JP7557415B2 - Oil scraper, thrust bearing device and vertical rotating electric machine - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an oil scraper device, a thrust bearing device, and a vertical rotating electric machine.

There is known a thrust bearing device that supports the axial load of a vertical rotating electric machine (such as a vertical water turbine generator or a generator motor of a pumped-storage power generation facility). The thrust bearing device has a thrust collar that rotates with the rotating shaft of the vertical rotating electric machine, a bearing stand that is provided at a position facing the lower end of the thrust collar in the axial direction, and a number of thrust pads that are supported by the bearing stand and arranged in the circumferential direction. The thrust collar and thrust pads are placed in an oil tank that contains lubricating oil.

When the thrust collar rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft of the vertical rotating electric machine, a film of lubricating oil is formed between the thrust collar and the thrust pad, and this oil film supports the axial load of the vertical rotating electric machine. The temperature of the oil film can increase due to friction with the rotating thrust collar. The oil film is discharged from the thrust pad as the thrust collar rotates. The discharged oil film is supplied to the next thrust pad adjacent to the thrust pad in the circumferential direction. The oil film with the increased temperature is cooled by heat exchange with the cold lubricating oil present between the adjacent thrust pads in the circumferential direction, and is then supplied to the next thrust pad.

However, the oil film discharged from the thrust pad may be supplied to the next thrust pad without sufficient heat exchange with the cold lubricating oil. In this case, the oil film may gradually increase in temperature as it passes through multiple thrust pads, and may become hot. When the oil film becomes hot, the viscosity decreases and the oil film becomes thinner, which may reduce the load performance of the thrust bearing device. It may also cause deterioration of the lubricating oil and the materials that make up the sliding surfaces of the thrust bearing device.

As a countermeasure to this, a method is known in which an oil scraper is disposed between thrust pads adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. The oil scraper has a support column and an oil scraper plate supported on the support column via a pressure spring. The oil scraper plate is pressed against the sliding surface of the thrust collar by the pressure spring and is in contact with the sliding surface. With this type of oil scraper, the oil film discharged from the thrust pad is scraped downward in the oil tank before being supplied to the next thrust pad. This allows the oil film, whose temperature has risen, to be cooled by heat exchange with the cold lubricating oil present below in the oil tank.

However, in the above-mentioned oil scraper device, the oil scraper plate is pressed into contact with the sliding surface of the thrust collar in order to scrape off the oil film. This contact increases the friction torque of the thrust bearing device, which may reduce the operating efficiency of the vertical rotating electric machine.

Utility Model Publication No. 59-115122 Utility Model Publication No. 59-191415 Utility Model Publication No. 59-191416 Utility Model Publication No. 59-191417

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide an oil scraper device, a thrust bearing device, and a vertical rotating electric machine that can reduce the temperature rise of the oil film while suppressing a decrease in the operating efficiency of the vertical rotating electric machine.

The oil scraper according to the embodiment is an oil scraper provided between adjacent thrust pads in the circumferential direction of a thrust bearing device including a thrust collar that rotates with the rotating shaft of a vertical rotating electric machine, a bearing stand provided at a position facing the lower end of the thrust collar in the axial direction, and a plurality of thrust pads supported by the bearing stand and arranged in the circumferential direction. The oil scraper includes a support portion attached to the bearing stand, and an oil scraper plate supported by the support portion and arranged along the radial direction. The oil scraper plate has a main body portion, a raised portion that is raised from the main body portion toward the thrust collar, and a groove portion that is provided in a position upstream of the raised portion in the portion of the main body portion that faces the thrust collar and extends in the radial direction. A gap is provided between the raised portion and the thrust collar. The raised portion has a plurality of convex portions that protrude toward the thrust collar side, a plurality of convex portions arranged in the radial direction, and a plurality of concave portions provided between adjacent convex portions in the radial direction.

The thrust bearing device according to the embodiment also includes a thrust collar, a bearing stand, a plurality of thrust pads, and the oil scraper device described above.

The vertical rotating electric machine according to the embodiment also includes a rotating shaft and the above-mentioned thrust bearing device.

The present invention makes it possible to reduce the temperature rise of the oil film while suppressing the decrease in the operating efficiency of a vertical rotating electric machine.

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a thrust bearing device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top sectional view of the thrust pad and oil scraper of the thrust bearing assembly of FIG. 1 as viewed in the axial direction. FIG. 3 is a radial side view of the thrust pad and oil scraper of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the oil scraper device of FIG. FIG. 5 is a radial side view of the oil scraper device of FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the raised portion of the oil scraper device of FIG. 5 as viewed in the circumferential direction. FIG. 7 shows a modification of FIG. FIG. 8 shows another modified example of FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a thrust pad of a typical thrust bearing device. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the thrust pads and oil scraper of another conventional thrust bearing arrangement. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the effect of the first embodiment, and is a side view showing a state in which a vortex is generated on the upstream side of the protruding portion. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operation and effect of the first embodiment, and is a perspective view showing a state in which a vortex is generated on the downstream side of the raised portion. FIG. 13 is a side view of the oil scraper device according to the second embodiment. 14 is a perspective view of a raised portion of the oil scraper of FIG. 13. FIG. FIG. 15 is a side view of the oil scraper device according to the third embodiment. 16 is an enlarged perspective view of a raised portion of the oil scraper of FIG. 15. FIG. FIG. 17 is an enlarged front view of the raised portion of FIG. 16 as seen in the circumferential direction. FIG. 18 shows a modification of FIG. FIG. 19 shows another modified example of FIG. FIG. 20 is an enlarged front view of the raised portion of FIG. 19 as seen in the circumferential direction. FIG. 21 is a side view of the oil scraper device according to the fourth embodiment.

