Mechanical sealing system and method for rotary machines
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsMichael Bernard Schmitz, Roderick Mark Lusted, Mohsen Salehi, Eric John Ruggiero, Leonardo Baldassarre
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotary machine includes a machine rotor, a machine stator, and a fluid seal disposed between the machine rotor and the machine stator. The fluid seal includes a fluid seal stator, a fluid seal rotor, and an active gap control mechanism coupled to the fluid seal stator. The fluid seal is configured to control a gap between the fluid seal stator and the fluid seal rotor.
Claims21
-26. (canceled)
A rotary machine, comprising:
- a machine rotor;
- a machine stator;
- and
- a fluid seal disposed between the machine rotor and the machine stator;
- comprising:
- a fluid seal stator,
- a fluid seal rotor, and
- an active gap control mechanism comprising one or more shape memory alloy devices coupled to the fluid seal stator, and configured to bias the fluid seal stator towards or away from the fluid seal rotor to control a gap between the fluid seal stator and the fluid seal rotor.
A rotary machine, comprising:
- a machine rotor;
- a machine stator;
- and
- a dry gas seal disposed between the machine rotor and the machine stator;
- comprising:
- a fluid seal stator,
- a fluid seal rotor, and
- an active gap control mechanism configured to bias the fluid seal stator towards or away from the fluid seal rotor to control a gap between the fluid seal stator and the fluid seal rotor.
A fluid sealing device, comprising:
- a fluid seal stator;
- a fluid seal rotor;
- and
- an electromechanical device comprising one or more shape memory alloy devices coupled to the fluid seal stator and configured to bias the fluid seal stator towards or away from the fluid seal rotor to control the flow of a sealing fluid via a gap between the fluid seal stator and the fluid seal rotor.
A method of operating a rotary machine comprising a machine rotor;
- a machine stator;
- and a fluid seal disposed between the machine rotor and the machine stator and comprising a fluid seal stator and a fluid seal rotor, the method comprising:
- biasing the fluid seal stator towards or away from the fluid seal rotor to actively control a flow of a sealing fluid via a gap between the fluid seal stator and the fluid seal rotor via a shape memory alloy device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.