US 5,772,214 AGranted

Automatic shut down seal control

AssigneeCarrier Corporation

InventorMichael A. Stark

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An apparatus for automatically closing a shutdown seal on an open-drive centrifugal compressor to prevent the loss of refrigerant and damage to the seal, including a seal housing encompassing a rotor shaft, containing a shutdown seal and a running seal; the rotor shaft driven by a motor and axially moveable between the shutdown and running position, the shutdown position illustrated by the shutdown seal in the closed position and the running seal in the open position, the running position illustrated by the shutdown seal in the open position and the running seal in the closed position; a pressurized oil supply to move the shaft between the shutdown and running positions; a first sensor to determine when the motor is operating; a second sensor to measure the oil pressure; a solenoid controlling a release valve to remove pressure from the oil supply to move the shaft from the running position to the shutdown position once the motor has been inoperative for a given period of time and the oil pressure has fallen below a given pressure.

Claims5

Dependent claims

Apparatus for automatically closing a shutdown seal for an open-drive centrifugal compressor that compresses a fluid that includes

a seal housing encompassing a rotor shaft, said housing containing a shutdown seal and a running seal;
said rotor shaft driven by a motor and axially moveable between a first and second position, said first position defined by said shutdown seal in the closed position and said running seal in the open position, said second position defined by said shutdown seal in the open position and said running seal in the closed position;
means for applying a hydraulic pressure against said shaft to move said shaft from said first position to said second position;
first sensing means to determine when said motor is operating;
second sensing means to measure the oil pressure applied to said shaft;
relief means responsive to said first sensing means and said second sensing means for removing hydraulic pressure from said shaft when said sensing means determines said motor has been inoperative for a given period of time and the oil pressure determined by said second sensing means has fallen below a given pressure;
whereby said shaft is forced by compressed fluid from said second position to said first position.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.