JP2006194411A - Rolling bearing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rolling bearing device to be used for a fuel cell compressor device for suppressing the entry of foreign matters into the rolling bearing device and maintaining stable sealing performance for a long period. <P>SOLUTION: The rolling bearing device to be used for the fuel cell compressor device comprises a pair of rolling bearings 4 for bearing a rotating shaft 3 to which a component such as a compressor is fixed. Seals 16 are mounted at both ends of each rolling bearing 4, and the seals 16 each consist of a core metal 21 formed of an anticorrosive steel plate with pressing work and a seal member 22 integrally vulcanized and adhered to the core metal 21 and formed of a rubber having superior heat resistance and chemical resistance. Thus, the rusting of the core metal 21 due to organic gas is prevented and the deterioration and wear of the seal member 22 are suppressed to prevent the entry of water vapor into the bearings and the leakage of grease to the outside of the bearings. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rolling bearing device that supports a rotating shaft to which components such as an impeller compressor are fixed, and more particularly to a rolling bearing device used in a compressor device for a fuel cell.

  A fuel cell is a power generation device that takes out electric energy by chemically reacting hydrogen and oxygen supplied from the outside, and is a solid that is generally applied to, for example, a fuel cell for an automobile by an electrolyte used in the fuel cell. It is classified into a polymer type, a phosphate electrolyte type, a molten carbonate type, and a solid oxide type. Regardless of the type of fuel cell, both sides of the electrolyte or electrolyte membrane are sandwiched between both cathode (oxygen electrode) and anode (fuel electrode) electrodes, and oxygen in the air is supplied as the oxidant gas to the cathode side. At the same time, a unit cell in which hydrogen is supplied as fuel gas to the anode side is formed as a single cell, and each cell through separators is stacked to form a stack.

  There are a turbocharger system in which the compressor is driven by an exhaust gas turbine and a motor drive system in which the compressor is driven by a motor in order to supply air by pumping to the cathode side of such a fuel cell. Further, when supplying oxygen and hydrogen to the fuel cell, for example, in the case of a solid polymer type or the like, it is necessary to react by adding water vapor even in a direct hydrogen type that uses hydrogen directly as a fuel. Furthermore, for example, in a reformed fuel type using gasoline or the like as the fuel, very high temperature steam is required. Since water vapor is required in this way, a compressor that pumps water vapor is generally used for the purpose of increasing energy efficiency.

  In this compressor, a rolling bearing is used to rotatably support an impeller attached to a rotating shaft, and a predetermined amount of grease is filled in the bearing, but the rear space of the impeller is not sufficient. When the pressure changes from negative pressure to positive pressure, water vapor may roll into the bearing. The bearing rings and rolling elements of the rolling bearing perform a rolling and sliding motion via EHL (elastohydrodynamic lubricating oil film). However, when water vapor enters the grease due to such a situation, it is difficult to form an oil film. Further, since the oil film is further thinned due to heat generated by sliding friction during high-speed rotation, wear due to metal contact is likely to occur, and the bearing life may be reduced.

  As a solution to this problem, a rolling bearing device shown in FIG. 5 is known. The rolling bearing device 50 includes a housing 51, a rotating shaft 52 fitted into the housing 51, two rolling bearings (angular ball bearings) 53 that rotatably support the rotating shaft 52 with respect to the housing 51, 54.

  An inner ring spacer 55 is mounted between the inner rings of the two rolling bearings 53 and 54, and an outer ring spacer 56 is mounted between the outer rings. That is, by applying the preload, the positioning in the axial direction is made accurate and the sliding of the rolling elements is suppressed. The two rolling bearings 53 and 54 are combined in the back surface.

  One end portion of the rotary shaft 52 protrudes from one rolling bearing 53, and an impeller 57 is attached to the tip end side thereof. The other end of the rotating shaft 52 protrudes from the other rolling bearing 54 and is driven by an electric motor (not shown). A mechanical seal 58 is provided on the electric motor side of the rolling bearing 54 to seal between the rotating shaft 52 and the housing 51.

  Here, a bearing seal 59 is provided at the end of the impeller 57 side of the rolling bearing 53 on the impeller 57 side. The bearing seal 59 includes a cored bar part and a seal lip part, and the cored bar part is attached to the outer ring. The seal lip portion is formed of an elastic member such as rubber, and a labyrinth is formed between the seal lip portion and a seal groove formed at an axial end portion of the inner ring. That is, the bearing seal 59 of the rolling bearing 53 is a non-contact seal member.