The oil scraper device, thrust bearing device, and vertical rotating electric machine according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, the scale and aspect ratios have been appropriately altered and exaggerated from those of the actual objects for ease of understanding.

(First embodiment)
First, a thrust bearing device according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

The thrust bearing device 10 is configured to support the axial load of the vertical rotating electric machine 1. Specific examples of the vertical rotating electric machine 1 include a vertical water turbine generator and a generator motor for a pumped-storage power generation facility. As shown in FIG. 1, the vertical rotating electric machine 1 has a rotating shaft 3. The rotating shaft 3 is configured to rotate in a rotation direction C about the rotation axis X by obtaining power from flowing water via a runner blade (not shown), for example.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the thrust bearing device 10 has a thrust collar 11, a bearing stand 14, a number of thrust pads 15, an oil tank 18, and an oil scraper device 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thrust collar 11 is attached to the rotating shaft 3. The thrust collar 11 is configured to rotate together with the rotating shaft 3 as the rotating shaft 3 rotates. The thrust collar 11 has an annular ring portion 11a attached to the rotating shaft 3, a cylindrical portion 11b extending downward from the annular portion 11a, and a thrust runner 12 provided below the cylindrical portion 11b. The annular portion 11a and the cylindrical portion 11b are integrally formed. The thrust runner 12 constitutes the lower end of the thrust collar 11. The thrust runner 12 has a runner sliding surface 12a that faces a pad sliding surface 15a of the thrust pad 15 described later. Note that the thrust collar 11 does not have to have a thrust runner 12. In this case, the lower end of the cylindrical portion 11b constitutes the lower end of the thrust collar 11, and the cylindrical portion 11b may have a sliding surface that faces the pad sliding surface 15a.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bearing stand 14 is provided in a position facing the lower end of the thrust collar 11, i.e., facing the thrust runner 12, in the axial direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 1) along the rotation axis X of the rotating shaft 3. The bearing stand 14 has an annular planar shape. The bearing stand 14 is configured to support a thrust pad 15 and an oil scraper device 20, which will be described later. The bearing stand 14 has a horizontal surface 14a. A plurality of springs 16, which will be described later, are attached to this horizontal surface 14a, and the thrust pad 15 is supported via the plurality of springs 16. In addition, a support portion 22 of the oil scraper device 20, which will be described later, is attached to this horizontal surface 14a, and the oil scraper device 20 is supported.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, a plurality of thrust pads 15 are supported by the bearing stand 14. In the illustrated example, each thrust pad 15 is supported by the bearing stand 14 via a plurality of springs 16 attached to the bearing stand 14. As shown in FIG. 2, each thrust pad 15 has a substantially fan-shaped planar shape and is arranged at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction along the rotation direction C. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, each thrust pad 15 has a pad sliding surface 15a that faces the runner sliding surface 12a of the thrust runner 12. The pad sliding surface 15a may be inclined with respect to the rotation direction C. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the pad sliding surface 15a may be inclined so that the gap between the pad sliding surface 15a and the runner sliding surface 12a becomes narrower as it moves from the front side (upstream side) to the rear side (downstream side) of the rotation direction C. In this case, a wedge-shaped gap is formed between the pad sliding surface 15a and the runner sliding surface 12a. In the illustrated example, an oil film F, described below, is formed in this wedge-shaped gap.

As shown in FIG. 1, the oil tank 18 is provided to cover the thrust collar 11, the bearing base 14, the thrust pads 15, and the oil scraper device 20 described later. The oil tank 18 contains lubricating oil L. The thrust runner 12, the bearing base 14, the thrust pads 15, and the oil scraper device 20 are immersed in the lubricating oil L in the oil tank 18. As a result, the lubricating oil L is supplied to the gap between the thrust runner 12 and the thrust pads 15, more specifically, between the pad sliding surface 15a and the runner sliding surface 12a, and an oil film F is formed. The oil tank 18 may be provided with an oil supply port (not shown) for supplying the lubricating oil L into the oil tank 18, and an oil discharge port (not shown) for discharging the lubricating oil L from the oil tank 18.

Next, the oil scraper device 20 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 8.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the oil scraper device 20 is provided between adjacent thrust pads 15 in the circumferential direction. As shown in Figure 2, the oil scraper device 20 may be disposed one by one between adjacent thrust pads 15 in the circumferential direction. The oil scraper device 20 is configured to scrape the oil film F discharged from one thrust pad 15 downward (towards the bearing stand 14) before the oil film F is supplied to the next thrust pad 15.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the oil scraper device 20 has a support part 22 attached to the bearing stand 14 and an oil scraper plate 30 supported by the support part 22.

