US 5,205,653 A · Bearing assembly and submersible propulsor unit incorporating the same

Abstract

A pivoted pad bearing assembly of the Kingsbury type provides for leveling of bearing pads arranged in a circular array utilizing hydrostatic pressure rather than mechanical links. The leveling device is in the form of a hydraulic bearing support module having a variable volume hydraulic chamber. Pipe segments connect each hydraulic chamber to form a closed circuit and the circuit is completely filled with hydraulic fluid. Thereby, equal force will be exerted upon each pad at all times so that all pads will operate at an equal thrust load. The bearing assembly has particularly useful application in an integral motor submersible propulsor as a large diameter thrust bearing housed within an outer shroud of the propulsor at both upstream and downstream ends of a rotor mounted about the periphery of a propeller of the propulsor. By placing the thrust bearing within the shroud, greater thrust bearing surface areas can be obtained to handle larger thrust. By using hydrostatic leveling, the noise associated with mechanical linkages is avoided, and the size and weight of the bearing assembly can advantageously be reduced.

Claims31

Dependent claims

In a submersible propulsor unit having a shroud defining a water inlet and water outlet, a propeller means having a hub rotatably mounted on a shaft and a circumferential extent rotatably mounted within the shroud, and an electric motor including a rotor mounted around the periphery of the propeller means and a stator mounted within said shroud spaced from but magnetically coupled to said rotor;

a bearing arrangement comprising:
a thrust bearing assembly including
1) an annular bearing housing fixedly secured within said shroud so as to be adjacent to and coextensive with said circumferential extent of said rotor;
2) a circular array of bearing pads pivotally mounted in said bearing housing, each pad having a bearing surface;
and
3) an annular thrust runner attached to and coextensive with the circumferential extent of said rotor, opposite the bearing surfaces of said bearing pads, for transmitting thrust produced by the propeller means to said bearing pads, for transmitting thrust produced by the propeller means to said bearing pads through a thin film of fluid formed between said thrust runner and said bearing surface, and
a radial bearing assembly having bearing surfaces disposed between the hub of said propeller means and said shaft.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Bearing assembly and submersible propulsor unit incorporating the same

Life of this patent

Bearing assembly and submersible propulsor unit incorporating the same

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims31