Research on the seawater-lubricated sliding bearing of a novel buoyancy-regulating seawater pump considering the working depth
Yinshui Liu, Jiangkun Zou, Yipan Deng, Hong Ji
Abstract
Seawater hydraulic pump is a key component in buoyancy regulation systems. In this paper, a novel full-water-lubricated three-plunger seawater pump was designed in which the plunger suction and drainage are driven by the crankshaft. For this structure, the sliding bearing that supports the crankshaft is a very important factor affecting the pump characteristics. The pressure flow model and the thermal coupling system model of the left/right sliding bearings were established, and the deformation of the left/right sliding bearings in the deep sea environment was analysed by ANSYS Workbench. The change of the fit clearance has a great influence on the work of the hydraulic pump. Different fit clearances at different seawater depths under different radius gaps are obtained. The results show that the fit clearance of the left/right sliding bearings decreases as the depth of the seawater increases. As the depth of the seawater increases, the sliding bearing is gradually changed from the frictional lubrication of the liquid to the boundary friction lubrication. With the increases of the radius gap, the working water depth of the hydraulic pump first increases and then decreases, and the optimal radius clearance and the optimal working depth are obtained.