FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a modified spacer ring having a temperature measuring element mountable on a thrust bearing of a centrifugal compressor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The centrifugal compressors are used to compress any gas medium to a higher discharge pressure as per the process requirement (compressor outline sketch -Fig.1). The compression work is done by a high speed rotor mounted with radial impellers and bounded by stationary diaphragms having diffuser and return channel gas paths for intake and discharge of process gas from the compressor. Rotor is supported by journal bearings at both ends & one thrust bearing which is located normally on the opposite end of the driver. Thrust bearing is provided on the casing to prevent axial movement of rotor and to take the axial load arising out of gas compression.
The thrust bearing is double acting tilting pad type and pads are installed along with the base ring at both sides of thrust collar at one end of the compressor shaft end. Thrust bearings are provided with oil control ring to minimize power loss due to churning of oil in the bearing housing and discharge the oil into the drain chamber under high speed operation. The sketch of bearing is enclosed in the drawing section fig.2.
Thrust bearing pads are provided with temperature measurement elements (TME). The TMEs are installed in the thrust bearing pads to measure pad metal temperature. The TME lead wires are routed from PADs through spacer ring outwards the bearing housing wherein they are connected to junction boxes. The

thrust bearing configuration and flow of lube oil within thrust bearing is shown in fig.4.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is further, an object of the present invention to propose a modified spacer ring with a temperature measuring element mountable on a thrust bearing of a centrifugal compressor which eliminates the problem of frequent failure of temperature measuring element lead wires.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a modified spacer ring with a temperature measuring element mountable on a thrust bearing of a centrifugal compressor which simplifies the routing of TME lead wire within bearing housing.
A further object of the present invention is to propose a modified spacer ring with a temperature measuring element mountable on a thrust bearing of a centrifugal compressor, which allows free flow of discharge oil through spacer ring.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is provided with an improved spacer ring with a temperature measuring element mountable on a thrust bearing adaptable to a centrifugal compressors, which comprises, a 'Y' shaped groove (1) undercut at the parting plane of a bottom part of spacer ring (2) and two parallel arms of 'Y' shaped groove (3, 4) are on both sides of the annular space (5) between the oil control ring and spacer ring to accommodate the TME lead wires, which are routed through the bottom arm of 'Y' shaped groove and a small rectangular

shaped clamp (6) mounted on the undercut groove with two fasteners (7, 7) to cover firmly the TME wire (8);
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Fig.1 - shows a photo view of outline sketch of a centrifugal compressor.
Fig.2a - shows a photo view of thrust - bearing pads arrangement.
Fig.2b - shows a photo view of thrust - bearing base ring.
Fig.2c - shows a photo view of thrust - bearing oil control ring.
Fig.3 - shows a schematic view of the spacer with respect to thrust -
bearing.
Fig.3b - shows a photo view of spacer ring (top half).
Fig.3c - shows a photo view of spacer ring (bottom half).
Fig.4 - shows a schematic bearing configuration and oil flow.
Fig.5a - shows a schematic diagram of TME Lead Wire's routing sketch -
Prior art. Fig.5b - shows a photo view of TME Lead wire's route. Fig.6a - shows a schematic diagram of TME Lead route as per new
invention.
Fig.6b - shows a photo view of TME wire's route as per new invention.
Fig.7 - shows a sectional view of y shaped groove and Fig.7b a clamp and
Fig.7c. The clamp assembled on the groove of bottom spacer ring.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
In the existing arrangement, there is a possibility of failure of TMEs leading to faise alarms and trips of compressor due to soaking and dynamic pulling of TME

lead wires by discharge lube oil churning around between oil control ring and spacer ring.
Prior to the modification in the spacer rings, there is a slot provided on the bottom ring at parting plane zone towards drain chamber to take out the thrust pad TME lead wires. The lead wires bunched together in the area between oil control ring and spacer ring are then taken out of the bearing housing (Fig.5).
TME lead wires, while routing are bunched within the drain chamber (annular space between the oil control ring and spacer ring). During the operation of compressor, they are impinged with the jet of oil from the oil control ring.
The lube oil impinging on the lead wires causes vibrations, damage to TMEs and erratic readings of bearing temperature. This leads to unwanted alarms and trips of the compressors.
In order to avoid the oil jet impinging the TME lead wires, the routing of the TME lead wires is modified. To eliminate the bunching of lead wires in the drain chamber area, it is planned to route the TME lead wires straight outwards with a clamping arrangement as modified newly. A 'Y' shaped groove (1) was undercut by machining at the parting plane of lower spacer ring (2) so that the temperature measuring element (8) can be accommodated on the grooved space. The two arms (3, 4) of "Y" shaped grooves are on both sides of the annular space (5, 15), between the oil control ring and spacer ring (2), to accommodate the TME wire leads (8) and to record oil temperatures. The TME wire housed in the groove is routed through a rectangular shaped clamp (6) which is fixed by means of two fasteners (7, 7) so as not to allow the lead wire to enter into the oil drain chamber. The extended TME wire was routed in the bottom arm of 'Y' shaped groove (9). The rectangular shaped clamp is made of steel materials.

WE CLAIM
1. An improved spacer ring with a temperature measuring element
mountable on a thrust bearing adaptable to a centrifugal compressors
comprising:-
- a 'Y' shaped groove (1) undercut at the parting plane of a bottom part of spacer ring (2) and two parallel arms 'Y' shaped groove (3, 4) are on both sides of the annular space (5) between the oil control ring and spacer ring to accommodate the TME lead wires, which are routed through the bottom arm of 'Y' shaped groove (5);
- a small rectangular shaped clamp (6) mounted on the undercut groove with two fasteners (7, 7) to fix firmly the TME wire (8);
2. The improved spacer ring as claimed in claim 1, wherein the small
rectangular clamp is made of steel material.

ABSTRACT

The present invention is provided with an improved spacer ring with a temperature measuring element mountable on a thrust bearing adaptable to a centrifugal compressors comprising, a 'Y' shaped groove (1) undercut at the parting plane of a bottom part of spacer ring (2) and two parallel arms of 'Y' shaped groove (3, 4) on both sides of the annular space (5) between the oil control ring and spacer ring to accommodate the TME lead wires, which are routed through the bottom arm of 'Y' shaped groove (5) and a small rectangular shaped clamp (6) mounted on the undercut groove with two fasteners (7, 7) to keep the TME lead wire (8) from falling into the oil drain chamber.