Hydrodynamic liquid metal bearing

Abstract

A hydrodynamic liquid metal bearing capable of use in a high temperature environment. The hydrodynamic bearing includes a rotating shaft with a raised portion extending into an annular groove formed within a stationary sleeve, the space formed between the two forming the liquid bearing surface. The raised portion in the shaft includes an axial passage and a radial passage to pump the liquid into a high pressure cavity formed in the annular groove. A low pressure cavity forms a recirculating passage with the high pressure cavity and the axial and radial passages such that the liquid metal recirculates with the rotation of the shaft. A collecting space formed between a labyrinth seal and a wind back seal collects any fluid that leaks into the space from the bearing. The leaked fluid is collected in a reservoir, and a pump delivers makeup liquid from the reservoir into the low pressure reservoir of the bearing. The bearing is a radial bearing, and in another embodiment is both a radial and a thrust bearing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.