A shrouded fan assembly for use with a gas turbine engine includes a central hub and a plurality of variable-pitch fan blades coupled to and extending radially outward from the central hub. Each variable-pitch fan blade includes a radially outer tip is rotatable about a longitudinal axis extending therethrough. A shroud is coupled to each radially outer tip.

A hydrocarbon reclamator consists of a closed chamber having an exhaust inlet port, a hydrogen inlet port, and a hydrocarbon outlet port. A magnetic flux is generated at the base of the closed chamber and a rotor is suspended by the magnetic flux within the closed chamber. The rotor is formed as a Tesla turbine having axially spaced discs concentrically mounted on a central shaft, a catalyst is formed on surfaces of the discs, and flow holes are formed through the discs. Venturi forces direct gas to release kinetic energy against the discs, so that hydrogen entering the chamber combines with carbon entering the chamber to form a hydrocarbon that exits the chamber via the hydrocarbon outlet port.

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, positioning a rotating shaft within a machine via an externally-pressured gas bearing system.

A centrifugpl compressor for a chiller includes a casing, an inlet guide vane, an impeller downstream of the inlet guide vane, a motor and a diffuser. The casing has inlet and outlet portions with the inlet guide vane disposed in the inlet portion. The impeller is rotatable about a rotation axis defining an axial direction. The motor rotates the impeller. The diffuser is disposed in the outlet portion downstream from the impeller with an outlet port of the outlet portion being disposed between the impeller and the diffuser. A hot gas injection passage is provided to inject hot gas refrigerant between the inlet guide vane and the impeller. A controller is programmed to control an amount of the hot gas refrigerant.

A turbomachine is made by first providing a stepped shaft having a large-diameter cylindrical portion, an intermediate-diameter cylindrical portion, and a small-diameter cylindrical portion all centered on a common axis. A separately manufactured a one-piece and annular first impeller wheel is then permanently mounted on the large-diameter portion with a back face of the first wheel facing axially toward the intermediate-diameter portion and carrying a rotor bearing half of an axial magnetic bearing. A rotor ring of a radial bearing is then detachably mounted on the intermediate-diameter portion of the shaft, and finally a one-piece and annular second impeller wheel is detachably mounted on the small-diameter portion of the shaft with a back face of the second wheel facing axially toward the first wheel and carrying a rotor bearing half of another axial magnetic bearing.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a magnetic bearing system comprising an axial bearing rotating flywheel arranged so as to magnetically interact with at least one fixed axial stop. The system includes a cooling fluid path configured so as to send the flow to the flywheel in a direction of flow being in a substantially radial plane relative to the axis of rotation of the flywheel.

The present disclosure provides, in one embodiment, a unique gas turbine engine. Other embodiments include unique gas turbine engines, and unique active balancing systems; as well as apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for gas turbine engines and active balancing systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.

Driver for a turbine generator aided by magnetic levitation to enhance support without increasing friction. In one aspect, an apparatus includes an outer circular structure with a magnetic rail structure, an inner circular structure with a second magnetic rail structure, wherein the circular structures are magnetically levitated and freely rotational with respect to each other. The inner circular structure being mechanically coupled to a generator rotor so when the inner circular structure rotates, it imparts a rotational force on the generator rotor. In another aspect, the inner circular structure is rigidly fixed to an armature of a generator. In another aspect, the mechanical coupling comprises a plurality of turbine blades and/or a plurality of gear surfaces.

An integrated hermetically sealed turboexpander-generator comprises a hermetically sealed casing arrangement, a turboexpander, a compressor and an electric generator, arranged in the hermetically sealed casing arrangement along a common shaft line, supported by active magnetic bearings. Also disclosed is a thermodynamic system using the integrated hermetically sealed turboexpander-generator to convert waste heat from a waste heat source into electric power. One of the turboexpander and of the compressor comprises two sections arranged in an overhung configuration at the ends of the common shaft line.

An integrated hermetically sealed turboexpander-generator comprises a hermetically sealed casing arrangement, a turboexpander, a compressor and an electric generator, arranged in the hermetically sealed casing arrangement along a common shaft line, supported by active magnetic bearings. Also disclosed is a thermodynamic system using the integrated hermetically sealed turboexpander-generator to convert waste heat from a waste heat source into electric power. The electric generator is arranged at one end of the common shaft line.