Application of Water-Lubricated Bearings in Motorized Centrifugal Air Compressor for Fuel Cell Automotives

Abstract:

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells intended for new energy automotives require a high efficiency and reliability motorized compressor to supply pressurized air. This paper presents a study and development of a motorized centrifugal air compressor using water-lubricated bearings. Comparing the performance of water-lubricated bearing with gas-lubricated bearing, we found that under the same power consumption the load capacity of water-lubricated bearings are more suitable for high speed motorized compressor system. A prototype was built and tested to verify the possibility of the developed motorized centrifugal air compressor. The results show that the system can operate at a stable rotating speed up to 80,000 rpm. The flow rate of the pressurized air is 350Kg/h and pressure ratio is 1.52 at 60,000 rpm, with a global efficiency of approximately 80%.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 670-671)
• Pages: 920-923
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.670-671.920
• Online since: October 2014
• Authors: Ming Feng*, Tian Ming Ren
• Keywords: Fuel Cell, Hybrid Bearing, Motorized Centrifugal Compressor, Rotor Dynamics, Water Lubrication

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