Wear Diagnostics of the Thrust Bearing of NK-33 Turbo-Pump Unit on the Basis of Single-Coil Eddy Current Sensors

The problem of early wear diagnostics of the combined journal-and-thrust bearing of the turbo-pump unit (TPU) of the liquid-propellant rocket engine NK-33 is considered. A feature of the problem is the significant restriction on modifications of the power plant’s design. The original solution based on replacing the standard induction sensors of the turbo-pump rotational speed currently used in TPU by single-coil eddy current sensors (SCECS) with sensitive elements in the form of a segment of a linear conductor is proposed. The SCECS provide the monitoring of the axial displacement of the shaft in the thrust bearing, which characterizes the state of the unit and increases with the bearing wear. The function of the TPU shaft’s rotational speed measuring also remains. The article describes the proposed approach as well as a laboratory prototype of the system for early detection of the TPU thrust bearing’s wear. The results of the prototype research that confirm the feasibility of the proposed approach are analyzed.