4 and 5, the support portion 22 has an attachment portion 24 and a support column 26. The attachment portion 24 is configured to be attachable to the bearing base 14. The attachment portion 24 can be attached to the horizontal surface 14a of the bearing base 14 by, for example, brazing, welding, or bolting. The support column 26 is provided on the attachment portion 24 and extends upward (toward the thrust runner 12) from the attachment portion 24. The support column 26 may be attached to the attachment portion 24 by, for example, brazing, welding, or bolting. In the illustrated example, the support portion 22 has two attachment portions 24 and two support columns 26 corresponding to each attachment portion 24. A support groove 26a is provided at the end of the upper side (the thrust runner 12 side) of the support portion 22. An oil skimmer 30 is supported in this support groove 26a. The oil skimmer 30 may be attached to the support column 26 by, for example, brazing, welding, or bolting. The oil scraper 30 may also be attached to the support column 26 via a spring member, for example.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the oil skimmer plate 30 is formed in a thin plate shape. As shown in Figure 2, the oil skimmer plate 30 is arranged along the radial direction (the direction toward the rotation axis X when viewed in the axial direction). More specifically, the oil skimmer plate 30 has a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, and a thickness direction, and is arranged so that the longitudinal direction is along the radial direction, the lateral direction is along the axial direction, and the thickness direction is along the circumferential direction. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the oil skimmer plate 30 has a main body portion 32, an oil groove 34 (groove portion), and a raised portion 40.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the main body 32 is formed in a thin plate shape. The main body 32 may have a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front (when viewed in the circumferential direction). The main body 32 has a lower end 32a provided on the lower side (the side of the bearing base 14), an upper end 32b provided on the upper side (the side of the thrust runner 12), an outer part 32c provided on the radially outer side, and an inner part 32d provided on the radially inner side. The lower end 32a faces the horizontal surface 14a of the bearing base 14. The upper end 32b faces the runner sliding surface 12a of the thrust runner 12. An oil groove 34 is provided in this upper end 32b.

4 and 5, the oil groove 34 is provided at a position on the upper end 32b upstream of the raised portion 40 (to the right in FIG. 5). The oil groove 34 extends in the radial direction. The oil groove 34 may extend from the outer portion 32c to the inner portion 32d of the main body 32. By providing such an oil groove 34 at the upper end 32b, a protrusion 35 protruding upward (toward the thrust runner 12) is provided on the upstream side of the oil groove 34 of the main body 32. In other words, the oil groove 34 is provided between the protrusion 35 and the raised portion 40. The width dimension w (dimension in the circumferential direction) of the oil groove 34 shown in FIG. 5 may be, for example, 1 mm or more and 4 mm or less. The depth dimension d (dimension in the axial direction) of the oil groove 34 shown in FIG. 5 may be, for example, 1 mm or more and 4 mm or less.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the raised portion 40 is raised upward (towards the thrust runner 12) from the main body portion 32. In other words, the top 42 of the raised portion 40 is located above the upper end portion 32b of the main body portion 32 (towards the thrust runner 12). The raised portion 40 is provided at a position on the upper end portion 32b downstream of the oil groove 34 (on the left side in Figure 5). A gap G is provided between the raised portion 40 and the thrust runner 12, more specifically, between the top 42 of the raised portion 40 and the runner sliding surface 12a of the thrust runner 12. The dimension g of the gap G in the axial direction shown in Figure 5 may be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the raised portion 40 has a plurality of convex portions 44 and a plurality of concave portions 46. Each convex portion 44 and each concave portion 46 is provided at the end of the upper side (the thrust runner 12 side) of the raised portion 40. Each convex portion 44 protrudes upward (the thrust runner 12 side). Each convex portion 44 is arranged in the radial direction (the left-right direction in Fig. 6). Each concave portion 46 is provided between adjacent convex portions 44 in the radial direction. Each concave portion 46 is recessed toward the lower side (the bearing base 14 side). In the illustrated example, the raised portion 40 has five convex portions 44 and four concave portions 46 arranged between them. However, this is not limited to this, and the number of convex portions 44 and the number of concave portions 46 are arbitrary.

As shown in Figures 4 and 6, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each of the protrusions 44 and each of the recesses 46 may have a curved wave shape. That is, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each of the protrusions 44 may have an arc-shaped outer shape that curves toward the upper side (the thrust runner 12 side), and each of the recesses 46 may have an arc-shaped outer shape that curves toward the lower side (the bearing stand 14 side).

However, this is not limited to this, and the shape of each convex portion 44 and each concave portion 46 may be any shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each convex portion 44 and each concave portion 46 may have a triangular shape. That is, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each convex portion 44 may have a triangular shape that protrudes toward the upper side (the thrust runner 12 side), and each concave portion 46 may have a triangular shape that is recessed toward the lower side (the bearing base 14 side). Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each convex portion 44 and each concave portion 46 may have a rectangular shape. That is, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each convex portion 44 may have a rectangular shape that protrudes toward the upper side (the thrust runner 12 side), and each concave portion 46 may have a rectangular shape that is recessed toward the lower side (the bearing base 14 side).

