Patent ID: 7628581

Claim:
A rotating machine comprising: a rotor shaft which is rotatable about an axis and includes at least one slot; wherein the at least one slot comprises at least one concentrically continuous annular slot; wherein the at least one concentrically continuous annular slot has a slot bottom with a continuous elliptic cross-sectional contour; wherein the large major axis of the elliptic cross-sectional contour runs in the axial direction and the small major axis runs in a radial direction; a stator which concentrically surrounds the rotor shaft at a distance; a shaft seal arranged between the stator and the rotor shaft and comprising the at least one continuous annular slot; and at least one sealing element for each of said at least one continuous annular slot, which at least one sealing element is fastened to the stator and sealingly engages into the associated continuous annular slot to form a labyrinth seal.