Thrust monitoring and balancing apparatus
AssigneeAtlas Copco Aktiebolag
InventorHans Pennink, deceased
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for automatically monitoring and adjusting the axial thrust acting upon the rotor assembly of a rotating machine having an adjustable balancing mechanism for balancing the axial load acting thereon. A pair of surfaces on the rotor structure and a pair of flow circuits are arranged to direct a pressurized fluid against each surface. The back pressure is each circuit is monitored to determine when the axial forces are unbalanced and the data applied to a control mechanism for automatically balancing the axial forces acting on the rotor structure.
Claims14
Control apparatus for use in a rotating machine of the type having a balancing chamber containing a pressurized fluid that acts against a rotor assembly and an adjustable control valve for increasing or decreasing the pressure in said chamber, said apparatus including
- a first delivery line having a discharge nozzle for directing a first fluid stream axially against one surface on the rotor assembly,
- a second delivery line having a discharge nozzle for directing a second fluid stream axially in a direction opposite said first stream against another surface of said rotor assembly,
- sensing means for detecting the difference in pressure in the first and second delivery lines behind each nozzle
- adjusting means that is responsive to said sensing means for positioning the adjustable control valve to automatically maintain said difference in pressure at a given value at which the axial forces acting on the rotor assembly are balanced.
A method of automatically adjusting the control valve of a balancing chamber to increase or decrease the chamber pressure acting on a rotor assembly of a rotating machine that includes the steps of
- directing a stream of fluid from the nozzle of a delivery line axially against a surface on the rotor assembly so that the back pressure in said delivery line behind the nozzle varies with respect to the distance the nozzle is positioned from said surface,
- measuring the back pressure in the discharge line, and
- adjusting the control valve setting to maintain the back pressure at a predetermined level at which the axial forces on the rotor are balanced.
Control apparatus for use in a rotating machine of the type having a balancing chamber containing a pressurized fluid that acts against a rotor assembly and an adjustable control valve for increasing or decreasing the pressure in said chamber, said control apparatus including
- a delivery line having a discharge nozzle for directing a fluid stream axially against a surface on the rotor assembly so that the back pressure in the delivery line will varies as the distance between the nozzle and the surface varies,
- sensing means for measuring the back pressure in the delivery line behind the nozzle,
- adjusting means for opening and closing the control valve in response to the sensed back pressure to maintain the sensed back pressure at a level at which the rotor assembly is balanced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.