A centrifugal compressor assembly and method of operation provides a motor that drives a first stage compressor. The motor comprises a rotor. The motor uses radial aerostatic bearings to stabilize rotation and axial displacement of the rotor. The motor also uses a thrust aerostatic bearing to balance an axial force of the rotor. The radial aerostatic bearings and the thrust aerostatic bearing use a low-viscous vapor-liquid two-phase fluid as a lubricating medium. The radial aerostatic bearings supports the rotor. The thrust aerostatic bearing uses porous aerostatic bearings that use a low-viscous vapor-liquid two-phase fluid, so as to reduce radial and axial oscillation of the rotor. This enables clearance between a blade tip of an impeller and a volute. This causes a seal clearance to be reduced by a half; thereby increasing efficiency of the centrifugal compressor by at least 10 percent.

A turbo fluid machine includes a partition wall separating an inside of a housing into a compression space and a bearing space; and a foil bearing. The partition wall includes a support part having an end face raised toward a thrust collar in an axial direction. The support part has a groove formed in the end face and radially extending to an outer peripheral surface of the support part. Top foils of the foil bearing each have one surface facing the thrust collar and the other surface elastically supported by corresponding one of bump foils of the foil bearing. The foil bearing is mounted on the end face such that a position of the groove corresponds to a position of a gap between the bump foils and a position of a gap between the top foils and such that the groove faces the thrust collar in the axial direction.

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 bearing system includes a bearing housing and a foil bearing assembly. The bearing housing includes a sleeve that defines a cylindrical bore and includes at least one bearing assembly locking feature, and a mounting structure. The foil bearing assembly includes an outer foil assembly, an inner foil assembly, and a bump foil assembly positioned between the outer foil assembly and the inner foil assembly. The outer foil assembly includes at least one outer foil pad that extends circumferentially from a first end including a bearing retention feature to a second end. The bearing retention feature is cooperatively engaged with the at least one bearing assembly locking feature. The inner foil assembly includes a plurality of circumferentially-spaced inner foil pads. Each inner foil pad extends circumferentially from a tab to a free end. At least one inner foil pad is welded to the outer foil assembly along the tab.

A plain bearing (410) is fixed to a shaft hole (401) of an impeller (400) of the pump (100) so as to rotatably support the impeller (400) with respect to the shaft (300), and is restricted from moving in an axial direction by an annular restrictor (310) fixed to the shaft (300). On an end face (411) of the plain bearing (410) facing the restrictor (310), a lubrication groove (412) connecting a radially inner side and a radially outer side of the end face (411) to supply cooling water onto the end face (411) for lubrication, and a dynamic pressure generating groove (413) that introduces a flow of cooling water created by rotation of the impeller (400) to generate a dynamic pressure, are provided. The present bearing suppresses an increase in rotation torque of the impeller (400) during high speed rotation.

Bearing assemblies, apparatuses, systems, and methods include bearing assemblies having one or more bearing element in a bearing housing for supporting a shaft extending through at least a portion of the bearing housing. The bearing assembly including a recirculation line for delivering fluid into the bearing housing at a location separate from a fluid inlet of the bearing housing to at least partially thermally regulate, lubricate, and/or flush the one or more bearing elements during operation of the shaft.

An electric submersible pump (ESP) assembly bearing is described. A bearing set for an ESP assembly includes a rotatable sleeve, and a bushing outward of the rotatable sleeve, the bushing including a tubular portion, and a radial flange extending around a downstream side of the tubular portion. An ESP assembly includes a rotatable shaft, at least one stage stacked in series on the rotatable shaft, each stage including a diffuser, a stationary bearing member including a tubular portion secured within a working fluid exit of the diffuser, a stationary member flange extending radially outward from a top of the tubular portion, and a rotatable sleeve inward of the stationary bearing member and secured to the rotatable shaft. A bearing set for an ESP assembly includes a bushing including a tubular portion, and an annular retaining ring groove extending around an outer surface of the tubular portion.

A friction roller type speed increaser (100) includes a high speed side shaft (11), a ring roller (21), a low speed side shaft (13), at least one fixed roller (15), at least one movable roller, and a housing (23) that surrounds the rollers. A bearing unit (45) that includes a cylindrical bearing housing (51) into which the high speed side shaft (11) is inserted, bearings (53 and 55) on an inner circumferential portion of the bearing housing (51) which rotatably support the high speed side shaft (11), an oil seal (59) which is provided at one end portion of the bearing housing (51) and closes an inner space including the bearings is floating-supported such that the bearing unit can move in a radial direction of the high speed side shaft (11) in a unit accommodating section (47) formed in the housing (23).

A turbo fluid machine includes a rotating member having a bearing-contact surface; an operating part configured to rotate together with the rotating member to compress and discharge a fluid; a housing accommodating the rotating member and the operating part; and a foil bearing having a bearing surface that faces the bearing-contact surface and supporting the rotating member such that the rotating member is rotatable relative to the housing. At least one of the bearing-contact surface or the bearing surface has thereon a coating layer. The coating layer comprises polyamide-imide serving as a binder resin and molybdenum disulfide serving as a solid lubricant. A mass ratio of molybdenum disulfide to polyamide-imide is 0.42 or more.

A damper bearing includes: a bearing portion that supports a rotary shaft; and a tubular portion located around an outer circumference of the bearing portion, the tubular portion having a predetermined radial thickness and having an outer surface attachable to a structural member, wherein the bearing portion is configured as a hydrostatic bearing that supports the rotary shaft with a predetermined bearing clearance between the hydrostatic bearing and the rotary shaft, the tubular portion includes a plurality of planar slits located between the outer surface of the tubular portion and an inner surface of the tubular portion, each planar slit having a predetermined width, extending circumferentially, and further extending through an entire axial length of the tubular portion, the planar slits are arranged circumferentially at predetermined intervals in the tubular portion, each planar slit has an open end at the outer surface of the tubular portion, extends radially from the open end, and extends circumferentially in an arc to a predetermined point in a region between the outer surface and the inner surface, and the tubular portion includes a bearing fluid supply hole formed in a region where none of the planar slits is situated, the bearing fluid supply hole extending from the outer surface of the tubular portion to the bearing portion without passing through any of the planar slits. The damper bearing thus configured can be used as a bearing for a small machine and exhibit a damper function to damp vibration transmitted from the rotary shaft of the machine.