Asymmetric gas bearing bushing for thermo-pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12448963-B2
Application number	US-202418420359-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2024
Priority date	Apr 4, 2023
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A gas bearing is disclosed. The gas bearing may include a cylinder with an inner cylinder radius. The gas bearing may include a piston with a piston radius, wherein the inner cylinder radius is larger than the piston radius, wherein the piston is located within the cylinder. The gas bearing may include a gas bearing radius, wherein the gas bearing radius is greater than the piston radius and less than the inner cylinder radius. The gas bearing may include a gap that exists between the cylinder and the piston, wherein the gap contains a pressurized gas, the pressurized gas configured to prevent contact between the cylinder and the piston. The gas bearing may include a gas bearing interface, wherein the gas bearing interface is positioned to control a size of the gap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas bearing comprising:
a cylinder with an inner cylinder radius;
a piston with a piston radius, wherein the inner cylinder radius is larger than the piston radius, wherein the piston is located within the cylinder;
a gas bearing radius, wherein the gas bearing radius is greater than the piston radius and less than the inner cylinder radius;
wherein a gap exists between the cylinder and the piston, wherein the gap contains a pressurized gas, the pressurized gas configured to prevent contact between the cylinder and the piston; and
a preloaded gas bearing interface to form an asymmetric gap between the cylinder and the piston, wherein the preloaded gas bearing interface is positioned to control a size of the gap,
wherein the preloaded gas bearing interface is positioned at a predetermined location along a section of the piston where the gap is smallest.

2. The gas bearing of claim 1 , wherein the cylinder and the piston are made from a same material.

3. The gas bearing of claim 1 , wherein the cylinder and the piston are made from different materials, wherein the different materials have thermal expansion coefficients that are equivalent.

4. The gas bearing of claim 1 , wherein the cylinder and the piston are originally manufactured with the inner cylinder radius equal to the piston radius, wherein material is removed from the piston radius to make the inner cylinder radius larger than the piston radius.

5. The gas bearing of claim 1 , wherein the gas bearing is preloaded using gravity.

6. The gas bearing of claim 1 , wherein the gas bearing is preloaded with one or more springs.

7. The gas bearing of claim 1 , wherein the gas bearing is stable in response to temperature gradients.

8. The gas bearing of claim 1 , wherein a tolerance in at least one of the inner cylinder radius or the piston radius is at least 5 micrometers.

9. The gas bearing of claim 1 , wherein a difference between the inner cylinder radius and the piston radius is less than 0.1 millimeters.

10. A thermo-pump comprising:
a sealed casing, wherein the sealed casing is divided into a main casing volume and one or more secondary volumes;
a shaft, wherein the shaft is configured to be driven to cause the shaft to linearly oscillate within the sealed casing;
a displacer, wherein the displacer is coupled to the shaft and oscillates within the main casing volume based on oscillation of the shaft, wherein oscillation of the displacer creates a pressure gain between a high-pressure phase and a low-pressure phase;
one or more sealing rings, wherein the one or more sealing rings are coupled to the displacer and extend radially outward into the main casing volume, wherein the one or more sealing rings are made from a sealing ring material selected to have at least one of a sealing ring thermal conductivity coefficient or a sealing ring thermal expansion coefficient below a threshold;
an insert, wherein the insert is configured to form a perimeter of the main casing volume, wherein the insert is made from an insert material selected to have at least one of an insert thermal conductivity coefficient or an insert thermal expansion coefficient below the threshold, wherein the one or more sealing rings and the insert direct a gas through the displacer;
one or more bushings, wherein the one or more bushing separate the sealed casing into the main casing volume and the one or more secondary volumes; and
one or more gas bearings configured to prevent contact between the shaft and the sealed casing, wherein the one or more gas bearings are configured to operate based on the high-pressure phase and the low-pressure phase created by pressure oscillations caused by the oscillation of the displacer, wherein the one or more gas bearings comprises:
a cylinder with an inner cylinder radius;
wherein the inner cylinder radius is larger than a radius of the shaft;
a gas bearing radius, wherein the gas bearing radius is greater than the shaft radius and less than the inner cylinder radius;
wherein a gap exists between the cylinder and the shaft, wherein the gap contains a pressurized gas, the pressurized gas configured to prevent contact between the cylinder and the shaft; and
a preloaded gas bearing interface to form an asymmetric gap between the cylinder and the shaft, wherein the preloaded gas bearing interface is positioned to control a size of the gap,
wherein the preloaded gas bearing interface is positioned at a predetermined location along a section of the shaft where the gap is smallest.

11. The thermo-pump of claim 10 , wherein the cylinder and the shaft are made from a same material.

12. The thermo-pump of claim 10 , wherein the cylinder and the shaft are made from different materials, wherein the different materials have thermal expansion coefficients that are equivalent.

13. The thermo-pump of claim 10 , wherein the cylinder and the shaft are originally manufactured with the inner cylinder radius equal to the shaft radius, wherein material is removed from the shaft radius to make the inner cylinder radius larger than the shaft radius.

14. The thermo-pump of claim 10 , wherein the gas bearing is preloaded using gravity.

15. The thermo-pump of claim 10 , wherein the gas bearing is preloaded with one or more springs.

16. The thermo-pump of claim 10 , wherein the gas bearing is stable in response to temperature gradients.

17. The thermo-pump of claim 10 , wherein a tolerance in at least one of the inner cylinder radius or the shaft radius is at least 5 micrometers.

18. The thermo-pump of claim 10 , wherein a difference between the inner cylinder radius and the shaft radius is less than 0.1 millimeters.

19. A system, comprising:
a broadband plasma light source; and
a thermo-pump the thermo-pump configured to provide pressurized gas to the broadband plasma light source, comprising:
a sealed casing, wherein the sealed casing is divided into a main casing volume and one or more secondary volumes;
a shaft, wherein the shaft is configured to be driven to cause the shaft to linearly oscillate within the sealed casing;
a displacer, wherein the displacer is coupled to the shaft and oscillates within the main casing volume based on oscillation of the shaft, wherein oscillation of the displacer creates a pressure gain between a high-pressure phase and a low-pressure phase;
one or more sealing rings, wherein the one or more sealing rings are coupled to the displacer and extend radially outward into the main casing volume, wherein the one or more sealing rings are made from a sealing ring material selected to have at least one of a sealing ring thermal conductivity coefficient or a sealing ring thermal expansion coefficient below a threshold;
an insert, wherein the insert is configured to form a perimeter of the main casing volume, wherein the insert is made from an insert material selected to have at least one of an insert thermal conductivity coefficient or an insert thermal expansion coefficient below the threshold, wherein the one or more sealing rings and the insert direct a gas through the displacer;
one or more bushings, wherein the one or more bushing separate the sealed casing into the main casing volume and the one or more secondary volumes; and

one or more gas bearings configured to prevent contact between the shaft and the sealed casing, wherein the one or more gas bearings are configured to operate based on the high-pressure phase and the low-pressure phase created by pressure oscillations caused by the oscillation of the displacer, wherein

Assignees

• Kla Corp

Inventors

• Shchemelinin Anatoly

Classifications

• B23P15/10

  pistons · CPC title

• F02G1/0435

  the engine being of the free piston type · CPC title

• F04B39/126

  Cylinder liners · CPC title

• F16C29/025

  Hydrostatic or aerostatic (this type of bearing for rotary parts F16C32/06) · CPC title

• F16C32/0614 Primary

  the gas being supplied under pressure, e.g. aerostatic bearings · CPC title