Performance study of preloaded cryogenic bearings in liquid hydrogen pump

Abstract

As a clean and efficient energy, liquid hydrogen has become an important solution for the energy restructuring in the future. The centrifugal liquid hydrogen pump has been applied in the storage, transportation and distribution of liquid hydrogen. As the support of pump rotor, the performance of cryogenic bearings are essential to the dynamic characteristics and design optimization of liquid hydrogen pump. In this paper, an improved quasi-static model for cryogenic bearing in liquid hydrogen pump was introduced, in which the effects of high-speed centrifugal expansion and shrinkage under cryogenic condition on bearing rings were considered. Based on this model, the effects of rotating speed and axial preload on bearing dynamic characteristics were studied. At the same time, the friction within the cryogenic bearing was analysed and calculated. Finally, the load variation of bearing preload disc spring at cryogenic temperature was calculated and experimentally studied. The results of this paper will provide theoretical suggestions for further engineering design and applications of cryogenic bearings in liquid hydrogen pump.