Dynamic seal for a drive shaft
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorJohn A. Rothlisberger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dynamic seal for a drive shaft including a seal housing with at least one inlet for injecting a fluid, (i.e., a liquid or gas) into the seal. The seal also has an expeller device, such as an expeller ring mounted on the drive shaft, for expelling the injected fluid along the drive shaft in the direction of the casing. In addition, the seal may employ sealing rings positioned to prevent the injected fluid from escaping the seal in a direction other than along the shaft toward the casing, such as a glass-filled PTFE ring positioned proximal to the expeller device and a seal adjuster for compressing a graphite-yarn packing ring against the glass-filled PTFE seal ring. Further, the seal may additionally or alternately include a fitted sleeve covering the drive shaft to protect the shaft from wear and corrosion.
Claims31
A seal for a drive shaft, comprising:
- a seal housing encircling the drive shaft, the seal housing being configured to
- form a chamber between the seal housing and the drive shaft, and
- define a fluid inlet for introducing fluid into the chamber;
- and
- an expeller device for expelling fluid from the chamber.
A fluid seal for expelling debris away from a chamber, the fluid seal comprising:
- a seal housing encircling a drive shaft, the seal housing being configured to define
- the chamber between the seal housing and the drive shaft,
- a fluid inlet for introducing fluid into the chamber, and
- a fluid outlet separate from the fluid inlet;
- and
- an expeller device positioned to accelerate the fluid through the fluid outlet so as to expel the fluid and debris away from the fluid outlet.
A fluid seal for expelling debris from a chamber, the fluid seal comprising:
- a seal housing encircling a drive shaft and configured to define the chamber between the seal housing and the drive shaft, the chamber including a fluid inlet for introducing fluid into the chamber and a fluid outlet for expelling fluid from the chamber;
- and
- an expeller ring mounted around the drive shaft and located within the chamber between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, the expeller ring including a series of tines for accelerating the fluid through the fluid outlet so as to expel debris away from the chamber.
A method of sealing a drive shaft from debris, comprising;
- providing a seal housing that encircles the drive shaft and defines a chamber with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
- locating an expeller ring on the drive shaft and within the chamber such that the expeller ring is positioned between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet;
- introducing fluid into the chamber through the fluid inlet;
- and
- rotating the expeller ring to accelerate the fluid through the fluid outlet so as to expel the fluid and debris away from the fluid outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.