Centrifugal fluid seal with drain holes and fluid diverting means

• Main Author: ERNST; HERMANN H. F
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 17.01.1984
• Subjects: BLASTING; CYLINDERS; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PISTONS; SEALINGS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; WEAPONS

A centrifugal fluid seal construction may be employed to provide a pressure seal along a rotating shaft passing through a housing wall, and may also be employed as a containment seal where the pressure drop across the seal is minimal. Each of the disclosed embodiments includes a hollow rotor formed by an annular cup enclosed by an annular cover and adapted to be sealingly mounted on the shaft. Drain holes are present near the outer periphery of the hollow rotor. The housing has structure including an annular cap that defines a cavity in which the rotor is disposed in closely spaced relation to the housing. The housing cap has a cylindrical portion that extends into the rotor through the annular rotor cover and defines therewith an annular gap for fluid that may have leaked to pass radially outwardly under the influence of centrifugal force to the drain holes. Along such path there are conducting means for increasing the surface area in the form of axially spaced annular laminations or unified porous material. On the cylindrical portion of the housing cap that projects into the rotor, there are diverting means which divert fluid from the gap toward the drain holes, such means being in the form of an annular step, annular grooves with sharp crests, or an annular flange, and in each instance, such diverting means does not extend into any liquid volume. With this arrangement only liquid or air separate the moving and stationary parts and a zero-leakage seal capable of high-speed operation at adverse temperatures or sealing fluids may be utilized.