Methodology for Optimal Design of Active Fluid Film Bearings Considering Their Power Losses, Stability and Controllability: Theory and Experiment

Abstract

This study addresses the problem of the automated synthesis of active fluid film bearings optimized for their adjustable design for new generations of turbomachines. The developed methodology proposes a criterion describing the ability of a bearing’s mechanical design to effectively implement control actions along with its energy efficiency and stability properties considered in a solved multi-objective optimization problem. The design process of actively lubricated journal bearings was investigated in the context of the proposed approach. A multi-objective optimization problem was solved with heuristic algorithms. An analysis of the results obtained with the MOGA and MOPSO algorithm revealed their shortcomings emerging in such problems. The MOPSO algorithm was improved to expand the range and uniformity of the distribution of solutions in the resulting Pareto set and to speed up calculations. Four bearing configurations with significantly different properties were selected from the obtained set of solutions, manufactured and experimentally tested, showing the good agreement between the actual parameters and those set during the design procedure. The results substantiate the applicability of the proposed theoretical and computational tools for designing active fluid film bearings with pre-specified properties to meet the comprehensive requirements of the energy efficiency, reliability and service life of turbomachines.