Abstract
A multi-stage compressor (MSC) is comprised of several impellers installed in the pinion gear shaft driven by a main bull gear. In the pinion shaft, a thrust collar (TC) is installed to support the thrust load. The TC makes the lubrication system simpler in the MSC; therefore, it is widely used in similar kinds of machinery. Typically, TCs are installed on both sides of the bull gear and pressure is developed in the lubricated area by creating a taper angle on the TC and bull gear surface. In the current study, we developed a numerical analysis model to evaluate the performance of the TC considering its design parameters. We sloved the Reynolds equation using the finite element method and applied the half Sommerfeld condition to consider cavitation. Based on the pressure calculated in the lubricated area, we calculated the power loss and minimum film thickness. In addition, we calculated stiffness and damping using perturbation method. We performed parametric studies using the developed model. The results of the analysis show that the maximum pressure presents in the center area of the TC and it increases with the taper angle. The area over which pressure is developed decreases with the taper angle. The results also show that there is an optimum taper angle providing minimum power loss and maximum film thickness. Additionally, the stiffness and damping decrease with the taper angle. As the applied load increases, the power loss increases and the minimum film thickness decreases. However, the stiffness and damping increase with the applied load.