Each of the convex portions 44 may have the same shape as the other. Also, each of the concave portions 46 may have the same shape as the other. The dimension h1 (dimension in the axial direction) between the top 45 (top 42 of the protrusion 40) of the convex portion 44 and the bottom 47 of the concave portion 46 shown in FIG. 6 may be, for example, 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less. The dimension p1 (dimension in the radial direction) between the tops 45 of the adjacent convex portions 44 shown in FIG. 6 may be, for example, 2.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less. The dimension q1 (dimension in the radial direction) between the bottoms 47 of the adjacent concave portions 46 shown in FIG. 6 may be equal to the dimension p1 between the tops 45 of the adjacent convex portions 44, and may be, for example, 2.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

In this embodiment, the main body 32 and the raised portion 40 are integrally formed. That is, the main body 32 and the raised portion 40 are integrally formed seamlessly from the same material as the oil skimmer 30 during manufacturing. The oil skimmer 30 may be made of, for example, a resin material or a metal material.

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be explained using Figures 9 to 12.

When the vertical rotating electric machine 1 is in operation, the rotating shaft 3 rotates in a rotation direction C about the rotation axis X by obtaining power from the flowing water via the runner blades. As the rotating shaft 3 rotates, the thrust collar 11 of the thrust bearing device 10 rotates together with the rotating shaft 3. At this time, lubricating oil L in the oil tank 18 is supplied between the thrust runner 12 and the thrust pad 15, and an oil film F is formed. This oil film F supports the axial load of the vertical rotating electric machine 1. As the thrust collar 11 rotates, the oil film F is discharged from the thrust pad 15. The discharged oil film F is supplied to the next thrust pad 15 adjacent to the thrust pad 15 in the circumferential direction.

Here, the effects of this embodiment will be described in comparison with general thrust bearing devices 100 and 200 shown in Figs. 9 and 10. Fig. 9 shows a general thrust bearing device 100 in which an oil scraper device 20 is not disposed between circumferentially adjacent thrust pads 15. The temperature of the oil film F formed between the thrust runner 12 and the thrust pad 15 increases due to friction with the thrust pad 15 of the rotating thrust collar 11. After being discharged from the thrust pad 15, the oil film F with increased temperature is cooled by heat exchange with the cold lubricating oil L present between the circumferentially adjacent thrust pads 15, and is then supplied to the next thrust pad 15.

However, the oil film F discharged from the thrust pad 15 may be supplied to the next thrust pad 15 without sufficient heat exchange with the cold lubricating oil L. In this case, the oil film F may gradually increase in temperature as it passes through multiple thrust pads 15, and may become hot. When the oil film F becomes hot, its viscosity decreases and the oil film F becomes thinner, which may reduce the load performance of the thrust bearing device 100. There may also be a risk of deterioration of the lubricating oil F and the materials that make up the sliding surfaces 12a, 15a.

Figure 10 shows another typical thrust bearing device 200 in which a typical oil scraper device 220 is disposed between thrust pads 15 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. This oil scraper device 220 has a support column 226 and an oil scraper plate 230 supported by the support column 226 via a pressure spring 228. The oil scraper plate 230 is pressed against the runner sliding surface 12a by the pressure spring 228 and is in contact with the runner sliding surface 12a. Therefore, the oil film F discharged from the thrust pad 15 is scraped down into the oil tank 18 by the oil scraper plate 230. As a result, the oil film F, whose temperature has risen, can be cooled by heat exchange with the cold lubricating oil L present below in the oil tank 18.

However, in the thrust bearing device 200 shown in FIG. 10, the oil scraper plate 230 is in contact with the runner sliding surface 12a, so contact friction may occur between the oil scraper plate 230 and the runner sliding surface 12a. This may increase the friction torque of the thrust bearing device 200, reducing the operating efficiency of the vertical rotating electric machine 1. In addition, chatter vibration may occur between the oil scraper plate 230 and the runner sliding surface 12a, hindering the continuous operation of the vertical rotating electric machine 1.

