Labyrinth seal ring for pulp refiner

Claim 2

A disc refiner including a housing, a pair of relatively opposed refiner discs mounted for rotation within a chamber defined in said housing, one of said refiner discs including at least one feed passage for material to move between said discs to be refined thereby and discharged therefrom, said housing having means defining an inlet to said chamber and further means defining an outlet therefrom, said means defining said inlet and said one disc including complementary ring means forming a flow channel for directing the material to be refined to move to and through said disc feed passage, one of said ring means forming an axial extension of the other, adjacent faces of said ring means being in a closely spaced relation, means providing a passage for directing fluid under pressure to move through one of said ring means and exit from one of said adjacent faces into the space between said faces to produce a fluid joint therebetween extending generally radially of said ring means, said fluid joint opening at one extremity to said flow channel and at the other extremity to said chamber, said passage through one of said ring means being directed to open to said joint intermediate its extremities at a location to provide that the fluid exiting therefrom under pressure will flow within said joint in respectively opposite directions to exert a blocking and cleansing influence in said joint.

Claim 3

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 characterized by said adjacent faces being formed to have a nesting relation.

Claim 4

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 characterized by an intermediate area of said joint being expanded relative the extremities thereof to provide a pressure chamber forming said space into which the fluid from said passage exits which inhibits passage of solid particles through said joint.

Claim 5

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 characterized by the adjacent faces of said ring means defining said joint forming a restricted circuitous passageway from the extremities of which said fluid under pressure will simultaneously exit to block and cleanse said passageway.

Claim 6

A disc refiner including a housing, disc means mounted for rotation in said housing, means forming an inlet for directing material to be refined between said disc means, one of said disc means being adjacent said inlet and having at least one feed passage for material to pass therethrough to be refined between said disc means, relatively adjacent parts on said housing and said one of said disc means cooperating to define a flow channel leading from said inlet to said feed passage in said one disc means, said relatively adjacent parts being formed to have the adjacent ends thereof in a closely spaced relation and defining a labyrinth type passageway an inner radial limit of which opens to said flow channel and an outer radial limit of which opens to said housing, aNd means to simultaneously direct fluid under pressure to move from the radial limits of said passageway to exert both a blocking and ejecting influence on particles of material which attempt to move to and through said passageway from said flow channel.

Claim 7

A disc refiner including a housing, disc means mounted for rotation in said housing, means forming an inlet for directing material to be refined between said disc means, one of said disc means being adjacent said inlet and having at least one feed passage for material to pass therethrough to be refined between said disc means, relatively adjacent parts on said housing and said one of said disc means cooperating to define a flow channel leading from said inlet to said feed passage in said one disc means, said relatively adjacent parts being formed to have the adjacent ends thereof in a closely spaced relation and defining a labyrinth type passageway an inner radial limit of which opens to said flow channel and an outer radial limit of which opens to said housing, aNd means to simultaneously direct fluid under pressure to move from the radial limits of said passageway to exert both a blocking and ejecting influence on particles of material which attempt to move to and through said passageway from said flow channel.

Claim 8

A disc refiner according to claim 5 characterized in that the adjacent ends of said relatively adjacent parts being formed to relatively nest in a male-female relation forming a restricted circuitous passageway from the inner to the outer radial limits thereof an intermediate portion of which is relatively expanded to provide a chamber in which fluid under pressure may build up prior to exit simultaneously to the respective radial limits of said passageway.

Claim 9

A disc refiner including a housing, a pair of relatively opposed refiner discs mounted for rotation within a chamber defined in said housing, one of said refiner discs including at least one feed passage for material to move between said discs to be refined thereby and discharged therefrom, said housing having means defining an inlet to said chamber and further means defining an outlet therefrom, said means defining said inlet and said one disc including complementary ring means forming a flow channel for directing the material to be refined to move to and through said disc feed passage, one of said ring means being an axial extension of the other and adjacent faces of said ring means being in a closely spaced relation to define a low clearance area therebetween, one of said ring means having a passage therein for directing fluid therethrough under pressure to exit therefrom and produce a fluid joint between said adjacent faces of said ring means, said fluid joint opening at one extremity to said flow channel and at the other extremity to said chamber, one of said adjacent faces of said ring means having an annular groove and the other having a complementary mating annular projection which nests in said groove to define thereby an intermediate area within said joint to which said passage in said one of said ring means exits which area is so formed and positioned in said joint to provide that the fluid exiting under pressure will move in respectively opposite directions to exert a blocking and cleansing influence in said joint whereby to inhibit passage of solid particles to and through said joint.

Claim 10

A disc refiner including a housing, a pair of relatively opposed refiner discs mounted for rotation within a chamber defined in said housing, one of said refiner discs including at least one feed passage for material to move between said discs to be refined thereby and discharged therefrom, said housing having means defining an inlet to said chamber and further means defining an outlet therefrom, said means defining said inlet and said one disc including complementary ring means forming a flow channel for directing the material to be refined to move to and through said disc feed passage, one of said ring means being an axial extension of the other and adjacent faces of said ring means being in a closely spaced relation to define a low clearance area therebetween, one of said ring means having a passage therein for directing fluid therethrough under pressure to exit therefrom and produce a fluid joint between said adjacent faces of said ring means, said fluid joint opening at one extremity to said flow channel and at the other extremity to said chamber, one of said adjacent faces of said ring means having an annular groove and the other having a complementary mating annular projection which nests in said groove to define thereby an intermediate area within said joint to which said passage in said one of said ring means exits which area is so formed and positioned in said joint to provide that the fluid exiting under pressure will move in respectively opposite directions to exert a blocking and cleansing influence in said joint whereby to inhibit passage of solid particles to and through said joint.

Claim 11

Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 characterized by the spacing between the projected extremity of said annular projection and the base of said annular groove being greater than the spacing of said adjacent faces at said extremities of said joint.