Methods and systems for sealing rotating equipment such as expanders or compressors

A system for distributing pressure across one or more chamber seals, comprising:

• a machine, configured to handle process fluid, the machine comprising a higher pressure process pipe and a lower pressure process pipe, fluidly coupled to a first pressure chamber, the first pressure chamber comprising a process chamber, fluidly coupled to the machine, wherein the first pressure chamber is configured to be pressurized by the process fluid;
• and
• a second pressure chamber comprising a bearing chamber, fluidly coupled to the first pressure chamber, wherein the second pressure chamber is configured to be pressurized by the process fluid;
• one or more chamber seals, configured to maintain pressure differential between the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber;
• a rotating element, configured in the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber,
• wherein the second chamber is connected via a pressure balancing line to a point in the machine that is at a lower pressure than the pressure at the second pressure chamber,
• and wherein the machine is configured to direct at least a portion of the process fluid through the one or more chamber seals by inducing a configured pressure differential across the one or more chamber seals via the balancing line, to induce fluid flow that cascades (i) from the first pressure chamber to the second pressure chamber, and then (ii) from the second pressure chamber to the point in the machine that is at a lower pressure than the pressure at the second pressure chamber.