Dresser-rand Company

David James Peer

William C Maier

Mark Joseph Kuzdzal

Jose L Gilarranz

James M Sorokes

Steven Rockwood

Kirk Ryan Lupkes

Andrew Jason Ranz

Paul Morrison Brown

Glenn Grosso

Joel D Johnson

Richard J Wiederien

Brian David Massey

Louis Lombardi

Martin D Maier

Harry Francis Miller

Scott David Wisler

David Andrew Taylor

Jerome F Hustak, Jr

Lingzhi Wang

Stephen G Clute

Robert E Kunselman

A support assembly and method for supporting an internal assembly in a casing of a turbomachine are provided. The support assembly may include a support member that may be slidably disposed in a recess formed in the internal assembly and configured to engage an inner surface of the casing. A biasing member may be disposed in a pocket extending radially inward from the recess. The biasing member may at least partially extend into the recess and may be configured to apply a biasing force to the support member disposed therein.

Support assembly for a turbomachine

A balance piston seal assembly for a balance piston of a compressor is provided. The balance piston seal assembly may include a balance piston seal configured to be disposed about the balance piston such that an inner radial surface of the balance piston seal and an outer radial surface of the balance piston define a radial clearance therebetween. The balance piston seal assembly may also include a plurality of heaters in thermal communication with the balance piston seal and configured to heat and thermally expand the balance piston seal and thereby increase a radial length of the radial clearance.

Electrically heated balance piston seal

A compressor may include a casing defining a discharge cavity and a seal cavity. A rotary shaft may be disposed in the casing, and a shaft seal assembly may be disposed in the seal cavity and about the rotary shaft. An impeller may be coupled with and configured to be driven by the rotary shaft. A balance piston may be integral with the impeller and may define the discharge cavity and the seal cavity. A balance piston seal may be disposed about the balance piston such that the balance piston seal and the balance piston define a radial clearance therebetween. The radial clearance may be configured to provide fluid communication from the impeller to the discharge cavity. A heat shield may be disposed in the discharge cavity, and may be configured to prevent the conduction of heat from the discharge cavity to the seal cavity via the casing.

Heat shield for pressure casing

A fluid compression system is disclosed having a hermetically-sealed housing with at least a motor and a compressor arranged therein. The motor may drive both the compressor and a blower device coupled to the housing or otherwise arranged within the housing and configured to circulate a cooling gas throughout the housing and thereby cool the motor and accompanying radial bearings. The blower device circulates the cooling gas through a closed-loop circuit which may include a heat exchanger and gas conditioning skid. Buffer seals may be used to seal the shaft on both sides of the compressor so as to prevent the migration of liquid and solid contaminants into the closed-loop cooling circuit.

Method and system for cooling a motor-compressor with a closed-loop cooling circuit

A balance piston seal assembly for a balance piston of a compressor is provided. The balance piston seal assembly may include a balance piston seal, a stationary support, and a gripping assembly disposed between the balance piston seal and the stationary support. The balance piston seal may be configured to be disposed about the balance piston such that an inner radial surface of the balance piston seal and an outer radial surface of the balance piston define a radial clearance therebetween. The stationary support may be configured to be coupled or integral with a casing of the compressor. The gripping assembly may be configured to secure the balance piston seal with the stationary support and to maintain concentricity between the balance piston seal and the balance piston during thermal radial expansion of the balance piston seal relative to the balance piston.

Balance piston seal centering

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.

System and cooling for rapid pressurization of a motor-bearing cooling loop for a hermetically sealed motor/compressor system

Balance piston assembly, apparatus, and methods are provided. The assembly includes a balance piston coupled to a rotatable shaft and configured to rotate therewith, the balance piston including a first shelf and a second shelf, the first and second shelves being axially-overlapping and radially-offset. The assembly also includes a seal including a first sealing surface configured to seal with the first shelf and a second sealing surface configured to seal with the second shelf.

