Turbocharger with oil-free hydrostatic bearing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10054005-B1
Application number	US-201514607846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 28, 2015
Priority date	Sep 24, 2013
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A turbocharger for an internal combustion engine, the turbocharger being supported by hydrostatic bearings in both a radial and an axial direction by a compressed air supplied from a compressor of the turbocharger and boosted in pressure by a separate boost pump to a high enough pressure to support the rotor of the turbocharger. The turbocharger hydrostatic bearings are damped using wire mesh or dispersed friction dampers.

First claim

We claim:

1. A turbocharger for an internal combustion engine comprising:
a compressor to compress air for burning in the internal combustion engine;
a turbine to drive the compressor using hot gas exhaust from the internal combustion engine;
a rotor connected between the compressor and the turbine of the turbocharger;
first and second hydrostatic bearings to rotatably support the rotor in a radial direction;
a vibration damper positioned between a bearing housing and the hydrostatic journal bearing;
a boost pump having an inlet connected to the compressor and an outlet connected to the first and second hydrostatic bearings to support the rotor; and,
the boost pump increasing a pressure of the compressed air from the compressor to a higher pressure capable of supporting the rotor.

2. The turbocharger of claim 1 , and further comprising:
the rotor includes a hydrostatic axial thrust bearing supplied with compressed air from the boost pump.

3. The turbocharger of claim 1 , and further comprising:
the boost pump is driven by a power takeoff from the internal combustion engine.

4. The turbocharger of claim 1 , and further comprising:
the boost pump is driven by an electric motor.

5. The turbocharger of claim 1 , and further comprising:
the boost pump is an extra compression cylinder within the internal combustion engine.

6. The turbocharger of claim 1 , and further comprising:
the vibration damper is a wire mesh damper.

7. The turbocharger of claim 1 , and further comprising:
the vibration damper comprises a plurality of elements that are enclosed within a cavity formed between the journal bearing and the bearing housing.

8. The turbocharger of claim 7 , and further comprising:
the plurality of elements are ceramic balls.

9. The turbocharger of claim 7 , and further comprising:
the plurality of elements are metallic balls.

10. The turbocharger of claim 6 , and further comprising:
the wire mesh damper is a doughnut shaped damper.

11. The turbocharger of claim 6 , and further comprising:
the dampers are multiple segmented dampers arranged circumferentially around the bearing journal.

12. The turbocharger of claim 6 , and further comprising:
the wire mesh damper is cooled using cooling air that is also used to cool the hydrostatic bearing.

13. The turbocharger of claim 1 , and further comprising:
the compressed air used for the hydrostatic bearing is also used to cool a hub side of the turbine rotor.

Assignees

• Pinera Alex
• Miller Timothy J
• Florida Turbine Tech Inc

Inventors

• Pinera Alex
• Miller Timothy J

Classifications

• F01D25/22 Primary

  using working-fluid or other gaseous fluid as lubricant · CPC title

• F02B37/04

  Engines with exhaust drive and other drive of pumps, e.g. with exhaust-driven pump and mechanically-driven second pump · CPC title

• F05D2240/53

  Hydrodynamic or hydrostatic bearings · CPC title

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title

• F02B39/10 Primary

  electric · CPC title