A sealing arrangement for a centrifugal pump is provided. The sealing arrangement permits a sealing gap between a rotating element such as a pump impeller and a non-rotating element such as a pump casing to be minimized, while protecting against element wear from gap reduction and element contact, particularly during transient operation such as pump start up. At least one of the rotating element and the non-rotating element is provided with a plurality of movably mounted bodies configured to rotate and maintain separate the rotating and non-rotating elements when the sealing gap is reduced. The elements and the bodies may be formed in an additive manufacturing process.

A sealing arrangement for a centrifugal pump is provided. The sealing arrangement permits a sealing gap between a rotating element such as a pump impeller and a non-rotating element such as a pump casing to be minimized, while protecting against element wear from gap reduction and element contact, particularly during transient operation such as pump start up. At least one of the rotating element and the non-rotating element is provided with a plurality of movably mounted bodies configured to rotate and maintain separate the rotating and non-rotating elements when the sealing gap is reduced. The elements and the bodies may be formed in an additive manufacturing process.

A sealing mechanism is provided, including a housing, a groove, and a sealing element. The housing includes a first member and a second member, and the groove is formed between the first and second members. The sealing element is formed in the groove by Low Pressure Molding (LPM) and surrounds at least one of the first and second members.

A circumferential seal assembly for use between a higher pressure side and a lower pressure side is presented. The seal assembly includes a primary sealing ring, a second sealing ring, a third sealing ring, and an insert. The segmented primary sealing ring sealingly engages both a face sealing surface along a housing and a radial sealing surface along a rotatable element. The insert is disposed within and directly contacts the housing. The second sealing ring is adjacent to the primary sealing ring and sealingly engages both the primary sealing ring and the insert. The segmented third sealing ring contacts and sealingly engages the primary sealing ring opposite the housing. The insert, the second sealing ring, and the third sealing ring cooperate to form a first cavity adjacent to the second sealing ring and the third sealing ring. The primary sealing ring, the second sealing ring, the insert, and the housing cooperate to form a second cavity adjacent to the primary sealing ring. The insert and the second sealing ring separate the first cavity from the second cavity.

A rotary seal assembly for a rotary kiln having a hood and a rotary drum with an opening formed between the drum and the hood, and an end. The rotary seal assembly includes a flexible framework arrangement that attaches to the end. The rotary seal assembly includes a riding surface that engages the drum as the drum rotates. The riding surface includes a series of seal segments with each seal segment having a mounting eye positioned to eliminate a fulcrum point at the mounting eye. The rotary seal assembly includes a seal that is supported by the riding surface and is in essentially 360-degree contact with the drum when it is rotating and seals the opening between the drum when it is rotating in the hood to prevent fluid flow into and out of the end. A rotary seal assembly for a rotary kiln having a hood and a rotary drum with an opening formed between the drum and the hood, and an end, includes redundant tension springs which form a complete 360-degree circle around the drum. A method for sealing an opening formed between a drum and a hood.

A circumferential seal assembly suitable for forming a thin film between a rotatable runner and a sealing ring is presented. The assembly includes an annular seal housing, a rotatable runner, an annular seal ring, and a plurality of groove structures. Each groove structure includes a groove and an optional feed groove. The groove includes at least two adjoining steps defined by base walls arranged to decrease depthwise. Two adjoining base walls are disposed about a base shoulder. Each base shoulder locally redirects a longitudinal flow to form an outward radial flow in the direction of the annular seal ring. The base walls are bounded by and intersect a pair of side walls. A side wall includes side shoulders which narrows the groove widthwise and locally redirects the longitudinal flow to form a lateral flow in the direction of the other side wall. Outward and lateral flows separately or in combination enhance stiffness of a thin-film layer between the annular seal ring and the rotatable runner.

Provided is a shaft sealing apparatus, which includes a seal ring that is installed in an annular space between a rotor and a stator surrounding an outer circumference side of the rotor, that is formed in a divided structure from a movable seal ring and a stationary seal ring whose circumferential ends are adjacent to each other, and that is configured so that the movable seal ring is biased toward a radial outer side thereof by an elastic body, a seal body that is formed by stacking a plurality of thin seal pieces, which extend from the seal ring toward a radial inner side of the rotor, in a circumferential direction of the rotor, and a communicating part that causes the low-pressure side region and the high-pressure side region to communicate with each other.

A seal assembly for a rotary machine is positioned between a rotating component and a stationary component of the rotary machine. The seal assembly includes a seal bearing face that opposes the rotating component and a slide device. The slide device is positioned between different fluid pressure volumes in the rotary machine. The slide device axially moves toward the rotating component responsive to pressurization of the rotary machine. The slide device includes cross-over ports and the seal bearing face includes feed ports. The feed ports extend through the seal bearing face to form an aerostatic portion of a film bearing between the seal bearing face and the rotating component. The seal bearing face and/or the rotating component is a non-planar surface that, during rotating motion of the rotating component, forms an aerodynamic portion of the film bearing between the seal bearing face and the rotating component.

A seal assembly for a rotary machine is positioned between a rotating component and a stationary component of the rotary machine. The seal assembly includes a seal bearing face that opposes the rotating component and a slide device. The slide device is positioned between different fluid pressure volumes in the rotary machine. The slide device axially moves toward the rotating component responsive to pressurization of the rotary machine. The slide device includes cross-over ports and the seal bearing face includes feed ports. The feed ports extend through the seal bearing face to form an aerostatic portion of a film bearing between the seal bearing face and the rotating component. The seal bearing face and/or the rotating component is a non-planar surface that, during rotating motion of the rotating component, forms an aerodynamic portion of the film bearing between the seal bearing face and the rotating component.

A shaft seal mechanism (11) that blocks a fluid (G) flowing within a ring-shaped space (14) is equipped with: a ring-shaped seal housing (21) disposed on a fixed section (12); a plurality of thin-plate seal pieces (22) that are secured to the seal housing (21), are in sliding contact with a rotating shaft (13), and are layered in a ring shape; a ring-shaped high-pressure-side plate (25) that forms a high-pressure-side gap (δH) between itself and the seal housing (21); a ring-shaped low-pressure-side plate (26) that forms a low-pressure-side gap (δL) between the seal housing (21) and the thin-plate seal pieces (22); stepped sections (31, 32) that are formed on side edge sections (22c, 22d) of the thin-plate seal pieces (22); and locking sections (25b, 26b) that lock the stepped sections (31, 32).