High pressure gas sealing

A method of modifying a progressive sealing system having a series of seals held in a stack of seal housings aligned to accept a reciprocating shaft therethrough, the method comprising:

• placing a port housing against a distal face of the stack of seal housings, the port housing defining a central aperture sized to accommodate the reciprocating shaft, and a port in fluid communication with the central aperture, the port housing accommodating an end seal configured to restrict flow along the reciprocating shaft with the progressive sealing system installed, with the end seal and a nearest one of the seals of the series of seals defining therebetween an intermediate pressure space in fluid communication with the port;
• and
• during installation to a compressor cylinder, of a gas compressor system, connecting the port to a compressor cylinder gas inlet of the gas compressor system such that, during operation, process gas leaked from the compression cylinder into the intermediate pressure space is ported back to the compressor cylinder gas inlet.

A method of sealing a reciprocating shaft that reciprocates in a gas compressor cylinder having a compressor cylinder gas outlet and a compressor cylinder gas inlet operating at differing pressures, the method comprising:

• positioning multiple seals along the reciprocating shaft, the seals defining at least one intermediate pressure space between adjacent seals;
• during operation of the gas compressor cylinder, routing process gas leaked from the gas compressor cylinder into the intermediate pressure space directly back to an compressor cylinder gas inlet of the gas processing compressor cylinder, the routed process gas flowing as a result of a pressure differential between the intermediate pressure space and the compressor cylinder gas inlet such that process gas leaked from the compression cylinder into the intermediate pressure space is ported back to the compressor cylinder gas inlet.