• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.141-147
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• 2015

Gas foil thrust bearings (GFTBs) have attractive advantages over rolling element bearings and oil film thrust bearings, such as oil-free operation, high speed stability, and high-temperature operation. However, GFTBs have lower load carrying capacity than the other two types of bearings owing to the inherent low gas viscosity. The load carrying capacity of GFTBs depends mainly on the compliance of the foil structure and the formed hydrodynamic wedge, where the gas pressure field is generated between the top foil and the thrust runner. The load carrying capacity of the GFTBs is very important for the suitable design of oil-free turbomachinery with high performance. The aim of the present study is to identify the characteristics of the load carrying performance of GFTBs. A new test rig for the experimental measurements is designed to provide static loads up to 800 N using a pneumatic cylinder. The maximum operating speed of the driving motor is 30,000 rpm. A series of experimental tests—lift-off test, static load performance test, and maximum load capacity test—estimate the performance of a six-pad GFTB, in terms of the static load, driving torque, and temperature. The maximum load capacity is determined by increasing the static load until the driving torque rises suddenly with a sharp peak. The test results show that the torque and temperature increase linearly with the static load. The estimated maximum load capacity per unit area is approximately 80.5 kPa at a rotor speed of 25,000 rpm. The test results can be used as a design guideline for GFTBs for realizing oil-free turbomachinery.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.67-72
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• 2006

Blower as an air supply system is one of the most important BOP (Balance of Plant) system fur FCV(Fuel Cell Vehicle). For generating and blowing compressed air, the motor of air blower consumes maximum 25% of net power and fuel cell demands a clean air. Considering the efficiency of whole FCV, low friction lubrication of high speed rotor is needed. For the purpose of reducing electrical power and supplying clean air to Fuel cell, oil-free air foil bearings are applied at the each side of brushless motor (BLDC) as journal bearings which diameter is 50mm. The normal power of driving motor has 1.7kW with the 30,000rpm operating range and the flow rate of air has maximum 160 SCFM. The impeller of blower was adopted a mixed type of centrifugal and axial which has several advantages for variable operating condition. The performance of turbo-blower and parameters of air foil bearings was investigated analytically and experimentally. From this study, the performance of the blower was confirmed to be suitable far 80kw PEM FC.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.37-43
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• 2008

The durability test of turbo-blower for PEM fuel cell is very important process of BOP development. It is a major barrier to the commercialization of these systems for stationary and transportation power applications. Commercial viability depends on improving the durability of the air supply system to increase the reliability and to reduce the lifetime cost. In this study, turbo-blower supported by oil-free bearing is introduced as the air supply system used by 80kW proton exchange membrane fuel systems. The turbo-blower is a turbo machine which operates at high speed, so air foil bearings suit their purpose as bearing elements. The impeller of blower was adopted mixed type of centrifugal and axial. So, it has several advantages for variable operating condition. The turbo-blower test results show maximum parasitic power levels below 1.67kW with the 30,000 rpm rotating speed, the flow rate of air has maximum 163SCFM(@PR1.1). For proper application of FCV, these have to durability test. This paper describes the experiment for confirming endurance and stability of the turbo-blower for 500 hours.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.12-18
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• 2015

Recently, the development trend of turbomachinery is high capacity and high efficiency. Most of turbomachinery in the market are adopting ball bearings or air foil bearings. However, ball bearings have a limit for high speed product over $2.0{\times}10^6DN$(product of the inner diameter of the bearing in mm (D) and the maximum speed in rpm (N)). Air foil bearings have a limit for high axial load for high power products over 200~300 HP(horse power). Magnetic bearing is one of the solutions to overcome the limits of high speed and high axial load. Because magnetic bearings have no friction between the rotor and the bearings, they can reduce the load of the motor and make it possible to increase the rotating speed up to $5.0{\times}10^6DN$. Moreover, they can have high axial load capacity, because the axial load capacity of magnetic bearing depends on the capacity of the designed electromagnet. In this study, the radial and thrust magnetic bearings are designed to be applied to the 200 HP class turbo blower, and their performance was evaluated by the experiment. Based on the tests up to 26,400 rpm and 21,000 rpm under the no-load and load condition, respectively, it was verified that the magnetic bearings are stably support the rotor of the turbo blower.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 2019