  In this rolling bearing device 50, the impeller 57 rotates at high speed as the rotating shaft 52 rotates at high speed, and the water vapor sucked from the water vapor suction port 60 is pressurized by the impeller 57, and is formed by the impeller housing 61 and the back plate 62. The pressure is fed from a water vapor outlet (not shown) through the pressurized volute 63.

In this rolling bearing device 50, the bearing seal 59 can prevent water vapor from entering the rolling bearing 53 when the back space 64 of the impeller 57 changes from negative pressure to positive pressure. Thus, even when exposed to an environment of organic gas, the formation of an oil film in the rolling bearing 53 is not hindered, wear and the like can be prevented, and the life of the rolling bearing device 50 can be improved.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-202029

  In the rolling bearing device 50 used in such a conventional fuel cell compressor device, when the rear space 64 of the impeller 57 is changed from negative pressure to positive pressure by the bearing seal 59 attached to the rolling bearing 53 on the impeller 57 side, While it is possible to prevent water vapor from entering the rolling bearing 53, the cored bar portion constituting the bearing seal 59 is usually made of cold-rolled steel plate having good workability (JIS standard SPCC system or the like). Since it is formed by press working, when it is exposed to a steam environment for a long period of time, there is a risk that this core metal part rusts and sealability is lowered. Then, there is a risk that water vapor enters the rolling bearing 53 and enters the grease, making it difficult to form an oil film. In addition, since grease usually generates more dust when softened, dust generated from the grease tends to adhere to the fuel cell stack during operation, and in some cases, the adhered matter acts as a catalyst poison for the fuel cell stack. This is not preferable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in a rolling bearing device used in a compressor device for a fuel cell, the foreign matter intruding into the rolling bearing device is suppressed, and a stable sealing over a long period of time. An object of the present invention is to provide a rolling bearing device capable of maintaining the performance.

  In order to achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a rolling bearing device used in a compressor device of a fuel cell, and is a cylindrical housing, and is fitted into the housing, and the compressor device is In a rolling bearing device comprising: a rotating shaft to which the components are fixed; and a rolling bearing that is interposed between the rotating shaft and the housing and rotatably supports the rotating shaft with respect to the housing. Seals are attached to both ends of the rolling bearing, and the seals are formed by pressing from a steel plate having corrosion resistance.

  As described above, the cylindrical housing, the rotary shaft that is fitted in the housing and to which the components of the compressor device are fixed, and the rotary shaft is interposed between the rotary shaft and the housing. In a rolling bearing device having a rolling bearing that is rotatably supported, seals are attached to both ends of the rolling bearing, and the seals are formed from a corrosion-resistant steel plate by pressing. It is possible to provide a rolling bearing device that can prevent rust and prevent water vapor and the like from entering the inside of the bearing, and can maintain a stable sealing performance over a long period of time.

  Preferably, when the seal is formed of an austenitic stainless steel plate as in the invention described in claim 2, the strength is improved and rusting can be reliably prevented over a long period of time. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a seal member having a seal lip is integrally joined to the inner end portion of the seal, and the seal member is formed of rubber having excellent heat resistance and chemical resistance. In long-term operation, deterioration or wear due to organic gas can be suppressed to prevent water vapor and the like from entering the bearing, and grease can be prevented from leaking outside the bearing.

  Preferably, as in the invention described in claim 4, if the seal member is formed of ethylene / propylene rubber, the seal member has excellent chemical resistance at low cost, and in an organic gas environment. Also, the durability of the seal member can be maintained.

  A rolling bearing device according to the present invention is a rolling bearing device used in a compressor device for a fuel cell, and includes a cylindrical housing, a rotary shaft that is fitted in the housing, and to which the components of the compressor device are fixed, In a rolling bearing device having a rolling bearing interposed between the rotating shaft and the housing and rotatably supporting the rotating shaft with respect to the housing, seals are attached to both ends of the rolling bearing. Since this seal is formed from a corrosion-resistant steel plate by pressing, it is possible to prevent rusting of the seal due to organic gas and to prevent water vapor and the like from entering the inside of the bearing. It is possible to prevent leakage.

