Auxiliary turbomachinery shaft support system and turbomachinery comprising said system
An auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system including a first assembly configured to axially support the shaft, the first assembly including a rotating disc having a part shaped to be torsionally coupled to the shaft, and a stator including at least one pad including at least one elastic component coupled with the pads and urging it in the direction of a disc sliding surface.
1. An auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system comprising:
a first assembly configured to axially support the shaft and comprising a rotating disc and a stator, the rotating disc comprising a disc sliding surface and a part configured to be torsionally coupled to the shaft, and the stator comprising at least one pad comprising a pad body defining a pad contact surface configured to cooperate with a stator contact surface when they touch each other:
an elastic component coupled to the at least one pad to urge the at least one pad in the direction of the disc sliding surface, wherein
the pad body made of a material that is less wear resistant than the stator contact surface.
2. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 1 , wherein the pad contact surface and the stator contact surface are at least partially spherical.
3. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one pad further comprises a sliding surface faced toward the disc sliding surface.
4. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 3 , wherein the sliding surface is at partially made of PolyCrystalline Diamond in a matrix of cobalt.
5. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 3 , wherein the sliding surface is at least partially made of PolyCrystalline Diamond, Diamond Like Carbon, a self-lubricating Carbon-based material or combinations thereof.
6. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 1 , wherein the stator further comprises at least one housing having a removable closing configured to contain the at least one pad.
7. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 1 , wherein the elastic component comprises a stack of disc springs.
8. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 1 , further comprising a second assembly configured to at least radially support the shaft, the second assembly comprising a ball bearing.
9. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 1 , wherein the pad sliding surface has a circular, rectangular or sector-shape geometry.
10. A turbomachine comprising a rotor assembly shaft that is supported by at least the auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 1 .
11. The turbomachinery of claim 10 , wherein the shaft is supported by at least two radial magnetic bearings and one thrust magnetic bearing.
12. The turbomachinery of claim 10 , wherein the pad contact surface and the stator contact surface are self-aligning relative to each other.
13. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 1 , wherein the stator comprises at least two pads.
14. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 1 , wherein the pad contact surface and the stator contact surface are self-aligning relative to each other.
15. An auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system comprising:
a first assembly configured to axially support the shaft and comprising a rotating disc and a stator, the rotating disc comprising a disc sliding surface and a part configured to be torsionally coupled to the shaft, and the stator comprising at least one pad comprising a pad body defining a pad contact surface configured to cooperate with a stator contact surface when they touch each other:
an elastic component coupled to the at least one pad to urge the at least one pad in the direction of the disc sliding surface; and
an intermediate element interposed between the pad contact surface and the stator contact surface, the intermediate element being made of a material with a higher thermal conductivity than the pad body.
16. The auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 15 , wherein the intermediate element is made of copper, gold silver or combinations thereof.
17. A turbomachine comprising a rotor assembly shaft that is supported by at least the auxiliary turbomachinery shaft-support system of claim 15 .