Rotary machine

A rotary machine comprising:

• a housing which composes a wall surface of the rotary machine, in which a pressure of a fluid is to be increased so as to be in a supercritical state and which houses the fluid in the supercritical state;
• a rotary shaft that penetrates the housing and is rotary-driven;
• rotation rings that are around the rotary shaft and rotate integrally with the rotary shaft;
• stationary rings that are in the housing and oppose the rotation rings, respectively, wherein opposing surfaces of the stationary rings and the rotation rings contact each other along entire circumferences thereof when the rotary shaft is stopped, and wherein the stationary rings are positioned in a state in which sealing gaps are defined between the rotation rings and the stationary rings when the rotary shaft rotates;
• a heater that is housed within any one of the rotation rings and the stationary rings;
• and
• a circulating system that circulates a portion of the fluid housed in the housing so as to continuously supply the fluid to the sealing gaps between the rotation rings and the stationary rings,
• wherein the circulating system comprises:
• a circulating pipe path connected to the housing, a first end of the circulating pipe path being connected to a second channel at a location immediately upstream of the sealing gaps, the second channel being an inlet port configured to supply the fluid into the housing, and a second end of the circulating pipe path being connected to a first channel at a location spaced from the second channel, the first channel being an outlet port configured to exhaust the fluid from the housing,
• a supply pipe path extending from an inside of the rotary machine, being connected to the circulating pipe path, and being configured to supply the portion of the fluid to the circulating pipe path,
• a circulating pump in the circulating pipe path between a connection of the circulating pipe path to the first channel and a connection of the circulating pipe path to the second channel, the circulating pump being configured to deliver the fluid, and
• a control unit that controls operation of the heater,
• a flow meter which measures a flow amount of the fluid in the circulating pipe path, and
• a display screen or a speaker on the control unit, the display screen being configured to show an alarm or the speaker being configured to sound a warning alarm,
• wherein the rotation rings and the stationary rings defining the sealing gaps are heated at inlet portions of the sealing gaps to a predetermined temperature by the heater before the rotary shaft is driven,
• wherein the control unit is configured to (i) determine an occurrence of a fluid leak from the circulating pipe path by a measurement value of the flow meter, (ii) provide notification, by the display screen or the speaker, of the fluid leak from the circulating pipe path in a case in which the occurrence of the fluid leak from the circulating pipe path is determined, (iii) determine whether an amount of a fluid leak from the sealing gaps is within an allowed range, and (iv) announce, by the display screen or the speaker, that the amount of the fluid leak from the sealing gaps is not within the allowed range in a case in which in which the occurrence of the fluid leak from the circulating pipe path is not determined.

A rotary machine comprising:

• a housing which composes a wall surface of the rotary machine, in which a pressure of a fluid is to be increased to be in a supercritical state and which houses the fluid in the supercritical state;
• a rotary shaft that penetrates the housing and is rotary-driven;
• rotation rings that are around the rotary shaft and rotate integrally with the rotary shaft;
• stationary rings that are in the housing and oppose the rotation rings, respectively, wherein opposing surfaces of the stationary rings and the rotation rings contact each other along entire circumferences thereof when the rotary shaft is stopped, and wherein the stationary rings are positioned in a state in which sealing gaps are defined between the rotation rings and the stationary rings when the rotary shaft rotates;
• a heater that is housed in the housing in a vicinity of a second channel at a location immediately upstream of the sealing gaps, the second channel being an inlet port configured to supply the fluid into the housing;
• and
• a circulating system that circulates a portion of the fluid housed in the housing so as to continuously supply the fluid to the sealing gaps between the rotation rings and the stationary rings,
• wherein the circulating system comprises:
• a circulating pipe path connected to the housing, a first end of the circulating pipe path being connected to the second channel, and a second end of the circulating pipe path being connected to a first channel at a location spaced from the second channel, the first channel being an outlet port configured to exhaust the fluid from the housing,
• a supply pipe path extending from an inside of the rotary machine, being connected to the circulating pipe path, and being configured to supply the portion of the fluid to the circulating pipe path,
• a circulating pump in the circulating pipe path between a connection of the circulating pipe path to the first channel and a connection of the circulating pipe path to the second channel, the circulating pump being configured to deliver the fluid, and
• a control unit that controls operation of the heater,
• a flow meter which measures a flow amount of the fluid in the circulating pipe path;
• and
• a display screen or a speaker on the control unit, the display screen being configured to show an alarm or the speaker being configured to sound a warning alarm,
• wherein the rotation rings and the stationary rings defining the sealing gaps are heated at inlet portions of the sealing gaps to a predetermined temperature by the heater before the rotary shaft is driven,
• wherein the control unit is configured to (i) determine an occurrence of a fluid leak from the circulating pipe path by a measurement value of the flow meter, (ii) provide notification, by the display screen or the speaker, of the fluid leak from the circulating pipe path in a case in which the occurrence of the fluid leak from the circulating pipe path is determined, (iii) determine whether an amount of a fluid leak from the sealing gaps is within an allowed range, and (iv) announce, by the display screen or the speaker, that the amount of the fluid leak from the sealing gaps is not within the allowed range in a case in which in which the occurrence of the fluid leak from the circulating pipe path is not determined.