Spiral groove seal arrangement for high vapor-pressure liquids
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United States of America Patent
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-
Dec 10, 1991
Grant Date -
N/A
app pub date -
Jul 17, 1990
filing date -
Jul 17, 1990
priority date (Note) -
Expired
status (Latency Note)
Importance
Abstract
A seal system is disclosed for sealing a housing and rotatable shaft against leakage of high vapor-pressure liquids such as natural gas. The method of sealing comtemplates phase change of the liquefied hydrocarbon fluid across a first module. The gas so formed is contained by a second seal module which operates as a dry running gas seal. The seal system has plural, axially spaced spiral-groove seal modules mounted between the shaft and housing. Each seal module has a primary ring affixed to the housing and a mating ring affixed for rotation with the shaft and the modules define an intermediate cavity. The rings have opposed, radially extending faces, one of which has a plurality of downstream pumping spiral grooves extending from one circumference. The grooves of the grooved ring of the upstream module have a pattern which upon shaft rotation creates shear heating of the liquefied hydrocarbon fluid. The pattern has a land/groove surface area ratio greater than one and preferably a ratio of approximately three. The dam portion relative to groove portion surface area is also preferably greater than one and the preferred dam/groove ratio is approximately three.
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