Bently Nevada Corporation

Donald E Bently

John W Grant

A fluid flow control system for a bearing supporting rotating equipment, method and apparatus is disclosed in which a rotating shaft is suspended in a fluid. Shaft precession is monitored to provide a compensatory feed back loop to maintain proper shaft registry in the face of loads.

Fluid flow and control system for a hydrostatic bearing supporting

A method and apparatus is provided for diagnosing and correcting rotating stall and surge in rotating machines by monitoring dynamic shaft precession and comparing this precession with a standard and altering the precession as the machine approaches a destabilizing condition when indicated by the comparison step. Axial vibration monitoring means is also provided for monitoring and comparing a dynamic axial vibration of the machine with a standard and altering the axial vibration as the machine approaches a destabilizing condition. Furthermore, the instant invention measures the complex dynamic stiffness of the machine and computes the direct dynamic stiffness and the quadrature dynamic stiffness for use as a destabilizing warning device by monitoring for a drop in direct dynamic stiffness and/or a coincidence of zero crossing of both the direct dynamic stiffness and the quadrature dynamic stiffness components. One embodiment for altering the rotating stall and/or surge is by a controlled active servobearing.

Method and apparatus for diagnosing and controlling rotating stall and

A bearing for supporting rotating equipment, a fluid handling system associated therewith, a control system therefore, method and apparatus is disclosed in which a rotating shaft is suspended in a fluid. Shaft precession is monitored to provide a compensatory feed back loop to maintain proper shaft registry in the face of loads.

Hydrostatic bearing for supporting rotating equipment, a fluid handling

Alignment apparatus and method for aligning a pair of machines having first and second rotating shafts in a machine train with at least one flexible coupling interconnecting the first and second shafts. The flexible coupling has at least one member connected to one of the shafts and is capable of accommodating at least some misalignment of the first and second shafts. One of the first and second shafts is considered as a reference shaft and the other of said first and second shafts is considered as a movable shaft. Means is carried by the shafts having surfaces spaced apart circumferentially with respect to the axis of rotation of the shafts which represent the orientation of one of said shafts and serve as reference surfaces. Paddle means is carried by the flexible coupling and has surfaces spaced apart circumferentially with respect to the axis of rotation of the shafts and representing the orientation of the one member of the flexible coupling. Probe means is provided for sensing the position of the reference surfaces and the last named surfaces to provide information on the gap or spacing between the probe means and the surfaces. The information supplied by the probe is utilized for giving an indication of the axial motion of the machines, both steady state and dynamically and both relatively and absolutely. In addition, the apparatus provides net coupling hub motion of each machine due to any dynamic motion of each rotor, such as that due to fixed bows, thermal bows, unbalance bows and other action at rotative speed in a forward direction and also that due to any other action at other than rotative speed in a forward direction such as oil whirl, reexcitation of balance resonances and other actions that create shaft motions.

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Minden, NV, United States of America

Donald E Bently