A gas bearing for a compressor includes a bearing portion and a sealing portion mounted to a bearing housing of the compressor via one or more dampers, and the sealing portion being fixedly connected to the bearing portion, and a vent with an inlet in the bearing. The bearing portion has an inner radial surface for radially supporting a shaft of the compressor. The sealing portion has a sealing surface. The inlet of the vent disposed between the inner radial surface and the sealing surface. The sealing surface and a rotating surface form a path that extends along the sealing surface. The path extending from a pressurized volume of the compressor to the vent, and the pressurized volume containing a fluid.

The amount of consumption of gas is reduced when the gas is expanded to be cooled by using a plurality of expansion turbines. A high-pressure expansion turbine includes: a gas supply passage through which bearing gas is supplied to a bearing portion; and a gas discharge passage through which the bearing gas which has been supplied from the gas supply passage to the bearing portion is discharged from the bearing portion. A low-pressure expansion turbine includes: a gas supply passage through which the bearing gas is supplied to a bearing portion; and a gas discharge passage through which the bearing gas which has been supplied from the gas supply passage to the bearing portion is discharged from the bearing portion. The bearing gas discharged from the gas discharge passage of the high-pressure expansion turbine is supplied to the gas supply passage of the low-pressure expansion turbine.

A non-contact air bearing having electrostatic discharge properties may comprise: a porous media element having a bearing surface; a supply line configured supply an externally pressurize gas or fluid to the porous media; and an electrostatic dissipative porous bearing layer on the bearing surface of the porous media element; wherein the externally pressurized fluid flows through the porous media element and creates a thin film between the electrostatic dissipative layer and a substrate supported by the air bearing.

The invention relates to a bearing arrangement for a shaft in a turbocompressor having at least one water-fed hydraulic bearing, which is configured to support for rotation an axle of the turbocompressor, wherein the water-fed hydraulic bearing encloses the shaft at a circumference of the shaft to form a bearing gap therebetween; and wherein the water-fed hydraulic bearing is configured to allow water to flow through the bearing gap to support the shaft hydraulically; and two seals, which are designed to seal the bearing gap against the shaft; and wherein gas from the turbocompressor is applied to the two seals outside the bearing gap to seal the bearing.

A gas bearing for a compressor includes a bearing portion and a sealing portion mounted to a bearing housing of the compressor via one or more dampers, and the sealing portion being fixedly connected to the bearing portion, and a vent with an inlet in the bearing. The bearing portion has an inner radial surface for radially supporting a shaft of the compressor. The sealing portion has a sealing surface. The inlet of the vent disposed between the inner radial surface and the sealing surface. The sealing surface and a rotating surface form a path that extends along the sealing surface. The path extending from a pressurized volume of the compressor to the vent, and the pressurized volume containing a fluid.

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.

An assembly is provided for rotational equipment. This assembly includes a seal land and a seal element. The seal land extends circumferentially around and is configured to rotate about an axial centerline. The seal element is abutted against and is sealingly engaged with the seal land. The seal element extends circumferentially around the axial centerline. The seal element includes porous material, an exterior surface and a seal element passage. The seal element is configured to flow lubricant from the seal element passage, through the porous material, to the exterior surface.

A vibration isolation system including a support, a forward actuator and a return device. The support is for supporting the body on a base. The support has a body engaging surface and a base engaging surface. The base engaging surface is arranged to couple to the base. The support couples the body engaging surface to the body in a coupled state. The support uncouples the body engaging surface from the body in an uncoupled state. The forward actuator moves the body and the body engaging surface together relatively to the base in a first direction from a first initial position to an end position in the coupled state. The return device is configured to move the body engaging surface relatively to the body opposite to the first direction from the end position to a second initial position in the uncoupled state.

A control apparatus includes a constant storage portion that stores constant values of an electromagnet coil including a resistance value Rm, an inductance Lm, a sampling time Ts, etc. A current storage portion stores previous current command values Ir having been regularly sampled by a microcomputer inside a current control circuit. A low-frequency feedback circuit generates a signal for suppressing an error between DC components and low-frequency components of an input current command value Ir and a detected current value IL and outputs the signal. An output voltage computing circuit calculates, based on the input current command value Ir[n+1], a stored value Ir[n] of the current storage portion, a stored value of a constant storage portion, and the signal of the low-frequency feedback circuit, a voltage for suppling the electromagnet coil with a current in accordance with a command, and outputs the calculated voltage.

A bearing and/or seal assembly where pressurized gas (e.g., air) may be arranged to produce a contact-free bearing and/or seal is provided. The assembly includes a permeable body (12) including structural features (13) selectively engineered to convey a pressurized gas (Ps) from an inlet side (20) side of the permeable body to an outlet side (22) of the permeable body to form an annular film of the pressurized gas relative to the rotatable shaft. Disclosed embodiments may be produced by way of three-dimensional (3D) Printing/Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies with practically no manufacturing variability; and may also cost-effectively and reliably benefit from the relatively complex geometries and the features and/or conduits that may be involved to, for example, form the desired distribution pattern or impart a desired directionality to the pressurized gas conveyed through the permeable body of the bearing and/or seal assembly.