US 11,913,495 B2
Bearing and/or seal assembly including permeable body with features engineered to form a desired distribution pattern for a pressurized gas conveyed therethrough
Byron L. Mohr, Olean, NY (US); Tristen Barnes, Olean, NY (US); Mark J. Kuzdzal, Allegany, NY (US); Christopher Guerra, Olean, NY (US); and Harry Francis Miller, Allegany, NY (US)
Assigned to Siemens Energy, Inc., Orlando, FL (US)
Appl. No. 17/293,347
Filed by SIEMENS ENERGY, INC., Orlando, FL (US)
PCT Filed Nov. 20, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/062033
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 12, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/106279, PCT Pub. Date May 28, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0010837 A1, Jan. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. F16C 32/06 (2006.01); F16C 33/12 (2006.01); F16C 33/14 (2006.01)
CPC F16C 32/0618 (2013.01) [F16C 32/0622 (2013.01); F16C 32/0685 (2013.01); F16C 32/0692 (2013.01); F16C 33/128 (2013.01); F16C 33/145 (2013.01); F16C 2220/24 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A bearing and/or seal assembly comprising:
a rotatable shaft (14);
an annular housing (16) disposed concentric to the rotatable shaft and defining an annular cavity (18) about the rotatable shaft; and
a permeable body (12) supported by the annular housing, the permeable body
based on structural features (13) selectively engineered to convey a pressurized gas (Ps) from an inlet side (20) disposed at a radially-outward side of the permeable body to an outlet side (22) disposed at a radially-inward side of the permeable body to form an annular film of the pressurized gas relative to the rotatable shaft, wherein a desired distribution pattern of the pressurized gas is formed based on the selectively engineered structural features, wherein the structural features are selectively engineered to form conduits (31) non-uniformly distributed along a longitudinal axis (32) and/or about a circumferential axis (37) of the permeable body for selectively controlling the spatial density of jets of the pressurized gas conveyed through the permeable body (12).