Seal
AssigneeRedseal Limited
InventorMartin McKenzie
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device to provide a seal between a housing for a moving element such as a drill chain, piston or the like and the moving element. The device comprising a storage well to retain seal material, the block having an outlet connecting with an aperture in a housing enabling seal material to flow into the space between a housing and the moving element and form a seal, the device further including an inlet port enabling seal material precursor to be added into the block, and pressurising means to pressurise the seal material precursor and force it out of the aperture.
Claims20
A device to provide a seal between a housing for a moving element and the moving element, the device comprising:
- a storage well to retain a seal material, the storage well having an aperture in the housing connecting the storage well with an external surface of the moving element, enabling seal material to flow into a space between the housing and the moving element;
- and
- pressurising means to pressurise the seal material and force it out of the aperture and into contact with the moving element to form a seal,
- wherein the device comprises an inlet port enabling a seal material precursor to be introduced into the storage well, and
- wherein the seal material precursor is allowed to set to form the seal material in the device.
A method of producing a seal, the method comprising the steps of:
- mounting a seal forming device to a casing, the device including a housing enclosing a portion of a reciprocating or rotating article with which the seal is to be made with the housing, wherein the device comprises
- a storage well to retain a seal material;
- a communicating aperture connecting the storage well with an external surface of an article;
- an inlet enabling seal material precursor to be introduced into the storage well;
- and
- pressurising means to apply pressure to the seal material;
- (ii) introducing flowable seal material precursor into the storage well;
- (iii) allowing the seal material precursor to set into the seal material;
- (iv) applying pressure via the pressurising means to force the seal material through the communicating aperture into an open volume between the housing and the article to seal a space between the housing and the article;
- and
- (v) introducing further seal material precursor to retain seal material in the storage well.
A device to provide a seal between a housing for a moving element and the moving element, the device comprising:
- a storage well to retain a seal material, the storage well having an aperture in the housing connecting the storage well with an external surface of the moving element and enabling the seal material to pass into a space between the housing and the moving element;
- and
- pressurising means to pressurise the seal material and force the seal material out of the aperture and into contact with the moving element to form the seal,
- wherein the seal material comprises a solid resilient seal material,
- wherein the device is configured to enable additional seal material to be introduced into the storage well between the pressurising means and the solid resilient seal material to replenish the solid resilient seal material,
- wherein the pressurising means is configured to pressurise the additional seal material against the solid resilient seal material, and
- wherein the device is configured to receive a preformed solid seal element to replenish the solid resilient seal material.
A method of producing a seal, the method comprising the steps of:
- (i) providing a device comprising a storage well for retaining seal material and a housing, the housing enclosing a portion of a reciprocating or rotating article with which the seal is to be made and comprising an aperture connecting the storage well with an external surface of the article;
- (ii) providing a solid resilient seal material in the storage well of the device;
- (iii) applying pressure via a pressurising means to force the solid resilient seal material through the aperture into an open volume between the housing and the article to seal a space between the housing and the article;
- and
- (iv) replenishing the solid resilient seal material by:
- introducing additional seal material into the storage well of the device;
- and
- pressurising the additional seal material against the solid resilient seal material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.