The paper presents the rotordynamic performance measurements and model predictions of a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) air compressor supported on gas foil bearings (GFBs). The rotor has an impeller on one end and a thrust runner on the other end. The front (impeller side) and rear (thrust side) gas foil journal bearings (GFJBs) are located between the impeller and thrust runner to support the radial loads, and a pair of gas foil thrust bearings are located on both sides of the thrust runner to support the axial loads. The test GFJBs have a partial arc shim foil installed between the top foil and bump strip layers to enhance hydrodynamic pressure generation. During the rotordynamic performance tests, two sets of orthogonally installed eddy-current displacement sensors measure the rotor radial motions at the rotor impeller and thrust ends. A series of speed-up and coast-down tests to 100k rpm demonstrates the dominant synchronous (1X) rotor responses to imbalance masses without noticeable subsynchronous motions, which indicates a rotordynamically stable rotor-GFB system. Finite element analysis of the rotor determines the rotor free-free (bending) natural modes and frequencies well beyond the maximum rotating frequency. The predicted damped natural frequencies and damping ratios of the rotor-GFB system reveal rotordynamic stability over the speeds of interest. The imbalance response predictions show that the predicted critical speeds and rotor amplitudes strongly agree with the test measurements, thus validating the developed rotordynamic model.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.12a
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• pp.307-313
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• 2002

In the paper, the prototype development of a 75kW class microturbine for the distributed generation market is partly presented which has continued with the government funding. In the introduction, an overview of the development of microturbines in the world is presented. A series of development procedures are shown with design, manufacture and self-sustaining tests. During the first year, aerodynamic and structural design/analysis, mechanical design are performed for the compressor, the turbine and the combustor. A premixed lean burn combustor technology is used fur the low emission requirements. Foil air bearings and high-speed motors are employed for higher reliability. The self-sustaining conditions have been successfully achieved with the prototype manufactured engine as a preceding operation.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2007.04c
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• pp.16-18
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• 2007

The Super High-Speed Motor is a turbo machine which operates at high speed, so air foil bearings suit their purpose as bearing elements. The rotordynamic stability was predicted using the numerical analysis of air foil bearings. From this study, the stability of rotor of the Super High-Speed Motor was confirmed by campbell diagram and logarithmic decrement.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.441-446
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• 2001

In this paper the effect of bump compliance, load, and the number of pad on the lift-off speed is studied. When the load is greater and bump compliance lower, the shaft is lifted off at higher rotating speed. And when the load is applied near the center of pad, lift-off speed is lower. When the number of pad increases, the lift-off speed is higher. The lift-off characteristics can be used to lengthen the lift time of the coating and design the rotating machinery supported by bump bearings.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.12a
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• pp.291-300
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• 1999

Currently under development is an airborne auxiliary power unit with 100 Kw equivalent power, which is composed of a centrifugal compressor, a reverse annular combustor, and a radial turbine. Air-foil bearings are used in this power unit to eliminate the oil supplying system, which can reduce the system complexity and weight. The high speed generator is adopted as an electric power generation and engine starting system, which can also eliminate the reduction gear system. Not only electric power but also pneumatic power is provided by bleeding the compressed air This power unit is aimed for the multi-purpose use such as a primary power unit In the army weapon system, an auxiliary power and environmental control unit in a next-generation tank, and a smoke generating unit.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.354-359
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• 2001

A flexible rotor was smoothly passed through its bending critical speed, which is supported by AFB. Then, maximum magnitude of the rotor vibration at the middle point was 25${\mu}$m. The test rig was largely consisted of air turbine, multi-leaf type air foil bearing and flexible rotor and its bending critical speed was 32,600 rpm. And the balancing system and method for field balancing of the flexible rotor were developd successfully.