Fluid pumped into hydrostatic bearing systems keep the rocket engine and chiller unit's rotating turbopump shaft centered in the pump, reducing friction and extending the life of the bearings. The fluid enters the small space between the bearing and the shaft through six or more points around the perimeter of the rotating shaft. Hydrostatic bearings used in the commercial cooling and refrigeration industry have significant environmental advantages over freon which is now used.
Used oil is hazardous waste.
Eliminating the need for lubricating oil, which contaminates coolant in traditional refrigerant compressors, improves heat transfer performance, reduces unit costs and power costs, increases reliability, and extends the unit's life. Units with hydrostatic bearings will also be cheaper to fabricate and assemble. Jonathan Shaw, manager of communications for Carrier Corp., said he believes the hydrostatic bearings technology will keep the U.S. firm on top of the world's air conditioning and refrigeration equipment market. He also projects that new jobs will be created as manufacturing facilities for hydrostatic bearing air conditioners chiller units come on-line before the end of the century. Future military and NASA rocket engines would be much lighter as a result of hydrostatic bearing pumps because the new technology has ten times fewer parts than its traditional counterpart.