The effect of viscosity on the cavitation characteristics of high speed sleeve bearing

The effect of viscosity on the cavitation characteristics of a high speed sleeve bearing is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The cavitation characteristics, the cavitation shape and the cavitation location of a spiral oil wedge hydrodynamic bearing are investigated experimentally by using the transparent bearing and the high-speed camera. The generalized Reynolds equation is established with considerations of the cavitation mechanism based on the modified Elrod method in theory, and the cavitations of different viscosity sleeve bearings are analyzed and compared. It is shown that the cavitations are strip-shaped for both the high viscosity lubricant and the low viscosity lubricant, and in the rupture region of the oil film at a high speed, the oil vapour or bubbles are produced. With the decrease of the supply pressure and the increase of the rotating speed, the rupture area of the oil film increases distinctly. The cavitation area decreases distinctly and the quality of lubrication is better for the low viscosity lubricant than for the high viscosity lubricant. The experiment results in general are consistent with the theoretical results.

Effect of total phosphorous pollution on cavitation pressure characteristics of working water used in turbines

Many experiments have proven that with increasing silt and gas(out-of-phase media)content in water,the cavitation characteristics change and the cavitation pressure increases.Currently,many large reservoirs in China are polluted by total phosphorus(TP)and other chemical contaminants because of the use of phosphate fertilizer runoff from agriculture.However,research regarding how chemical pollutants(in the form of out-of-phase media)affect the cavitation pressure characteristics of water is sparse.In this paper,the Goupitan Hydropower Station,the largest hydropower reservoir on the Wujiang River,which is heavily polluted by TP,is taken as an example to evaluate the effects of chemical pollution on water cavitation pressure characteristics.In this study,the cavitation pressure characteristics of polluted and clean water are compared.The results show that the cavitation pressure of water polluted by chemicals is larger than that of clean water.In a hydraulic power generation system,cavitation and cavitation erosion are likely to occur earlier in runners when the fluid is polluted.These results are of great importance to further studies of cavitation theory and can directly influence the arrangement of turbines in practical engineering.