Design of thrust bearing for hydrogen liquefaction turbine

Abstract

With rapid development of hydrogen energy industry, liquid hydrogen, as a carrier with the highest energy storage density, is an effective way to ensure the large-scale application of hydrogen energy. Thrust bearing, which is the core component of hydrogen liquefaction turbine expander, has always been difficult to design. In this paper, the stress characteristics of the thrust bearing for hydrogen liquefaction are analyzed, and the analysis for designed prototype is performed. The numerical simulation results are compared with the design method. Results show the optimum clearance of thrust bearing and clearance of closed bearing has obvious influence on the peak value and position of stiffness caused by eccentricity. Numerical simulation results reflect the internal flow structures in bearing clearance, while the maximum stiffness is relatively conservative compared to analysis of radius ratio.