US 5,803,169 A · Rotary stuffing box and seal assembly

Abstract

A rotary stuffing box assembly, particularly adapted to form a rotary shaft seal for a downhole well pump includes a housing mountable on the upper end of the well tubing or other support structure and a cover threadedly connected to the housing and forming a closed chamber in the housing for holding a quantity of seal lubricant and/or coolant fluid. A resilient rotary shaft seal element is retained in a seal holder within the housing by an axially split seal retainer which is mountable in a bore in the seal holder. The retainer and the seal holder are retained between opposed transverse faces on the cover and on the housing and the seal holder engages a retaining pin on a threaded plug which closes a fluid drain port of the housing. The seal holder and retainer are operable to undergo limited radial excursion to accommodate eccentricity or excursion of the shaft. Spare seal elements may be carried on the shaft adjacent to the cover and the shaft may have a replaceable and adjustable hard faced sleeve defining a seal element engaging surface. The seal element may be changed without disconnecting or removing a pump drive structure from the shaft or removing the stuffing box from its support structure.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A stuffing box and seal assembly for forming a substantially fluid-tight seal at a rotary shaft, comprising:

a housing including means for connecting said housing to a support structure, said housing including a bore for receiving a rotary shaft extending therethrough, a first transverse face on said housing and a chamber defined at least in part by said housing;
a cover including a transverse wall portion and a bore extending therethrough for receiving said rotary shaft, said cover including a second transverse face adapted to be opposed to said first transverse face, said cover and said housing including cooperable means for connecting said cover to said housing;
a seal holder disposed in said chamber and including means for supporting a resilient seal element, said seal holder including a third transverse face operable to be opposed to and adjacent to said first transverse face;
and
a seal retainer operable to be disposed around said rotary shaft and including opposed surfaces thereon engageable with said seal holder and said second transverse face for retaining said seal element in a working position in sealing engagement with said rotary shaft, said seal retainer including opposed parts adapted to be disposed around said rotary shaft and retained between said cover and said seal holder, said parts of said seal retainer being separable one from the other for removing said seal retainer from said rotary shaft to provide for replacing a seal element supported on said seal holder.

2 more elements

A stuffing box and seal assembly for providing a substantially fluid tight seal at a rotary shaft for a downhole well pump, comprising:

a housing including means for connecting said housing to an upper end of a fluid conducting conduit for conducting fluid from a well, said housing including a bore for receiving a rotary shaft extending through said housing and within said conduit, said housing including a first transverse face delimiting a chamber within said housing;
a cover including a transverse end wall and a bore extending therethrough for receiving said rotary shaft, said cover including a second transverse face opposed to said first transverse face and delimiting said chamber, said cover and said housing including cooperating threads formed thereon for connecting said cover to said housing;
a seal holder disposed in said chamber and including a bore for receiving a resilient seal element engageable with said rotary shaft and forming a seal around said shaft to substantially prevent fluid in said conduit from flowing from said conduit to the exterior thereof through said stuffing box assembly, said seal holder including a third transverse face disposed adjacent to said first transverse face;
seal means interposed between said first and third transverse faces and forming a substantially fluid tight seal between said seal holder and said housing to prevent leakage of fluid from said conduit into said chamber;
a spacer member including opposed surfaces thereon engageable with said seal holder and said cover for retaining said seal holder in a working position in said chamber, said spacer member including plural opposed parts operable to be assembled around said rotary shaft when said spacer member is disposed between said cover and said seal holder;
and
means engageable with said seal holder for retaining said seal holder against substantial rotation with respect to said housing.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Rotary stuffing box and seal assembly

Life of this patent

Rotary stuffing box and seal assembly

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29