A turbine or compressor wheel mounted in a housing. The wheel is carried on two radial bearings both mounted in a wall of the housing. The wall has a venting orifice that is not impeded by moving parts such as bearings. The wall also has a circular seal member extending toward a back-disk of the wheel with only a very small clearance. The seal member is composed of a material significantly softer than the material of the wheel.

Aspects of the invention disclosed herein generally provide a heat engine system, a turbopump system, and methods for lubricating a turbopump while generating energy. The systems and methods provide proper lubrication and cooling to turbomachinery components by controlling pressures applied to a thrust bearing in the turbopump. The applied pressure on the thrust bearing may be controlled by a turbopump back-pressure regulator valve adjusted to maintain proper pressures within bearing pockets disposed on two opposing surfaces of the thrust bearing. Pocket pressure ratios, such as a turbine-side pocket pressure ratio (P1) and a pump-side pocket pressure ratio (P2), may be monitored and adjusted by a process control system. In order to prevent damage to the thrust bearing, the systems and methods may utilize advanced control theory of sliding mode, the multi-variables of the pocket pressure ratios P1 and P2, and regulating the bearing fluid to maintain a supercritical state.

Aspects of the invention disclosed herein generally provide a heat engine system, a turbopump system, and methods for lubricating a turbopump while generating energy. The systems and methods provide proper lubrication and cooling to turbomachinery components by controlling pressures applied to a thrust bearing in the turbopump. The applied pressure on the thrust bearing may be controlled by a turbopump back-pressure regulator valve adjusted to maintain proper pressures within bearing pockets disposed on two opposing surfaces of the thrust bearing. Pocket pressure ratios, such as a turbine-side pocket pressure ratio (P1) and a pump-side pocket pressure ratio (P2), may be monitored and adjusted by a process control system. In order to prevent damage to the thrust bearing, the systems and methods may utilize advanced control theory of sliding mode, the multi-variables of the pocket pressure ratios P1 and P2, and regulating the bearing fluid to maintain a supercritical state.

A turbomachine having a fan shaft supported by a first bearing positioned downstream of the fan, the first bearing including an outer ring attached to an annular support secured to the stator. The turbomachine includes at least one gas feed duct leading into an enclosure positioned against the disc, the gas feed duct being adapted to be fed at a second end with pressurized gas taken from an airstream of a high-pressure compressor of the turbomachine, so that the gas applies an axial force towards upstream on the disc during some operating phases of the turbomachine. The turbomachine further includes a ferrule imperviously sealing the enclosure.

A steam turbine includes: a rotor; a casing; a thrust bearing; a steam inlet; a first pipe; a first regulation valve; a second pipe; a second regulation valve; and a control device. The control device estimates an exhaust flow rate of the steam turbine based on an operating point map which derives the exhaust flow rate of the steam turbine from an operating point of the steam turbine and estimates the thrust force applied to the thrust bearing based on the exhaust flow rate.

A steam turbine includes: a rotor; a casing; a thrust bearing; a steam inlet; a first pipe; a first regulation valve; a second pipe; a second regulation valve; and a control device. The control device estimates an exhaust flow rate of the steam turbine based on an operating point map which derives the exhaust flow rate of the steam turbine from an operating point of the steam turbine and estimates the thrust force applied to the thrust bearing based on the exhaust flow rate.

A technique facilitates movement of fluids while reducing axial loading on system components such as thrust bearings. The technique utilizes a system, e.g. a compressor, for moving fluid via counter rotating rotors. By way of example, the rotors may utilize impellers for establishing opposed fluid flows along fluid movement sections. The fluid movement sections may be arranged in a back-to-back configuration such that counter rotation of the rotors causes the impellers to move fluid flows in opposed directions, thus reducing axial loading. The opposed fluid flows ultimately are redirected to an outlet.

In a steam turbine including a rotor including a free side end fixed by a journal bearing in a radial direction and a fixed side end fixed by a thrust bearing in an axial direction, and a casing including a fixed side end fixed by the thrust bearing in the axial direction, a casing position adjustment device is configured to adjust an axial position of the casing with respect to the rotor due to thermal expansion. The casing position adjustment device includes: a low-pressure casing end plate, which is an end plate oriented to a free side in the axial direction in a low-pressure casing of the casing, and has a diaphragm deformable in the axial direction; and actuators, which are configured to deform the low-pressure casing end plate so that the low-pressure casing end plate extends toward the free side in the axial direction.

Provided is a rotor system, including a rotating shaft, a shaft body of the rotating shaft being of an integrated structure and the rotating shaft being horizontally arranged; and a motor, an air compressor, a turbine, a thrust bearing and at least two radial bearings which are arranged on the rotating shaft. The thrust bearing and the at least two radial bearings are all non-contact bearings. The thrust bearing is arranged at a preset position on one side of the turbine close to the air compressor. The preset position is such a position that the center of gravity of the rotor system can be located between two radial bearings that are farthest apart among the at least two radial bearings.

According to an embodiment, a turbine comprises: a casing; a rotor shaft; turbine stages; a thrust bearing which receives thrust load in the axial direction generated by a flow of a working fluid supplied to the turbine stages; a balance piston which is formed on the rotor shaft along a circumferential direction and projects in a radial direction from the rotor shaft, for adjusting a thrust contact pressure; and a thrust load adjusting mechanism which applies pressures of a pressure-increasing side and a pressure-decreasing side to at least one of a balance piston inner-side chamber and a balance piston outer-side chamber which sandwich the balance piston in the axial direction.