In contrast, according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, a gap G is provided between the raised portion 40 of the oil scraper plate 30 and the thrust runner 12. This prevents contact between the oil scraper device 20 and the runner sliding surface 12a. This makes it possible to prevent an increase in friction torque of the thrust bearing device 200, and suppresses a decrease in the operating efficiency of the vertical rotating electric machine 1. It also makes it possible to prevent chatter vibrations from occurring between the oil scraper plate 230 and the runner sliding surface 12a.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the oil skimmer plate 30 has an oil groove 34 provided at a position upstream of the raised portion 40 on the upper end portion 32b of the main body portion 32. The inventors have found that by providing the oil groove 34 upstream of the raised portion 40 in the oil skimmer device 20, as shown in FIG. 11, a vortex V1 rotating in the radial direction can be generated above the oil groove 34 or the protrusion 35. This generated vortex V1 can disturb the oil film F discharged from the thrust pad 15. This allows the oil film F to be efficiently heat exchanged with the cold lubricating oil L, and the oil film F can be effectively cooled. As a result, the temperature rise of the oil film F can be reduced.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the oil groove 34 can collect the oil film F scraped off by the raised portion 40. That is, by providing the oil groove 34 upstream of the raised portion 40, the oil film F scraped off by the raised portion 40 can be made to flow into the oil groove 34. Since the oil groove 34 extends in the radial direction, the oil film F that flows into the oil groove 34 can be guided radially inward by the velocity component of the oil film F toward the radially inward direction. The oil film F guided radially inward is cooled by heat exchange with the cold lubricating oil L present on the radially inner side. This makes it possible to suppress the oil film F with an increased temperature from being discharged from the thrust pad 15 and then being supplied to the next thrust pad 15. This makes it possible to reduce the temperature rise of the oil film F.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the raised portion 40 has a plurality of convex portions 44 arranged in the radial direction and a plurality of concave portions 46 provided between the convex portions 44 adjacent to each other in the radial direction. The inventors have found that by providing such a plurality of convex portions 44 and a plurality of concave portions 46 on the raised portion 40 in the oil scraper device 20, a vortex V2 rotating around the axial direction can be generated downstream of the convex portion 44 of the raised portion 40, as shown in FIG. 12. By combining the above-mentioned vortex V1 with this vortex V2, the oil film F can be further disturbed. Therefore, the oil film F can be efficiently heat exchanged with the cold lubricating oil L, and the oil film F can be effectively cooled. As a result, the temperature rise of the oil film F can be reduced.

In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the temperature rise of the oil film F while suppressing the decrease in the operating efficiency of the vertical rotating electric machine 1.

Second Embodiment
Next, an oil scraper according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.

The second embodiment shown in Figures 13 and 14 differs mainly in that the raised portion is configured to be detachable from the main body portion, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 12. Note that in Figures 13 and 14, the same parts as those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 12 are given the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions are omitted.

The raised portion 40 of the oil scraper device 20 according to this embodiment is configured to be detachable from the main body 32. In the example shown in FIG. 13, a mounting groove 50 is provided at a position downstream of the oil groove 34 (left side in FIG. 13) of the upper end portion 32b of the main body 32. The mounting groove 50 extends in the radial direction, similar to the oil groove 34. The mounting groove 50 may extend through the main body 32 from the outer portion 32c to the inner portion 32d, similar to the oil groove 34. By providing such a mounting groove 50 downstream of the oil groove 34, a protrusion 51 protruding upward (toward the thrust runner 12) is provided between the mounting groove 50 and the oil groove 34. In addition, a protrusion 52 protruding upward (toward the thrust runner 12) is provided downstream of the mounting groove 50. In other words, the oil groove 34 is provided between the protrusion 35 and the protrusion 51, and the mounting groove 50 is provided between the protrusion 51 and the protrusion 52.

14, the raised portion 40 of the oil scraping device 20 according to this embodiment is configured separately from the main body 32. That is, the raised portion 40 is configured as a separate part different from the main body 32. As shown in FIG. 14, the raised portion 40 has a plurality of convex portions 44 and a plurality of concave portions 46, as in the first embodiment described above. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the raised portion 40 has three convex portions 44 and two concave portions 46. However, this is not limited to this, and the number of convex portions 44 and the number of concave portions 46 are optional. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 14, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each of the convex portions 44 and each of the concave portions 46 has a curved wave shape. However, this is not limited to this, and the shape of each of the convex portions 44 and each of the concave portions 46 is optional. For example, as described in the first embodiment described above using FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each of the convex portions 44 and each of the concave portions 46 may have a triangular shape or a rectangular shape.

As shown in FIG. 13, such a raised portion 40 is attached to the mounting groove 50 of the main body portion 32. The raised portion 40 may be attached by fitting into the mounting groove 50. The raised portion 40 may also be attached to the mounting groove 50 by bolt fastening. The raised portion 40 may also be attached to the mounting groove 50 via a spring member.

The raised portion 40 may be made of the same material as the main body portion 32. The raised portion 40 may be made of, for example, a resin material or a metal material.

According to this embodiment, the raised portion 40 is configured to be detachable from the main body portion 32. This allows the main body portion 32 and the raised portion 40 to be manufactured as separate parts, and the oil scraper device 20 to be manufactured by assembling them. This makes it easier to manufacture the oil scraper device 20. In addition, since the raised portion 40 is exposed to the high-temperature oil film F, it is expected that it will deteriorate with use. Therefore, by making the raised portion 40 detachable from the main body portion 32, only the raised portion 40 can be replaced during maintenance. This makes it unnecessary to replace the entire oil scraper device 20 during maintenance, and reduces maintenance costs.

Third Embodiment
Next, an oil scraper according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the third embodiment shown in Figures 15 to 20, the raised portion includes a first raised portion and a second raised portion, each having multiple convex portions and multiple concave portions, and the second raised portion is disposed downstream of the first raised portion. The other configuration is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 12. Note that in Figures 15 to 20, the same parts as those in the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description is omitted.

