[Object] To efficiently supply lubricant oil to a bearing member with a simple mechanism. [Solving Means] A vacuum pump includes a first housing, a second housing, a rotor shaft, a lubricant oil-stirring plate, and a bearing member. The second housing is attached to the first housing and forms a space that stores lubricant oil together with the first housing. The rotor shaft passes through the first housing. The lubricant oil-stirring plate is housed in the space and is attached to the rotor shaft. The bearing member is fixed to the first housing and rotatably supports the rotor shaft. The first housing includes a supply port that enables lubricant oil to be supplied to the bearing member. The second housing includes an inner-wall upper portion which the lubricant oil stirred by the lubricant oil-stirring plate hits against. The inner-wall upper portion of the second housing includes a recess portion that enables the lubricant oil to move above the supply port.

The method is used for uniforming temperature in a shaft supported by a fluid bearing during rotation of the shaft; a journal portion of the shaft is located inside the fluid bearing; at least one passage is provided inside the shaft at least along the journal portion so to cross it; at least one flow of heat-exchange fluid is established in the at least one passage; the method allows to overcome the problems due to the Morton effect. A bearing system implementing the method is advantageously used in a turbomachine.

A method for repairing an electric generator having a rotor that rotates about a vertical axis, the rotor including a spider having a number of spider arms extending radially away from the axis, and a rim surrounding the spider. The weight of the rim is normally carried at least in part by rim support ledges of the spider arms. The method for repair includes supporting the rim from the top of the spider and thereby relieving some or all of the weight of the rim being supported by the rim support ledges.

In order to effect a seal a porous material which comprises one side of two opposing surfaces is used to restrict and evenly distribute externally pressurized gas, liquid, steam, etc. between the two surfaces, exerting a force which is opposite the forces from pressure differences or springs trying to close the two faces together and so may create a non-contact seal that is more stable and reliable than hydrodynamic seals currently in use. A non-contact bearing is also disclosed having opposing surfaces with relative motion and one surface issuing higher than ambient pressure through a porous restriction, wherein the porous restriction is part of a monolithic porous body, or a porous layer, attached to lands containing a labyrinth, the porous restriction and lands configured to not distort more than 10% of a gap created from differential pressure between each side of the porous restriction.

A porous gas bearing is disclosed. The porous gas bearing includes a housing having a fluid inlet and an aperture. A porous surface layer is disposed within the housing surrounding the aperture in a circumferential direction. The porous surface layer is in fluid communication with the fluid inlet. A damping system includes a damping system including a biasing member, the biasing member being disposed in a passageway that extends along the longitudinal direction of the aperture and circumferentially about the aperture, wherein the biasing member is arranged radially outward from the porous surface layer.

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to tilting pad bearing assemblies, bearing apparatuses including the tilting pad bearing assemblies, and methods of using the bearing apparatuses. The tilting pad bearing assemblies disclosed herein include a plurality of tilting pads. At least some of the superhard tables exhibit a thickness that is at least about 0.120 inch and/or at least two layers having different wear and/or thermal characteristics.

An electric submersible pump assembly with integral heat exchanger, high-speed self-aligning bearings, and dual bearing thrust chamber is described. The described pump assembly, modules, and components may be used for operating an electric submersible pump at high speeds as well as over a wide range of speeds and flowrates without replacing downhole equipment. The described pump assembly may be shorter than comparable pump assemblies and may be assembled offsite, thereby leading to faster and easier installation with less down time. By operating over a wide range of speeds, the disclosed pump assembly allows the operator to reduce overall inventory, reduce down time for the well, and avoid other complications associated with replacing a pump assembly or other downhole components.

An expansion turbine configured such that even when pressure of process gas steeply changes, the amount of process gas leaking from a gap between an impeller and a cover is made small. The expansion turbine includes a gas supply passage which is connected to any one of a gas supply passage and a gas discharge passage and through which gas is supplied to a region located between a rotor member and a casing member.

A hydrostatic axial piston machine has a drive shaft penetrating a housing on either side. In this case, the mechanically weaker of the two shaft ends is strengthened by an undercut being eliminated, said undercut defining the minimum diameter of the shaft end and thus of the entire drive shaft. Instead, the strength of the relevant shaft end is increased by a displacement of a circular bearing surface for a rolling bearing radially outwardly and away from the rolling bearing. In this case, the circular bearing surface is displaced below a compression spring which clamps the cylinder drum against a distributor plate. The resulting spacing between the circular bearing surface and the rolling bearing remaining in place is bridged by a sleeve or by a ring. A concave rounded shaft shoulder is simply formed below the sleeve and/or the ring.

Methods and apparatus for providing compliance in bearings of rotating machinery are provided. The rotating machinery may include a drive shaft movably coupled within a bearing housing. Compliant bearing assemblies may interface engagement between the drive shaft and the bearing housing, including polycrystalline diamond bearing elements, each with an engagement surface, and an opposing engagement surface of a metal that contains diamond solvent-catalyst.