Refrigerator, installation including such a refrigerator and refrigeration process

Abstract

The invention relates to a gas-cycle refrigerator comprising a compression system (16), a cooling system (3, 4), and an expansion system (26), the expansion system comprising at least one expansion turbine (26) coupled to a compressor (26), the expansion turbine (26) and the compressor (16) being coupled on either side of a common shaft (20), the expansion turbine (26), the compressor, and the shaft (20) being housed in a casing (19) containing a first chamber (15) for the compressor (16), a second intermediate chamber for the shaft (20), and a third chamber (24) for the turbine (26), the refrigerator (6) comprising a set of pressurized fluid circuits (11, 12, 13, 14) communicating through at least two cavities (14, 18, 17, 11) located in the second chamber to provide pressurized gas flows to attenuate or cancel the axial force on the shaft (20), the shaft (20) comprising,between the turbine (26) and the compressor (16) at least one discoidal flange (10) extending transversely to its axis of rotation, the flange (10) being associated with at least one labyrinth-type seal (9) to longitudinally separate two cavities (18, 17) intended to be subjected to distinct pressures on either side of the flange (10). Abbreviated figure: Fig. 1,

Claims

18, 17, 11, 22) to generate an opposing longitudinal counter-force of the same or substantially equal intensity to limit the resulting axial force on the shaft. [Fig. 1] / V [Fig. 2]

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