As shown in Figures 15 to 17, the raised portion 40 of the oil scraper device 20 according to this embodiment includes a first raised portion 40a and a second raised portion 40b. The first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40b each rise upward (toward the thrust runner 12) from the main body portion 32. That is, the top 42a of the first raised portion 40a and the top 42b of the second raised portion 40b are each located above the upper end portion 32b of the main body portion 32 (toward the thrust runner 12). The top 42a of the first raised portion 40a and the top 42b of the second raised portion 40b may be located at the same position in the axial direction (up and down direction in Figure 15). The second raised portion 40b is located downstream (left side in Figure 15) of the first raised portion 40a. That is, the second raised portion 40b is provided at a position on the upper end portion 32b downstream of the first raised portion 40a. A raised portion groove 41 is provided between the first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40b. A gap Ga is provided between the top portion 42a of the first raised portion 40a and the runner sliding surface 12a, and a gap Gb is provided between the top portion 42b of the second raised portion 40b and the runner sliding surface 12a. The dimension of the gap Ga in the axial direction and the dimension of the gap Gb in the axial direction may be equal.

As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, the first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40b each have a plurality of convex portions 44a, 44b and a plurality of concave portions 46a, 46b. In the illustrated example, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each of the convex portions 44a, 44b and each of the concave portions 46a, 46b has a curved wave shape. However, this is not limited to this, and each of the convex portions 44a, 44b and each of the concave portions 46a, 46b may have any shape. For example, as described in the first embodiment using FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each of the convex portions 44a, 44b and each of the concave portions 46a, 46b may have a triangular shape or a rectangular shape.

The convex portions 44a, 44b may have the same shape as each other. The concave portions 46a, 46b may have the same shape as each other. The dimension h2 (dimension in the axial direction) between the top 45a (top 42a of the first protrusion 40a) of the convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a shown in FIG. 17 and the bottom 47a of the concave portion 46a may be, for example, 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less. The dimension p2 (dimension in the radial direction) between the tops 45a of the adjacent convex portions 44a of the first protrusion 40a shown in FIG. 17 may be, for example, 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less. The dimension q2 (dimension in the radial direction) between the bottoms 47a of the adjacent concave portions 46a of the first protrusion 40a shown in FIG. 17 may be equal to the dimension p2 between the tops 45a of the adjacent convex portions 44a shown in FIG. 17, and may be, for example, 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less. Additionally, the second ridge 40b may have the same dimensions as the first ridge 40a.

16 and 17, when viewed in the circumferential direction, the convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a and the concave portion 46a of the second protrusion 40b may at least partially overlap, and the concave portion 46a of the first protrusion 40a and the convex portion 44b of the second protrusion 40b may at least partially overlap. In the illustrated example, the top 45a of the convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a and the bottom 47b of the concave portion 46b of the second protrusion 40b are located at the same position in the radial direction, and the bottom 47a of the concave portion 46a of the first protrusion 40a and the top 45b of the convex portion 44b of the second protrusion 40b are located at the same position in the radial direction. However, this is not limited to this, and the top 45a of the convex portion 44a of the first raised portion 40a and the bottom 47b of the concave portion 46b of the second raised portion 40b may be located at different positions in the radial direction, and the bottom 47a of the concave portion 46a of the first raised portion 40a and the top 45b of the convex portion 44b of the second raised portion 40b may be located at different positions in the radial direction.

According to this embodiment, the raised portion 40 includes a first raised portion 40a and a second raised portion 40b each having a plurality of convex portions 44a, 44b and a plurality of concave portions 46a, 46b, and the second raised portion 40b is disposed downstream of the first raised portion 40a. By providing a plurality of raised portions 40a, 40b in this manner, more vortices V2 can be generated downstream of the convex portions 44a, 44b of the raised portions 40a, 40b, and the flow of the oil film F can be made more complex. Therefore, the oil film F can be more efficiently heat exchanged with the cold lubricating oil L, and the oil film F can be more effectively cooled. As a result, the temperature rise of the oil film F can be further reduced.

In particular, according to this embodiment, when viewed in the circumferential direction, the convex portion 44a of the first raised portion 40a and the concave portion 46a of the second raised portion 40b at least partially overlap, and the concave portion 46a of the first raised portion 40a and the convex portion 44b of the second raised portion 40b at least partially overlap. The inventors have found that when the first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40b are arranged in this manner, more vortices V2 can be generated and the flow of the oil film F can be made even more complicated. Therefore, in such a case, the oil film F can be more efficiently heat exchanged with the cold lubricating oil L, and the oil film F can be more effectively cooled. As a result, the temperature rise of the oil film F can be further reduced.

Also, as shown in FIG. 18, when viewed in the circumferential direction, the convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a and the concave portion 46a of the second protrusion 40b do not overlap, and the concave portion 46a of the first protrusion 40a and the convex portion 44b of the second protrusion 40b do not overlap. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the top 45a of the convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a and the top 45b of the convex portion 44b of the second protrusion 40b are located at the same position in the radial direction, and the bottom 47a of the concave portion 46a of the first protrusion 40a and the bottom 47b of the concave portion 46b of the second protrusion 40b are located at the same position in the radial direction.

