Hydraulic seal arrangement
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorColin Young
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hydraulic seal arrangement for a rotating machine comprises an annular housing disposed around a shaft having an axis of rotation, the annular housing being relatively rotatable with respect to the shaft and having a sealing fluid zone within a radially outer portion of an interior of the annular housing. A fin extends radially from the shaft into the annular housing, with at least a portion of the fin extending radially into the sealing fluid zone. In use, the sealing fluid is centrifugally accelerated before being directly introduced into the sealing fluid zone by a sealing fluid inlet so as to generate a swirl component upon its introduction.
Claims16
A hydraulic seal arrangement for a rotating machine, the hydraulic seal arrangement comprising:
- an annular housing disposed around a shaft having an axis of rotation, the shaft and the annular housing being relatively rotatable, the annular housing comprising a sealing fluid zone within a radially outer portion of an interior of the annular housing;
- and
- a fin extending radially from the shaft into the annular housing, at least a portion of the fin extending radially into the sealing fluid zone, wherein:
- sealing fluid introduced through the shaft is centrifugally accelerated, in use, before being directly introduced into the sealing fluid zone by a sealing fluid inlet, to generate a swirl component upon introduction therein;
- in use, the sealing fluid zone is filled with the sealing fluid so that the sealing fluid extends across an entire radial distance between a tip end of the fin and a face of a radially outer wall of the annular housing that is opposite the tip end of the fin;
- and
- the sealing fluid introduced by the sealing fluid inlet is a liquid.
A hydraulic seal arrangement for a rotating machine, the hydraulic seal arrangement comprising:
- an annular housing disposed around a shaft having an axis of rotation, the shaft and the annular housing being relatively rotatable, the annular housing comprising a sealing fluid zone within a radially outer portion of an interior of the annular housing;
- a fin extending radially from the shaft into the annular housing, at least a portion of the fin extending radially into the sealing fluid zone, wherein:
- sealing fluid introduced through the shaft is centrifugally accelerated, in use, to a circumferential velocity or tangential speed which is at least substantially equivalent to either or both of the circumferential velocity or tangential speed of the sealing fluid inlet, before being directly introduced into the sealing fluid zone by a sealing fluid inlet configured to generate a swirl component within the sealing fluid zone upon introduction of the sealing fluid therein;
- in use, the sealing fluid zone is filled with the sealing fluid so that the sealing fluid extends across an entire radial distance between a tip end of the fin and a face of a radially outer wall of the annular housing that is opposite the tip end of the fin;
- and
- the sealing fluid introduced by the sealing fluid inlet is a liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.