Electromagnetic carbon seal system
AssigneeRolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
InventorTimothy Unton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A seal system may include a static housing, a carbon seal positioned in the static housing, a runner having a sealing surface aligned with the carbon seal, a number of electromagnets positioned in the static housing, and a controller circuitry. The controller circuitry may control a variable flow of electric current to control an electromagnetic field respectively generated by each of the electromagnets. The controller circuitry may variably apply the electromagnetic field to move at least one of the carbon seal or the runner and correspondingly adjust an applied force loading of an interface of the carbon seal and the sealing surface of the runner.
Claims20
A seal system comprising:
- a runner;
- a carbon seal aligned with the runner at a sealing surface of the runner, one of the carbon seal or the runner coupled with a rotating member;
- a static housing supporting the carbon seal or the runner to maintain alignment of the carbon seal with the sealing surface of the runner, the carbon seal being moveable with respect to the runner and the static housing;
- a plurality of electromagnets, each having a respective variable magnetic field;
- and
- a controller circuitry configured to dynamically and selectively control the respective variable magnetic field of the electromagnets to adjust a sealing force loading of an interface of the carbon seal and the sealing surface of the runner.
A seal system comprising:
- a static housing;
- a carbon seal positioned in the static housing;
- a runner having a sealing surface aligned with the carbon seal;
- a plurality of electromagnets positioned in the static housing;
- and
- a controller circuitry configured to control a variable flow of current to control an electromagnetic field respectively generated by each of the electromagnets,
- the controller circuitry further configured to variably apply the electromagnetic field to move at least one of the carbon seal or the runner and correspondingly adjust an applied force loading of an interface of the carbon seal and the sealing surface of the runner.
A method of sealing comprising:
- placing a carbon seal in alignment with a sealing surface of a runner, one of the carbon seal or the runner coupled to a rotating member and an other of the carbon seal or the runner being held in a static housing;
- energizing a plurality of electromagnets with a power supply to create respective magnetic fields for each of the electromagnets;
- dynamically adjusting the power supply to dynamically adjust a magnetic energy of the respective magnetic fields;
- and
- moving at least one of the carbon seal or the runner and correspondingly adjusting an applied force loading of an interface of the carbon seal and the sealing surface of the runner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.