A throttle arrangement for sealing a sliding surface of a body in a piston compressor the throttle arrangement having annular sealing discs and a sealing disc holder having an L-shaped radial section having a first leg running in the axial direction and a second leg running transversely, the second leg being annular and having a bearing surface pointing in the direction of the high-pressure side, the sealing discs are stacked one on top of one another axially, the first leg being cylindrical extending from the bearing surface toward the high-pressure side, the axial height of the first leg H4 allow bearing surface to have axial play, the first leg gas passage openings, the first leg having a boundary surface facing in the sealing discs, aligned coaxially with the first limb and the body, a first annular gap RS1 is formed between the boundary surface and the sealing discs.

A method of monitoring degradation of seals of a packing case includes receiving signals from a first temperature sensor installed in a first location in a housing of the packing case; receiving signals from a second temperature sensor installed in a second location in the housing of the packing case; computing, from the signals, a temperature differential between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor at two or more times; and determining, at least in part from the temperature differential at the two or more times, a degradation indicator for at least one of the seals of the packing case.

A packing case assembly includes a packing cup configured to be disposed along a piston rod of a reciprocating gas compressor system; and a packing ring set disposed in the packing cup, the packing ring set including multiple rings. The packing ring set is configured to be disposed circumferentially around a portion of the length of the piston rod. A backup packing ring of the packing ring set includes a first region including a polymer, and a second region including a metal.

In order to provide a sealing device (15) for sealing a piston rod (8) of a reciprocating compressor (1) at compressor standstill, which enhances the safety of operation, the sealing device (15) comprises a number of first packing retainers (18), each retainer including a retaining opening (18a) in which a first packing ring (19) is arranged, a second packing retainer (20), including a retaining opening (20a) in which a second packing ring (21) is arranged, the second retainer (20) being positioned closer to the second axial device end (15a) than the number of first packing retainers (18) in an axial direction of the sealing device (15), wherein the second packing ring (21) is an uncut ring, comprising a continuous inner circumferential sealing surface (21a), the second packing ring (21) being configured to seal the piston rod (8) at standstill of the compressor (1), wherein the sealing device (15) further comprises a support passage (28) having a first support passage end (28a), a second support passage end (28b) and a valve (29) for opening and closing the support passage (28), the support passage (28) being configured to vent at least a gas, leaking from the first axial device end (15a) in the direction of the second axial device end (15b) past at least one of the number of first packing rings (19), from the first support passage end (28a) to the second support passage end (28b), wherein the sealing device (15) further comprises an unobstructed vent passage (31) having a first vent passage end (31a) and a second vent passage end (31b), the vent passage (31) being configured to vent a gas, leaking from the first axial device end (15a) in the direction of the second axial device end (15b) past the second packing ring (21), from the first vent passage end (31a) to the second vent passage end (31b).

In order to provide a sealing device (15) for sealing a piston rod (8) of a reciprocating compressor (1), which provides good sealing properties at compressor standstill, which has a simple structure, which allows for a simple handling and which requires no external source of energy, the sealing device (15) comprises a number of first packing retainers (18), each retainer including a retaining opening (18a) in which a first packing ring (19) is arranged, a second packing retainer (20), including a retaining opening (20a) in which a second packing ring (21) is arranged, the second retainer (20) being positioned closer to the second axial device end (15b) than the number of first packing retainers (18) in an axial direction of the sealing device (15), wherein the second packing ring (21) is an uncut ring, comprising a continuous inner circumferential sealing surface (21a), wherein the second packing ring (21) is made from a material comprising a polymer, the material having a thermal expansion coefficient (?), which is at least two times higher than the thermal expansion coefficient (?FE) of iron, wherein at or below a defined activation temperature an inner diameter (d_i) of the second packing ring (21) is smaller than an outer diameter (D_a) of the piston rod (8) to be sealed, such that in the mounted state of the sealing device (15) in the compressor (1) the second packing ring (21) is prestressed in a radial direction in order to form a tight seal between the continuous inner circumferential sealing surface (21a) of the second packing ring (21) and the outer circumferential surface (8a) of the piston rod (8), wherein at a given operating temperature, the inner diameter (d_i) of the second packing ring (21) is larger than the outer diameter (D_a) of the piston rod (8), such that in the mounted state of the sealing device (15) in the compressor (1) the continuous inner circumferential sealing surface (21a) of the second sealing ring (21) is detached from the outer circumferential surface (8a) of the piston rod (8) in order to provide a leakage path past the second packing ring (21) in the axial direction.

A pressure packing for a piston rod of a reciprocating compressor includes a case having a piston rod through bore. A compartment within the case is coincident with the through bore and the compartment has an axial length at least as long as a stroke of the piston rod.

A reciprocating compressor 1A includes a compression part 2 compressing, by a piston 6, gas sucked into a cylinder 4 through a suction valve 36, and discharging the compressed gas through a discharge valve 51, a piston drive part 3 supplying a force to the piston 6 to reciprocate the piston 6 via a piston rod 9 coupled to the piston 6, and a housing 17 accommodating the compression part 2 and forming a vacuum region around the compression part 2.

A method of monitoring degradation of seals of a packing case includes receiving signals from a first temperature sensor installed in a first location in a housing of the packing case; receiving signals from a second temperature sensor installed in a second location in the housing of the packing case; computing, from the signals, a temperature differential between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor at two or more times; and determining, at least in part from the temperature differential at the two or more times, a degradation indicator for at least one of the seals of the packing case.

A seal arrangement for use in a reciprocating piston compressor includes first and second seal rings engaged along respective side surfaces, and first and second cover rings disposed around the first and second seal rings such that the outside diameters of the first and second seal rings engage the inside diameters of the first and second cover rings, respectively. A support ring is engaged with the first seal ring and the first cover ring. A backup ring is engaged with the second seal ring and the second cover ring. In some embodiments, the first seal ring has a width that is smaller than a width of the second seal ring. In other embodiments the second seal ring has a circumferential groove formed on an inside surface thereof, the groove disposed directly adjacent the first seal ring. In further embodiments, the seal rings are formed of PEEK with a nano-material additive.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to packing rings. In one example embodiment, a packing ring is disclosed including first and second axial ring ends, at least three ring segments, and at least three relief openings. The at least three relief openings each have a first relief opening end opening into the radially inside inner circumferential surface of the ring segment. The first relief opening ends of two relief openings arranged adjacent to one another in the circumferential direction are spaced apart from one another at a relief opening circumferential distance. The first relief opening ends are closer in the axial direction to the first axial ring end than to the second axial ring end and are spaced apart at a relief opening axial distance from the first axial ring end, which is 4% to 20% of the axial ring width of the ring segment.