Integrated bearing systems for dynamically supporting shafts in pump systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12460647-B2
Application number	US-202217840406-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2022
Priority date	May 3, 2022
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A pump system to pressurize a fluid within a closed loop transport bus is disclosed herein. The example of the pump system disclosed herein includes a pump, including an impeller, to increase kinetic energy of a fluid flowing through the impeller; an electric motor, including a rotor shaft connected to the impeller, to provide torque to the rotor shaft; a first bearing to support the rotor shaft at a first operational speed range, the first bearing coupled to an inner race; a second bearing to support the rotor shaft at a second operational speed range, the rotor shaft coupled to an outer race; and one or more sprag elements configured to: engage the inner race with the outer race at the first operational speed range; and disengage the inner race from the outer race at the second operational speed range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pump system to pressurize a fluid within a closed loop transport bus, the pump system comprising:
an inner race;
an outer race;
a pump, including an impeller;
an electric motor, including a rotor shaft connected to the impeller;
a first bearing to support the rotor shaft at a first operational speed range, the first bearing coupled to the inner race;
a second bearing to support the rotor shaft at a second operational speed range, the rotor shaft coupled to the outer race, wherein the second bearing is a foil bearing; and
one or more sprag elements configured to:
engage the inner race with the outer race at the first operational speed range; and
disengage the inner race from the outer race at the second operational speed range.

2. The pump system of claim 1 , wherein the first bearing is a rolling element bearing including at least one of an angular contact ball bearing, a hybrid ceramic bearing, a taper roller bearing, a deep groove single ball bearing, a duplex ball bearing, or a spherical bearing.

3. The pump system of claim 2 , wherein the first bearing is to be lubricated by an oil lubricant, further including a separator to separate the oil lubricant from the fluid, a portion of the oil lubricant to be mixed with the fluid.

4. The pump system of claim 1 , wherein, in response to the rotor shaft rotating in a first direction about a rotor axis at the first operational speed range, the one or more sprag elements rotate in a second direction about a sprag rotation axis, the second direction different than the first direction.

5. The pump system of claim 1 , wherein, in response to the rotor shaft rotating in a first direction about a rotor axis at the second operational speed range, the one or more sprag elements rotate in a second direction about a sprag rotation axis, the second direction same as the first direction.

6. The pump system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more sprag elements are configured to rotate in the second direction in response to a centrifugal force acting on a portion of the one or more sprag elements, the centrifugal force generated in response to the pump system operating at the second operational speed range.

7. The pump system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sprag elements include at least one of a solid lubricant or an oil mist lubricant, the solid lubricant including a silver coating.

8. An integrated bearing system to dynamically support shafts in a pump system, the pump system to pressurize a fluid within a closed loop transport bus, the integrated bearing system comprising:
an inner race;
an outer race;
a shaft connected to an impeller of the pump system;
a first bearing to support the shaft at a first operational speed range, the first bearing coupled to the inner race;
a second bearing to support the shaft at a second operational speed range, the shaft coupled to the outer race, wherein the second bearing is a foil bearing; and
one or more sprag elements configured to:
engage the inner race with the outer race at the first operational speed range; and
disengage the inner race from the outer race at the second operational speed range.

9. The integrated bearing system of claim 8 , wherein the first bearing is a rolling element bearing including at least one of an angular contact ball bearing, a hybrid ceramic bearing, a taper roller bearing, a deep groove single ball bearing, a duplex ball bearing, or a spherical bearing.

10. The integrated bearing system of claim 8 , wherein the first bearing is to be lubricated by an oil lubricant, further including a separator to separate the oil lubricant from the fluid, a portion of the oil lubricant to be mixed with the fluid.

11. The integrated bearing system of claim 8 , wherein, in response to the shaft rotating in a first direction about a shaft axis at the first operational speed range, the one or more sprag elements rotate in a second direction about a sprag rotation axis, the second direction different than the first direction.

12. The integrated bearing system of claim 8 , wherein, in response to the shaft rotating in a first direction about a rotor axis at the second operational speed range, the one or more sprag elements rotate in a second direction about a sprag rotation axis, the second direction same as the first direction.

13. The integrated bearing system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more sprag elements are configured to rotate in the second direction in response to a centrifugal force acting on a portion of the one or more sprag elements, the centrifugal force generated in response to the pump system operating at the second operational speed range.

14. The pump system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more sprag elements include at least one of a solid lubricant or an oil mist lubricant, the solid lubricant including a silver coating.

15. A pump system to pressurize a fluid within a closed loop supercritical transport bus, the pump system comprising:
means for increasing kinetic energy of the fluid flowing through the pump system;
means for providing torque to a rotor shaft of the pump system;
means for first supporting the rotor shaft at a first operational speed range;
means for second supporting the rotor shaft at a second operational speed range;
means for engaging an inner race with an outer race at the first operational speed range; and
means for separating one or more liquids from the fluid, the one or more liquids including oil.

16. The pump system of claim 15 , wherein the means for engaging is to, in response to the rotor shaft rotating in a first direction about a rotor axis at the second operational speed range, disengage the inner race from the outer race based on a centrifugal force generated by the rotor shaft.

17. The pump system of claim 15 , wherein, in response to the rotor shaft rotating in a first direction about a rotor axis at the second operational speed range, the means for engaging is to rotate in a second direction about a sprag rotation axis, the second direction same as the first direction.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Yamarthi David Raju
• Ganiger Ravindra Shankar
• Wangler Adam Joseph
• Raju Mohan Kannaiah
• Tappu Prachi Anand
• Pattnaik Santosh Kumar
• Shah Shishir Paresh
• Miller Brandon W
• Niergarth Daniel A
• Hinderliter Kevin Edward

Classifications

• F16D41/07

  between two cylindrical surfaces · CPC title

• F04D13/022

  a coupling allowing slip, e.g. torque converter · CPC title

• F04D27/004

  by varying driving speed · CPC title

• F04D29/056

  Bearings · CPC title

• F04D13/0633

  Details of the bearings · CPC title