Mechanical seal assembly with anti-coking device

Claim 1

A MECHANICAL SEAL ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO PROVIDE A FLUID SEAL BETWEEN A HOUSING WALL AND A ROTATABLE SHAFT EXTENDING THERETHROUGH COMPRISING A STATIONARY SEAL RING SECURED TO THE HOUSING IN SURROUNDING RELATION TO THE SHAFT AND INCLUDING AN INNER DIAMETER LARGER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE SHAFT TO FORM AN ANNULAR SPACE THEREBETWEEN, A SECOND RING SECURED TO THE SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREALONG, EACH OF SAID RINGS INCLUDING A GENERALLY RADIALLY EXTENDING SURFACE IN ROTATIONAL SLIDING SEALING CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE OF SAID OTHER OF SAID RINGS, A SPRING URGING SAID ROTATABLE RING INTO SAID SEALING SLIDING CONTACT WITH SAID STATIONARY RING, A SLEEVE SURROUNDING SAID SHAFT FOR DIRECTING A FLOWING STREAM OF SECONDARY FLUID INTO PROXIMITY WITH SAID SLIDING SURFACES AT A LOCATION SEPARATED FROM THE SEALED FLUID BY THE SEAL FORMED BETWEEN SAID RINGS ALONG SAID RADIALLY DIRECTED CONTACTING SURFACES SO AS TO PREVENT MALFUNCTION OF THE SEAL ASSEMBLY CAUSED BY ACCUMULATION OF SEALED FLUID ESCAPING ACROSS SAID SEAL SURFACES, SAID SLEEVE INCLUDING: AN INTEGRALLY FORMED GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL DEFLECTOR PLATE EXTENDING INTERMEDIATE THE SHAFT AND SAID INNER DIAMETER OF SAID STATIONARY RING DIVIDING THE ANNULAR SPACE THEREBETWEEN INTO A PAIR OF CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSED ANNULAR FLOW PASSAGEWAYS IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE SOURCE OF SECONDARY FLUID ADAPTED TO DIRECT THE FLUID TO AND CARRY IT AWAY FROM SAID LOCATION OF SEALING CONTACT OF SAID RINGS, AND INTEGRALLY FORMED RELIEF DEFINING A COLLECTOR CHAMBER FOR THE SECONDARY FLUID IN COMMUNICATION WITH ONE OF SAID ANNULAR PASSAGEWAYS, AND AN INTEGRALLY FORMED SEAL PORTION SURROUNDING THE SHAFT ADAPTED TO PREVENT THE ESCAPE OF SECONDARY FLUID FROM SAID ASSEMBLY BETWEEN THE SHAFT AND SAID SLEEVE.