Even in such a case, by providing multiple raised portions 40a, 40b, more vortices V2 can be generated downstream of the convex portions 44a, 44b of the raised portions 40a, 40b, and the oil film F discharged from the thrust pad 15 can be disturbed. This allows the oil film F to be efficiently heat exchanged with the cold lubricating oil L, and the oil film F can be effectively cooled. As a result, the temperature rise of the oil film F can be reduced.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 19 and 20, when viewed in the circumferential direction, the convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a and the convex portion 44b of the second protrusion 40b may at least partially overlap, and the concave portion 46a of the first protrusion 40a and the concave portion 46a of the second protrusion 40b may not overlap. In the example shown in Figures 19 and 20, when viewed in the circumferential direction, each of the convex portions 44a, 44b and each of the concave portions 46a, 46b has a rectangular shape. Also, when viewed in the circumferential direction, the convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a and the concave portion 46a of the second protrusion 40b partially overlap, and the concave portion 46a of the first protrusion 40a and the convex portion 44b of the second protrusion 40b partially overlap. In the example shown in Figures 19 and 20, the radial center point of the convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a and the radial center point of the concave portion 46b of the second protrusion 40b are located at the same position in the radial direction, and the radial center point of the concave portion 46a of the first protrusion 40a and the radial center point of the convex portion 44b of the second protrusion 40b are located at the same position in the radial direction. The convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a and the convex portion 44b of the second protrusion 40b partially overlap, and the concave portion 46a of the first protrusion 40a and the concave portion 46a of the second protrusion 40b do not overlap.

The dimension h3 (dimension in the axial direction) between the top 45a of the convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a and the bottom 47a of the concave portion 46a shown in Fig. 20 may be equal to the dimension h4 (dimension in the axial direction) between the top 45b of the convex portion 44b of the second protrusion 40b and the bottom 47b of the concave portion 46b shown in Fig. 20, and may be, for example, 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less. The width dimension p3 (dimension in the radial direction) of the convex portion 44a of the first protrusion 40a shown in Fig. 20 may be larger than the width dimension q4 (dimension in the radial direction) of the concave portion 46b of the second protrusion 40b shown in Fig. 20, and may be, for example, 3.5 mm or more and 14 mm or less. The width dimension q3 (diameter dimension) of the recess 46a of the first protrusion 40a shown in FIG. 20 may be smaller than the width dimension p4 (diameter dimension) of the protrusion 44b of the second protrusion 40b shown in FIG. 20, and may be, for example, 1.5 mm or more and 6 mm or less. The width dimension p4 (diameter dimension) of the protrusion 44b of the second protrusion 40b shown in FIG. 20 may be larger than the width dimension q3 (diameter dimension) of the recess 46a of the first protrusion 40a shown in FIG. 20, and may be, for example, 2.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less. The width dimension q4 (diameter dimension) of the recess 46b of the second protrusion 40b shown in FIG. 20 may be smaller than the width dimension p3 (diameter dimension) of the protrusion 44a of the first protrusion 40a shown in FIG. 20, and may be, for example, 2.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

19 and 20, when viewed in the circumferential direction, the convex portion 44a of the first raised portion 40a and the convex portion 44b of the second raised portion 40b at least partially overlap, and the concave portion 46a of the first raised portion 40a and the concave portion 46a of the second raised portion 40b do not overlap. The inventors have found that when the first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40b are arranged in this manner, more vortices V2 can be generated and the flow of the oil film F can be made even more complicated. Therefore, in such a case, the oil film F can be more efficiently heat exchanged with the cold lubricating oil L, and the oil film F can be more effectively cooled. As a result, the temperature rise of the oil film F can be further reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the raised portion 40 includes two raised portions 40a, 40b, the first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40b. However, this is not limited to this, and the raised portion 40 may include three or more raised portions. In other words, an additional raised portion may be disposed downstream of the second raised portion 40b.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, an oil scraper device according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The fourth embodiment shown in Figure 21 differs mainly in that the raised portion is configured to be detachable from the main body portion, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the third embodiment shown in Figures 15 to 20. Note that in Figure 21, the same parts as those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 15 to 20 are given the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions are omitted.

The raised portion 40 of the oil scraping device 20 according to this embodiment is configured to be detachable from the main body portion 32. In particular, in this embodiment, the first raised portion 40a is configured to be detachable from the main body portion 32, and the second raised portion 40b is configured to be detachable from the main body portion 32.

In the example shown in FIG. 21, the first mounting groove 50a and the second mounting groove 50b are provided at a position downstream of the oil groove 34 (left side in FIG. 21) of the upper end portion 32b of the main body portion 32. The second mounting groove 50b is provided downstream of the first mounting groove 50a. The first mounting groove 50a and the second mounting groove 50b extend radially, similar to the oil groove 34. The first mounting groove 50a and the second mounting groove 50b may extend from the outer portion 32c of the main body portion 32 to the inner portion 32d, similar to the oil groove 34. By providing such a first mounting groove 50a and a second mounting groove 50b downstream of the oil groove 34, a protrusion 53 protruding upward (toward the thrust runner 12) is provided between the first mounting groove 50a and the oil groove 34. In addition, a protrusion 54 protruding upward (toward the thrust runner 12) is provided between the first mounting groove 50a and the second mounting groove 50b. In addition, a protrusion 55 protruding upward (toward the thrust runner 12) is provided downstream of the second mounting groove 50b. In other words, the oil groove 34 is provided between the protrusion 35 and the protrusion 53, the first mounting groove 50a is provided between the protrusion 53 and the protrusion 54, and the second mounting groove 50b is provided between the protrusion 54 and the protrusion 54.

