An externally pressurized porous gas bearing for operating within a refrigerant environment is disclosed. The gas bearing utilizes shear heating from rotation of a rotor, thereby increasing the pressure and load capacity of the externally pressurized porous gas bearing. The gas bearing is capable of operating when the refrigerant is in a liquid phase and when the refrigerant is in a gaseous phase.

The present application relates to a liquid injection ring and a refrigerant lubricated bearing assembly, the liquid injection ring includes a ring body; the ring body is provided with a liquid storage chamber and a plurality of liquid guide holes; the liquid storage chamber is arranged in a circle around the axis of the ring body; the inlets of the liquid guide holes communicate with the liquid storage chamber; the outlets of the liquid guide holes face the end surface of a to-be-lubricated bearing; and the plurality of liquid guide holes are uniformly distributed in a spaced manner along the circumferential direction of the ring body.

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.

A bearing support (26) for a compressor (10) includes an annular body. The annular body includes a circle opening (28) that is configured to receive a bearing (21) and a shaft (20). A tapered portion (30) is tapered away from the circular opening. The tapered portion (30) includes a passage (32). A vibration sensor (34) is situated in the passage. A compressor and a method of sensing vibration adjacent a bearing in a compressor are also disclosed.

The invention relates to a threaded bearing housing and a side channel blower incorporating the same wherein the threaded bearing housing is installed on the outer casing element of the side channel blower. The bearing housing supports the outer ring of the blower's bearing. The bearing housing location is adjustable radially and along the axial axis of the side channel blower. These adjustments provide a variable positioning of the rotating components of the side channel blower. This adjustment reduces the necessary assembly tolerancing and allows the impeller's blade and the channel between the casing elements in which it rotates to be properly spaced apart for easy and facile installation and efficient operation.

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 cast for producing end plates for a pump assembly, the cast comprising a base portion and a pair of projections, the pair of projections providing material to machine bearing assembly housings for accommodating drive and idler shafts in the pump assembly. Also provided is an inner plate bushing for an end plate in a pump assembly, the inner plate bushing comprising a collar extending from a flange, the collar to be inserted into a mounting recess in the end plate with the flange seating flush with a surface of the end plate, the surface area of an end of the collar being larger than an inner surface of the flange.

A turbomachine system includes a turbomachine provided with a turbomachine rotor. The turbomachine rotor is comprised of a turbomachine shaft with a first shaft end and a second shaft end. The turbomachine shaft is supported by active magnetic bearings for rotation in a turbomachine casing. The turbomachine system further includes a rotary machine drivingly coupled to the first shaft end, and a first closed cooling circuit adapted to circulate a cooling fluid therein and fluidly coupled to the active magnetic bearings to remove heat therefrom. The closed cooling circuit includes a cooling fluid impeller mounted on the turbomachine shaft for rotation therewith and adapted to circulate the cooling fluid in the closed cooling circuit. The closed cooling circuit further includes a heat exchanger adapted to remove heat from the cooling fluid. A method of operating a turbomachine system is further disclosed.

A vertical radial guide bearing of fixed circular bore construction surrounds a journal attached firmly to a rotating shaft, is lubricated via pot lubrication means, has a bearing bore surface that is shaped to include viscosity oil pumps that are situated below the surface of the oil in the pot, are adjacent the bottom of the bearing, have associated supply ports remote from the journal, and have associated discharge grooves that extend vertically up the bearing bore surface to a circumferential groove adjacent the top of the bearing, wherein the viscosity oil pumps are sized to pump oil quickly up the grooves so as to develop an oil film between the journal and bearing surfaces, this film generated by normal hydro-dynamic action having sufficient pressure and thickness to rapidly separate the journal and bearing surfaces and to keep them separated.

A compressor includes a housing, a shaft that is rotated relative to the housing to compress a working fluid, and a foil bearing that supports the shaft. The foil bearing includes a top foil. The foil bearing is a foil gas bearing that is backed up by a ball bearing, or a mesh foil bearing with an actuator to compress a wire mesh dampener. A heat transfer circuit includes a compressor and a working fluid. The compressor includes a shaft that is rotated to compress the working fluid, and a foil bearing for supporting the shaft as it rotates.