Patent ID: 7238066

Claim:
A pod propulsion system comprising: a housing defining a fluid duct; an annular drum rotatably mounted to the housing within the fluid duct, the annular drum having a drum interior and a cylindrical outer surface; a rotor mounted to the drum for rotation therewith, the rotor and the drum having a common axis of rotation for impelling a working fluid through the fluid duct, thereby imparting a propulsion force to the drum; a bearing assembly mounted to the housing, the bearing assembly comprising a first bearing comprising a first plurality of bearing pads disposed circumferentially around the drum, each pad having a pad bearing surface adapted to contact a first drum portion in a predetermined manner and being pivotably mounted to the housing so as to maintain contact of the pad bearing surface with the first drum portion in the predetermined manner when an orientation of the drum portion relative to the housing changes, the bearing assembly being adapted to transmit the propulsion force to the housing, wherein the first bearing is adapted and positioned to provide a radial reaction component to the drum in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation, wherein the propulsion force has a thrust component in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation and the bearing assembly comprises a second bearing comprising a second plurality of bearing pads disposed circumferentially around the drum, each pad having a pad bearing surface adapted to contact a second drum portion in a predetermined manner, the second bearing being adapted and positioned to provide a thrust reaction component to the drum in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation, and wherein the drum comprises a circumferential collar extending radially outward from the outer cylindrical surface and the second bearing comprises a thrust bearing ring to which the second plurality of bearing pads is mounted, the thrust bearing ring being positioned around the drum adjacent the collar so that the second plurality of bearing pads maintains bearing contact with the collar for transmission of the thrust reaction component thereto.