation
InventorOleif Olsaker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bearing assembly for the rotors of a rotary screw variable volume gas machine, as a compressor expander or fluid pump, includes opposed thrust and high radial load bearings at the high pressure end of each rotor and high thrust bearings for each rotor shaft at the low pressure end. An axial force is applied to each of the bearings at the low pressure end, opposing the axial load on the screws from the working fluid, tending to equalize the thrust load on the bearings at the high pressure end so that bearing wear is relatively even and bearing life is improved.
Claims18
A bearing assembly for the rotors of a rotary screw gas machine having a housing with a low pressure port at one end and a high pressure port at the other, main and gate rotors having shafts on which the rotors are mounted for rotation in the housing, the rotors having meshing spiral lobes and grooves which trap gas while moving it between the ports, the rotor being subject to a low radial load at the low pressure end, a high radial load at the high pressure end and to an axial load urging the rotors toward the low pressure end, said bearing assembly including:
- a pair of axially opposed thrust and high radial load bearings between each rotor shaft and the housing at the high pressure end;
- a high thrust bearing between each rotor shaft and the housing at the low pressure end;
- and
- means for applying an axial force to the rotors tending to equalize the thrust load on the opposed thrust bearings at the high pressure end.
A bearing assembly for the rotors of a rotary screw gas machine having a housing with a low pressure port at one end and a high pressure port at the other, main and gate rotors having shafts on which the rotors are mounted for rotation in the housing, the rotors having meshing spiral lobes and grooves which trap gas while moving it between the ports, the rotor being subject to a low radial load at the low pressure end, a high radial load at the high pressure end and to an axial load urging the rotors toward the low pressure end, said bearing assembly including:
- an axial locating bearing with high radial load capability and some thrust capability between each rotor shaft and the housing at the high pressure end;
- a high thrust bearing between each rotor shaft and the housing at the low pressure end;
- and
- means for applying an axial force to the rotors tending to equalize the thrust load on the opposed thrust bearings at the high pressure end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.