Abstract: A process for ensuring the operability of gas seals in turbocompressors, especially turbocompressors with a higher operating pressure and a higher shutdown pressure which have gas-lubricated sliding-ring seals for sealing the shaft lead-throughs and in which cleaned gas is fed to the gas-lubricated sliding-ring seals from a higher-pressure tapping location proceeding from the turbocompressor. While the turbocompressor is shut down the pressure of the gas outside of the turbocompressor is increased above the pressure level prevailing during shutdown using a pressure booster unit, and the gas is fed in a cleaned state to the gas-lubricated sliding-ring seals.

Abstract: A turbocompressor shaft seal, especially for a high-pressure turbocompressor, has each of its gas-side and atmosphere-side slide rings biased toward a rotor ring of the shaft and associated with blocking-liquid compartments which are interconnected by an annular passage around the rotor ring. The compartments are connected in a closed circulation path with a circulating pump and a cooler and leakage liquid is returned by a feed pump to the liquid circulation with the aid of a pressure transformer biased on one side by the gas pressure to be sealed and an adjustable spring force and, on the other side, by the pressure of the blocking liquid.

Abstract: A turbocompressor shaft seal, especially for a high-pressure turbocompressor, has each of its gas-side and atmosphere-side slide rings biased toward a rotor ring of the shaft and associated with blocking-liquid compartments which are interconnected by an annular passage aroung the rotor ring. The compartments are connected in a closed circulation path with a circulating pump and a cooler and leakage liquid is returned by a feed pump to the liquid circulation with the aid of a pressure transformer biased on one side by the gas pressure to be sealed and an adjustable spring force and, on the other side, by the pressure of the blocking liquid. The surface area ratio K between the area of the atmosphere-side slide ring biased by the blocking liquid pressure toward the rotor ring and the sealing area of the atmosphere-side slide ring is substantially 0.45 to 0.60, the thermal conductivity of the slide rings and rotor rings is greater than 250,000 N/mm.sup.