The present invention relates to a vacuum pump comprising a vacuum pumping mechanism comprising a rotor supported for rotation by a drive shaft, a first bearing assembly for controlling movement of the rotor during rotation of the drive shaft, a back-up bearing assembly for limiting said movement and a sensor for sensing when said movement is limited by the back-up bearing assembly.

The present invention relates to a vacuum pump comprising a vacuum pumping mechanism comprising a rotor supported for rotation by a drive shaft, a first bearing assembly for controlling movement of the rotor during rotation of the drive shaft, a back-up bearing assembly for limiting said movement and a sensor for sensing when said movement is limited by the back-up bearing assembly.

A compressor having a housing and a rotor, the rotor having an impeller at least on one side; a compressor chamber being formed between the impeller and the housing, the rotor being rotationally mounted, an annular sealing channel being formed between the rotor and the housing, the sealing channel being routed from the compressor chamber to a zone having a lower pressure; a throttling section being provided in the sealing channel; the sealing section being configured in closer proximity to the low-pressure zone than to the compression chamber.

A gas compression compact device comprised of: a) one or more centrifugal compressors; and b) a high speed axial flow permanent magnet synchronous electric motor. The electric motor and the compressor are directly coupled on a single axis and supported by passive magnetic and electrodynamic bearings, free of lubrication. The equipment does not use mechanic seals since the rotor is placed inside the pressure containment of the gas. The equipment does not require auxiliary systems for cooling, filtration, separation or feeding of lubricant fluids.

Provided are a vacuum pump and a method for the vacuum pump in which, when contact between a rotating body and a stator is sensed, the cause of the contact can be analyzed. Contact determination is made using a threshold for rotating body contact determination for a displacement signal and a threshold for rotating body contact determination for an acceleration signal. The amount of unbalance of a rotating body is determined using a threshold for amount-of-unbalance increase determination for the displacement signal and a threshold for amount-of-unbalance increase determination for the acceleration signal. When, in one of the displacement signal and the acceleration signal, the threshold for amount-of-unbalance increase determination or the threshold for amount-of-unbalance increase determination is exceeded within a predetermined time before determination of an estimated time point of contact, the contact is determined not to be caused by an increase in accumulation of products.

A system and method for rapid pressurization of a motor compartment and cooling system during a shutdown, a surge, and/or other situations in which the suction pressure significantly varies. A motor/compressor arrangement includes a seal gas system fluidly communicating with the motor compartment via a motor pressurization line, with the outlet of the compressor, and with a shaft seal. A motor pressurization valve is coupled to the motor pressurization line and a controller is configured to open the motor pressurization valve at start-up of the motor-compressor to supply seal gas to the motor compartment and to pressurize the motor compartment when a difference between the seal gas supply pressure and the suction pressure is indicative of the seal gas supply pressure being insufficient.

A system and method for rapid pressurization of a motor compartment and cooling system during a shutdown, a surge, and/or other situations in which the suction pressure significantly varies. A motor/compressor arrangement includes a seal gas system fluidly communicating with the motor compartment via a motor pressurization line, with the outlet of the compressor, and with a shaft seal. A motor pressurization valve is coupled to the motor pressurization line and a controller is configured to open the motor pressurization valve at start-up of the motor-compressor to supply seal gas to the motor compartment and to pressurize the motor compartment when a difference between the seal gas supply pressure and the suction pressure is indicative of the seal gas supply pressure being insufficient.

A certain material irregularly expressed in an observation area is effectively observed. An observing apparatus includes a first observing unit performing a time lapse shooting of a predetermined observation area, a first discriminating unit discriminating whether or not a first material is expressed in the observation area based on an image obtained by the first observing unit, and a second observing unit starting a time lapse shooting relating to a part where the first material is expressed at a timing when the first material is expressed in the observation area, in which a shooting frequency of the time lapse shooting by the second observing unit is higher than a shooting frequency of the time lapse shooting by the first observing unit.

A certain material irregularly expressed in an observation area is effectively observed. An observing apparatus includes a first observing unit performing a time lapse shooting of a predetermined observation area, a first discriminating unit discriminating whether or not a first material is expressed in the observation area based on an image obtained by the first observing unit, and a second observing unit starting a time lapse shooting relating to a part where the first material is expressed at a timing when the first material is expressed in the observation area, in which a shooting frequency of the time lapse shooting by the second observing unit is higher than a shooting frequency of the time lapse shooting by the first observing unit.

A thrust magnetic bearing includes a stator having a coil, and a rotor. The stator includes main and auxiliary stator magnetic-pole surfaces. The rotor includes main and auxiliary rotor magnetic-pole surfaces facing the main and auxiliary stator magnetic-pole surfaces. When an electric current flows in the coil, an electromagnetic force in an axial direction is generated between the main stator and rotor magnetic-pole surfaces, and an electromagnetic force in a radial direction is generated between the auxiliary stator and rotor magnetic-pole surfaces. When the rotor is displaced in the radial direction, a radial force that acts on the rotor between the auxiliary stator and rotor magnetic-pole surfaces is increased in a direction of the displacement, and a radial force that acts on the rotor between the main stator and rotor magnetic-pole surfaces is increased in a direction opposite to the direction of the displacement.