The Role of the Working Fluid and Nonideal Thermodynamic Effects on Performance of Gas-Lubricated Bearings

Abstract Small-scale turbomachinery operating at high rotational speed is a key technology for increasing the power density of energy and propulsion systems. A notable example is the turbine of an organic Rankine cycle turbogenerator for thermal recuperation from prime engines and industrial processes. Such systems typically operate with organic compounds characterized by complex molecular structures to allow the design of efficient fluid machinery and flexibility in matching the heat source and sink temperature profiles. Gas-lubricated bearings are considered advantageous compared to traditional oil-lubricated rolling element bearings for supporting the turbine rotor, enabling greater machine compactness and reduced complexity, and avoiding contamination of the working fluid. In certain operating conditions, however, the lubricant of the gas bearing is in thermodynamic states near the saturated vapor line or in the vicinity of the fluid critical point, whereby nonideal effects are relevant and may affect bearing performance. This work investigates the physics of thin film flows in gas bearings operating with fluids made by complex molecules. The influence of nonideal thermodynamic effects on gas bearing performance is discussed by analysis of the fluid bulk modulus. Reduced values of the nondimensional bulk modulus near the critical point or saturated vapor line decrease bearing performance. The main parameter characterizing the influence of molecular complexity on bearing performance is shown to be the acentric factor. For complex fluids with large acentric factors, the impact of nonideal thermodynamic effects on nondimensional bearing load capacity and rotor-dynamic characteristics is less pronounced.