  A rolling bearing device used in a compressor device of a fuel cell, comprising a cylindrical housing, a rotating shaft fitted into the housing and fixed with the impeller, and an interposition between the rotating shaft and the housing In a rolling bearing device comprising a pair of rolling bearings for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft with respect to the housing, seals are mounted on both ends of the rolling bearing, and the seals are pressed from a steel plate having corrosion resistance. It consists of a mandrel formed by processing and a sealing member made of rubber that is integrally vulcanized and bonded to the mandrel and has excellent heat resistance and chemical resistance.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a rolling bearing device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a bearing portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 (a) is a drawing of the rolling bearing of FIG. FIG. 3 (b) is a longitudinal sectional view showing the seal in FIG. 3 (a). In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and the same site | part, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The rolling bearing device 1 includes a housing 2, a rotating shaft 3 fitted in the housing 2, and a pair of rolling bearings 4 and 4 that rotatably support the rotating shaft 3 with respect to the housing 2. .

  One end of the rotating shaft 3 protrudes from one rolling bearing 4, and an impeller 6 is attached to the tip end side via a fixing nut 5. The other end of the rotating shaft 3 protrudes from the other rolling bearing 4 and is driven by an electric motor (not shown). A small-diameter portion 7 is formed on the inner periphery of the housing 2, and is opposed to the shoulder portion 3 a of the rotating shaft 3 through a slight radial clearance to form a so-called labyrinth seal 8. The labyrinth seal 8 closes the back surface 6 a of the impeller 6 and the rolling bearing 4. A lid member 19 is attached to the housing 2. A shaft seal 19a slidably contacting the rotary shaft 3 is attached to the inner periphery of the lid member 19, and the opening of the housing 2 is closed.

  In the rolling bearing device 1, the impeller 6 rotates as the rotating shaft 3 rotates at high speed, and the water vapor sucked from the water vapor suction port 9 is pressurized by the impeller 6, and is formed by the impeller housing 10 and the housing 2. It is pumped through the pressure volute 11.

  Here, the pair of rolling bearings 4 and 4 are deep groove ball bearings, and as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, an outer ring 12 having an outer rolling surface 12a formed on the inner periphery and an inner rolling surface 13a on the outer periphery. , And rolling elements (balls) 15 and 15 accommodated between the rolling surfaces 12a and 13a via the cages 14 and 14 so as to be freely rollable. Further, inner ring contact type seals 16 described later are attached to both ends of the outer ring 12 of the rolling bearing 4. The seals 16 and 16 prevent the lubricating grease sealed inside the bearing from leaking to the outside and prevent foreign matters such as water vapor from entering the bearing from the outside.

  Further, spacers 17 and 18 are mounted between the outer rings 12 and 12 and between the inner rings 13 and 13, respectively, and the pair of rolling bearings 4 and 4 are positioned. That is, the outer rings 12 and 12 are positioned and fixed in the axial direction while being sandwiched between the spacer 17 and the housing 2 and the lid member 19, and the inner rings 13 and 13 are connected to the spacer 18 and the shoulder 3 a of the rotary shaft 3. And it is positioned and fixed while being clamped by the fixing nut 20. Here, the pair of rolling bearings 4 and 4 are deep groove ball bearings. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, angular ball bearings are used, and preload is applied to the rolling bearings 4 and 4 by spacers 17 and 18. May be. Thereby, the shake of the rotating shaft 3 can be suppressed and the rigidity of the rolling bearing device 1 can be improved.

  FIG. 3A shows the rolling bearing 4 in the present embodiment. Seal grooves 12b and 12b having a substantially U-shaped cross section are formed on the inner periphery of the end of the outer ring 12, and the seal grooves 12b and 12b are formed in the seal grooves 12b and 12b. Seals 16 and 16 are attached. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3B, the seal 16 includes a cored bar 21 and a seal member 22 that is integrally vulcanized and bonded to the cored bar 21.

  Here, the core metal 21 is made of a corrosion-resistant steel plate, such as an austenitic stainless steel plate (JIS standard SUS304 type or the like), or a rust-proof cold rolled steel plate (JIS standard SPCC type or the like). It is formed by press working. When the seal 16 is mounted on the outer ring 12, the outer end of the cored bar 21 is fitted into the seal groove 12b, and the outer end of the cored bar 21 is pressed with a seal crimping jig (not shown) to seal the seal groove 12b. It is fixed by crimping.

  Further, the seal member 22 is integrally formed with a bifurcated seal lip 22a, 22b at the inner edge. Seal grooves 13b and 13b having a substantially U-shaped cross section are formed on the outer periphery of the end portion of the inner ring 13, the inner seal lip 22a is in sliding contact with the seal groove 13b, and the outer seal lip 22b is a labyrinth. It constitutes a seal. The seal member 22 is made of polyacryl rubber, fluorine rubber, silicon rubber, or ethylene / propylene rubber (EPDM) having excellent heat resistance and chemical resistance. Among them, ethylene / propylene rubber is a terpolymer of ethylene, propylene, and a diene monomer for crosslinking, and enables sulfur crosslinking (vulcanization) by copolymerizing a third component that is a non-conjugated diene monomer. It has low chemical and chemical resistance equivalent to polyacrylic rubber.

