Bearing pressure balance apparatus

An apparatus for balancing a pressure differential across a bearing, comprising:

• an impeller on a shaft;
• the impeller having an upstream side and a downstream side;
• a bearing housing on the downstream side of the impeller;
• a plurality of annular grooves on the downstream side of the impeller;
• the plurality of annular grooves concentrically situated in relation to the shaft;
• the shaft having a cylindrical outer surface;
• and
• a plurality of grooves on the shaft;
• a fluid channel housing situated downstream from the bearing housing;
• and
• a fluid channel traveling through the fluid channel housing.

An apparatus for balancing a pressure differential across a bearing, comprising:

• an impeller on a shaft;
• the impeller having an upstream side and a downstream side;
• a bearing housing on the downstream side of the impeller;
• a plurality of annular grooves on the downstream side of the impeller;
• the plurality of annular grooves concentrically situated in relation to the shaft;
• and
• a labyrinth seal situated downstream from the bearing housing;
• the labyrinth seal being positioned around the shaft with a seal gap adjacent the shaft, the gap being sufficient in size to permit flow of pressure balancing fluid therethrough.

An apparatus for balancing a pressure differential across a bearing, comprising:

• an impeller on a shaft;
• the impeller having an upstream side and a downstream side;
• a bearing housing on the downstream side of the impeller;
• a plurality of annular grooves on the downstream side of the impeller;
• the plurality of annular grooves concentrically situated in relation to the shaft;
• and
• a labyrinth seal situated downstream from the bearing housing;
• the labyrinth seal including a plurality of discs
• a fluid channel housing situated downstream from the bearing housing;
• and
• a fluid channel traveling through the fluid channel housing.

A die cast aluminum compressor housing, comprising:

• an impeller on a shaft;
• the shaft within a bore in a compressor housing;
• the impeller having an upstream side and a downstream side;
• a bearing housing on the downstream side of the impeller;
• a plurality of annular grooves on the downstream side of the impeller;
• the plurality of annular grooves concentrically situated in relation to the shaft;
• the shaft having a cylindrical outer surface;
• a plurality of grooves on the cylindrical outer surface of the shaft;
• a fluid channel housing situated downstream from the bearing housing;
• and
• a fluid channel traveling through the fluid channel housing.

A method of balancing pressure within a compressor housing, comprising:

• providing annular grooves on an impeller on a downstream side of the impeller to produce aerodynamic resistance to a flow of a compressed gas;
• rotating the impeller with a shaft;
• positioning a bearing housing around the outer circumference of the shaft and downstream from the impeller;
• and
• directing the aerodynamically resisted flow of the compressed gas to a downstream side of the bearing housing thereby counteracting a pressure differential across the bearing housing.

A method of balancing pressure within a compressor housing, comprising:

• providing annular grooves on an impeller;
• using a shaft to rotate the impeller;
• positioning a bearing housing around the outer circumference of the shaft and downstream from the impeller;
• positioning a labyrinth seal downstream from the bearing housing with a seal gap relative to the shaft;
• and
• directing the aerodynamically resisted flow of the compressed gas to a downstream side of the bearing housing and through the seal gap thereby counteracting a pressure differential across the bearing housing.

A method of compressing a gas without causing bearing lubricant leak, comprising:

• flowing a compressed gas into a compressor housing;
• applying aerodynamic resistance to the compressed gas;
• and
• directing the compressed gas around a bearing to expose an upstream and a downstream side of the bearing to the compressed gas to preclude flow of the compressed gas through the bearing.