In this embodiment, the first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40b are each configured separately from the main body portion 32. That is, the first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40b are each configured as separate parts that are different from the main body portion 32. Apart from that, the first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40b may have the same configuration as the third embodiment described above.

As shown in FIG. 21, the first protuberance 40a is attached to the first mounting groove 50a, and the second protuberance 40b is attached to the second mounting groove 50b. The first protuberance 40a and the second protuberance 40b may be attached by fitting into the first mounting groove 50a and the second mounting groove 50b, respectively. The first protuberance 40a and the second protuberance 40b may be attached to the first mounting groove 50a and the second mounting groove 50b, respectively, by bolt fastening. The first protuberance 40a and the second protuberance 40b may be attached to the first mounting groove 50a and the second mounting groove 50b, respectively, via a spring member.

The first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40 may be made of the same material. The first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40 may be made of the same material as the main body portion 32. The first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40 may be made of, for example, a resin material or a metal material.

According to this embodiment, the raised portion 40 is configured to be detachable from the main body portion 32. This allows the main body portion 32 and the raised portion 40 (the first raised portion 40a and the second raised portion 40b) to be manufactured as separate parts, and the oil scraper device 20 to be manufactured by assembling them. This makes it easier to manufacture the oil scraper device 20. In addition, since the raised portion 40 is exposed to the high-temperature oil film F, it is expected that it will deteriorate with use. Therefore, by making the raised portion 40 detachable from the main body portion 32, only the raised portion 40 can be replaced during maintenance. This makes it unnecessary to replace the entire oil scraper device 20 during maintenance, and reduces maintenance costs.

In the above-described embodiment, the raised portion 40 includes two raised portions 40a, 40b, a first raised portion 40a and a second raised portion 40b, and the two raised portions 40a, 40b are each configured to be detachable from the main body portion 32. However, this is not limited to the above, and either of the two raised portions 40a, 40b may be configured to be detachable from the main body portion 32. Furthermore, the raised portion 40 may include three or more raised portions, and any number of these raised portions may be configured to be detachable from the main body portion 32.

According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to reduce the temperature rise of the oil film while suppressing the decrease in the operating efficiency of the vertical rotating electric machine.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

1: Vertical rotating electric machine, 3: Rotating shaft, 10: Thrust bearing device, 11: Thrust collar, 12: Thrust runner, 14: Bearing stand, 15: Thrust pad, 20: Oil skimmer, 22: Support, 30: Oil skimmer plate, 32: Main body, 34: Oil groove, 40: Raised portion, 40a: First raised portion, 40b: Second raised portion, 44, 44a, 44b: Convex portion, 46, 46a, 46b: Concave portion, G, Ga, Gb: Gap

Claims (7)

An oil scraper device is provided between adjacent thrust pads in a circumferential direction of a thrust bearing device including a thrust collar that rotates together with a rotating shaft of a vertical rotating electric machine, a bearing stand provided at a position facing a lower end of the thrust collar in the axial direction, and a plurality of thrust pads supported by the bearing stand and arranged in a circumferential direction, the oil scraper device comprising:
A support portion attached to the bearing stand;
An oil scraper plate supported by the support portion and provided along a radial direction,
the oil skimmer plate has a main body, a raised portion raised from the main body toward the thrust collar, and a groove portion provided in a portion of the main body facing the thrust collar at a position upstream of the raised portion, the groove portion extending in the radial direction,
A gap is provided between the raised portion and the thrust collar,
The raised portion is a plurality of convex portions protruding toward the thrust collar side, the plurality of convex portions being arranged in the radial direction, and a plurality of concave portions being provided between adjacent convex portions in the radial direction. The oil scraper device according to claim 1, wherein the raised portion includes a first raised portion and a second raised portion each having a plurality of the convex portions and a plurality of the concave portions, and the second raised portion is disposed downstream of the first raised portion. The oil scraper device according to claim 2, wherein, when viewed in the circumferential direction, the convex portion of the first raised portion and the concave portion of the second raised portion at least partially overlap, and the concave portion of the first raised portion and the convex portion of the second raised portion at least partially overlap. The oil scraper device according to claim 3, wherein, when viewed in the circumferential direction, the convex portion of the first raised portion and the convex portion of the second raised portion at least partially overlap, and the concave portion of the first raised portion and the concave portion of the second raised portion do not overlap. The oil scraper device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the raised portion is configured to be detachable from the main body portion. The thrust collar;
The bearing stand;
A plurality of said thrust pads;
A thrust bearing device comprising an oil scraper device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The rotation shaft;
A vertical rotating electric machine comprising: the thrust bearing device according to claim 6.

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