  In this embodiment, the core metal 21 constituting the seal 16 is thus formed of a corrosion-resistant steel plate, and the seal member 22 is formed of rubber having excellent heat resistance and chemical resistance. In the operation of the period, it is possible to prevent rusting of the cored bar 21 even in an environment of organic gas, and to suppress deterioration and wear of the seal member 22 and prevent water vapor and the like from entering the bearing. , Grease can be prevented from leaking outside the bearing.

  FIG. 4A is a modified example of the rolling bearing 4 described above, and FIG. 4B is a longitudinal sectional view showing the shield plate of FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same components and the same site | part as the rolling bearing 4 mentioned above, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the rolling bearing 23, shield plates 24 and 24 are attached to the seal grooves 12 b and 12 b of the outer ring 12. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4B, the shield plate 24 has slits 24a formed at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction so that the outer end portion is easily plastically deformed. Also, a bent portion 24b extending inward in the axial direction is formed at the inner end portion, and a labyrinth seal is configured with the seal groove 13b of the inner ring 13. Here, the shield plate 24 is made of a corrosion-resistant steel plate such as an austenitic stainless steel plate (JIS standard SUS304 type or the like) or a rust-proof cold rolled steel plate (JIS standard SPCC type or the like). It is formed by press working.

  Also in this embodiment, since the shield plate 24 is formed of a corrosion-resistant steel plate, the rusting of the shield plate 24 due to organic gas can be prevented during long-term operation, and the bearing Water vapor or the like can be prevented from entering the interior, and grease can be prevented from leaking outside the bearing.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and is merely an example, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the description of the scope of claims, and further, the equivalent meanings described in the scope of claims and all modifications within the scope of the scope of the present invention are included. Including.

  The rolling bearing device according to the present invention is used in a compressor device for a fuel cell, and can be applied to a rolling bearing device that supports a rotating shaft to which components such as a compressor are fixed.

It is a longitudinal section showing one embodiment of a rolling bearing device concerning the present invention. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the bearing part of FIG. (A) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the rolling bearing of FIG. (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the seal | sticker of (a). (A) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the modification of the rolling bearing which concerns on this invention. (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the shield board of (a). It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the conventional rolling bearing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Rolling bearing device 2 ... Housing 3 ... ························· Rotation shaft 3a・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Rolling bearings 5 and 20 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Fixing nut 6 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Impeller 6a ... Back side 7 ... Small diameter part 8 ... ..... Labyrinth seal 9 ..... Water vapor inlet 10 ...・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Impeller housing 11 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Pressure volute 12 ・ ・ ・ ・... Outer ring 12a ... Outer rolling surface 12b, 13b ... .... Seal groove 13 ..... Inner ring 13a ..... Inner rolling surface 14 ...・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Retainer 15 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Rolling element 16 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Seal 17, 18 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Spacer 19 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Lid member 19a・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Shaft seal 21 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Core 22 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Seal members 22a, 22b ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Seal lip 24 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Shield plate 24a ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Slit 24b ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Bent part 50 ... Rolling bearing device 51 ... Housing 52 ...・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Rotating shaft 53, 54 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Rolling bearing 55 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・.... Inner ring spacer 56 ......... Outer ring spacer 57 ... ... Impeller 58 ...・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Mechanical seal 59 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Bearing seal 60 ... Water vapor inlet 61 ... Impeller housing 62 ... Back plate 63 ... Pressure volute 64 ...・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Back space

Claims (4)

A rolling bearing device used in a compressor device of a fuel cell,
A cylindrical housing;
A rotating shaft fitted into the housing and fixed with the components of the compressor device;
In a rolling bearing device comprising a rolling bearing interposed between the rotating shaft and the housing and rotatably supporting the rotating shaft with respect to the housing,
The rolling bearing device is characterized in that seals are attached to both end portions of the rolling bearing, and the seals are formed by press working from a steel plate having corrosion resistance.   The rolling bearing device according to claim 1, wherein the seal is formed of an austenitic stainless steel plate.   The rolling bearing device according to claim 1, wherein a seal member having a seal lip is integrally joined to an inner end portion of the seal, and the seal member is formed of rubber having excellent heat resistance and chemical resistance.   The rolling bearing device according to claim 3, wherein the seal member is made of ethylene / propylene rubber.

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