US 12,345,170 B2
Turbomachine with thrust bearing seal plate housing member having working fluid flow aperture
Kiran Somashekar Rao Nazare, Bangalore (IN); Poomkuzhimannil John, Bangalore (IN); and Matej Kopecky, Pardubice-Rosice (CZ)
Assigned to GARRETT TRANSPORTATION I INC., Torrance, CA (US)
Filed by Garrett Transportation I Inc., Torrance, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 13, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/351,598.
Claims priority of application No. 202311037871 (IN), filed on Jun. 1, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0401499 A1, Dec. 5, 2024
Int. Cl. F01D 25/16 (2006.01); F01D 11/02 (2006.01); F04D 17/12 (2006.01); F04D 25/06 (2006.01); F04D 29/42 (2006.01)
CPC F01D 25/16 (2013.01) [F01D 11/02 (2013.01); F04D 17/12 (2013.01); F04D 25/06 (2013.01); F04D 29/4206 (2013.01); F05D 2230/60 (2013.01); F05D 2240/52 (2013.01); F05D 2240/55 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A turbomachine comprising:
a housing;
a rotating group that is housed within the housing;
a fluid bearing system with a thrust bearing member fixed to the rotating group, the fluid bearing system configured to support the rotating group for rotation within the housing about an axis with the thrust bearing member configured to support the rotating group against thrust loads;
a compressor stage that includes a compressor wheel of the rotating group that is housed within a compressor housing of the housing, the compressor stage configured to receive a fluid from an area within the housing;
a seal plate of the housing, the seal plate including a first face and a second face, the first face having a flow surface that at least partly defines a fluid flow path toward the compressor wheel, the second face having a thrust bearing member support surface; and a wall portion of the housing, the seal plate attached to the wall portion to cooperatively encapsulate the thrust bearing member for rotation therebetween; wherein the wall portion has a recessed surface that defines a thrust pocket that receives the thrust bearing member, the thrust bearing member support surface covering over the thrust pocket and the thrust bearing member; the seal plate including an aperture arranged radially outwards of the thrust pocket that fluidly connects the area to the fluid flow path.