Reciprocating rod pump seal assembly
OwnerHarold H. Palmourinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In accordance with illustrative embodiments of the present invention, a combination stuffing box and pressure transmitter system for use with a reciprocating rod or plunger pump includes a housing that carries primary and secondary seal assemblies separated by an oil-filled chamber. A pressure transmitter transmits the pressure of the fluid being pumped to the oil in the chamber so that the secondary seal assembly operates under substantially balanced pressure conditions with little or no tendency of the pumped fluids to leak past it, while the primary seal assembly operates under optimum conditions to prevent leakage of oil having known characteristics to the environment.
Claims22
An assembly for use in sealing against fluid leakage along the plunger or rod of a pumping apparatus having intake and discharge passages and valve means for controlling the direction of the flow of fluids through said passages, said rod reciprocating axially within a body during pump strokes, comprising:
- primary seal means in said body engaging said rod to prevent fluid leakage;
- secondary seal means in said body axially spaced with respect to said primary seal means and engaging said rod to prevent fluid leakage, said secondary seal means being subject on one side to the pressure of a fluid being pumped;
- chamber means between said primary and secondary seal means, said chamber means being filled with a lubricating oil so that secondary seal means is subject on its other side to the pressure of the lubricating oil;
- and pressure transmitter means for transmitting the pressure of fluids in said body between said valve means to said lubricating oil to substantially equalize the pressures across said secondary seal means to thereby prevent leakage into said cavity of said fluid during pumping.
A stuffing box and pressure transmitter assembly for use in preventing fluid leakage along the rod and to the outside of a reciprocating plunger type pump, comprising:
- a body having a pump chamber;
- an inlet to said pump chamber and first check valve means for allowing only inward flow of fluid to said chamber;
- an outlet from said pump chamber and second check valve means for allowing only outward flow of fluid from said chamber;
- said rod extending into said chamber and adapted to draw fluid into said chamber via said inlet and first check valve means during movement in one axial direction and to displace fluid from said chamber under pressure via said outlet and second check valve means during movement in the opposite axial direction;
- a housing mounted on said body and having an outer end, said rod extending from the outside of said housing therethrough and into said chamber;
- primary seal means between said housing and said rod located adjacent said outer end of said housing;
- secondary seal means between said housing and said rod located between said primary seal means and said body;
- an annular cavity formed within said housing between said primary and secondary seal means, said cavity being filled with a lubricating oil;
- and pressure transmitter means for transmitting the pressures in said pump chamber between said first and second check valve means during movement of said rod in each of said axial directions to said lubricating oil in said cavity to substantially equalize the pressures on opposite sides of said secondary seal means and thereby prevent leakage of fluid from said pump chamber into said cavity and contamination of said lubricating oil thereby, while allowing pressure differentials to exist across said primary seal means while it acts to contain said lubricating oil within said cavity.
An assembly for use in sealing against fluid leakage along the rod of a pumping apparatus of the like that operates to discharge fluid through an outlet check valve that comes in through an inlet check valve, said rod reciprocating axially within a body during pump strokes, comprising:
- primary seal means in said body engaging said rod to prevent fluid leakage out of said body;
- secondary seal means in said body axially spaced with respect to said primary seal means and engaging said rod to prevent fluid leakage, said secondary seal means being mounted in an elongated cylindrical region that is outlined in part by an inwardly facing annular surface on said body and in part by an external surface of said rod;
- means for subjecting one side of said secondary seal means to the pressure of fluid being pumped;
- cavity mens being formed between said primary and secondary seal means, said cavity means being filled with a lubricating oil so that the other side of said secondary seal means is subject to the pressure of lubricating oil;
- and transmitter means for transmitting the pressure of said fluid between said inlet and outlet check valves to said lubricating oil to thereby substantially equalize the pressures acting across said secondary seal means to prevent leakage of said fluid being pumped into said cavity means and for applying the pressure of said fluid to said primary seal means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.