Reduced leakage balance piston seal

A fluid compression system is disclosed having a hermetically-sealed housing with at least a motor and a compressor arranged therein. The motor may drive both the compressor and a blower device coupled to the housing or otherwise arranged within the housing and configured to circulate a cooling gas throughout the housing and thereby cool the motor and accompanying radial bearings. The blower device circulates the cooling gas through a closed-loop circuit which may include a heat exchanger and gas conditioning skid. Carbon ring seals may be used to seal the shaft on both sides of the compressor so as to prevent the migration of liquid and solid contaminants into the closed-loop cooling circuit.

A brush seal is disclosed that may include a spring-loaded seal arrangement configured to conform to a wide range of sealing diameters along the length of a rotor of a turbomachine. In particular, the brush seal may be manufactured with free ends configured to overlap and provide a finite amount of radially expandable/contractible play and yet maintain an effective seal. Consequently, the same brush seal design may be used in a range of locations along a rotor length without the need to specifically manufacture separate brush seals for each variance in dimension.

Spiral wound bound seal

A seal assembly is for a compressor including a casing having first and second chambers and a shaft extending through the casing between the two chambers. The seal assembly includes a main body disposed about the shaft and between the two chambers and having a central axis, an inner surface spaced radially outwardly from the shaft to form a seal chamber. Annular sealing members are connected with the main body and extend radially from the body inner surface toward the shaft, the sealing members preventing flow between the first and second chambers through the seal chamber. A separator is coupled with the shaft adjacent to the main body and has separation passages fluidly connecting one of the two chambers with the seal chamber, each passage extending radially with respect to the shaft axis so as to direct liquids and solids contacting the passage inner surface away from the seal chamber.

Shaft isolation seal

A shaft support device for a turbomachine including a rotary body and a stationary body. The rotary body is attached to a shaft of the turbomachine, and includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion has a thrust bearing collar and the second portion has a thrust balance piston. The first and second portions are axially overlapping. The stationary body is fixably attached to a casing of the turbomachine. The stationary body has a first thrust bearing portion that is disposed adjacent to and operatively engages the first portion of the rotary body.

Compact shaft support device for turbomachines

A sealing assembly configured to seal a rotating shaft of a turbo machine having a high pressure process gas, comprising a housing defining a bore configured to receive the rotating shaft and sealing assembly, wherein the housing is mounted to a casing of the turbo machine; a first sealing stage comprising a single dry gas seal and configured to blow down the high pressure process gas to a lower pressure; a labyrinth seal mounted longitudinally outward from the first sealing stage; and a second sealing stage mounted longitudinally outward from the labyrinth seal, wherein the second sealing stage comprises a tandem dry gas seal having a primary dry gas seal and a secondary dry gas seal axially spaced with an intermediate labyrinth seal.

Dry gas blow down seal

A high pressure turbomachine includes a casing having an interior chamber, an opening into the interior chamber, and a generally annular wall section extending about the opening and having an outer circumferential surface. A closure device is engageable with the casing and includes a body having an inner circumferential overlap surface defining an opening. The closure body is configured to receive at least a portion of the casing annular wall section within the body opening such that the closure body overlap surface extends about the annular wall section outer surface so that the body substantially closes the casing opening. When the casing chamber contains high pressure fluid, the casing wall section expands radially outwardly such that the casing section outer surface pushes generally radially outwardly against the closure body overlap surface, the closure body being configured to either minimize or substantially prevent casing wall radial expansion.

Closure device for a turbomachine casing

Thrust compensating apparatus for providing a thrust force to compensate for the thrust forces applied to the shaft of single stage overhung turbo machines by the fluid pressure in the cavity of the turbo machine is disclosed and includes a thrust compensating member attached to the shaft of the turbo machine and having a first surface subjected to the fluid pressure in the cavity, an annular seal, an annulus cavity formed by a second surface of the thrust compensating member and the annular seal and venting apparatus for controlling the fluid pressure in the annulus cavity resulting in a compensating thrust force being applied to the thrust compensating member as a result of the differential in pressure across the first and second surfaces of the thrust compensating member.

Growing community of inventors

Olean, NY, United States of America

David James Peer