Analysis of Thermoelastic Hydrodynamic Lubrication Performance of Thrust Bearings for Large Hydrogenerators

The thermo elastic hydrodynamic (TEHD) lubrication performance of the thrust bearings with Babbitt layer and/or teflon layer of large hydrogenerators was investigated by means of finite element analysis. The physical model established takes into account the lubricating oil film, thrust bearing, runner and thrust head. The thermo elastic deformation (TED) of the thrust bearing and runner was analyzed based on ADINA(T) program. It has been found that the calculated results of the thrust bearings conform well to the measured ones.