Contact-free hydrostatic seal

Abstract

Abstract A contact-free hydrostatic seal wherein a rotary first annular sealing element defines with a second annular sealing element a gap for leak fluid. The second sealing element is biased toward the first sealing element by closing springs which tend to reduce the width of the gap. A pump delivers fluid into the gap to oppose the action of closing springs and to prevent direct contact between the sealing elements. When the pressure of fluid drops to such an extent that it can be overcome by the bias of closing springs, a safety device becomes operative to oppose such bias and to hold the second sealing element away from the first sealing element. The safety device includes a set of plungers which are subjected to fluid pressure and engage the second sealing element when the pressure of fluid in the gap drops to a certain minimum permissible value, or a lever which is pivoted into engagement with the second sealing element by one or more strong springs when such strong spring or springs overcome the fluid pressure at a time when the fluid pressure is too low to prevent the closing springs from moving the second sealing element into frictional engagement with the first sealing element.

Inventors

• 👤 Dieter Born
• 👤 Peter Stech
• 👤 Werner Huebner

Bibliographic Details