An improved remotely adjustable gland follower for a stuffing box of a rotary or reciprocal mechanical device is provided. In one embodiment of the invention, the gland follower includes a body portion with at least one cylinder having a fluid inlet at the power end and a piston. The piston has a hydraulic end positioned within the cylinder and an opposed packing face surrounding the shaft and configured to extend into the seal cavity. The piston engages and compresses the packing in the seal cavity when pressurized by fluid introduced into the fluid inlet at the power end of the cylinder. At least one o-ring groove may be formed in the hydraulic end of the piston to receive at least one o-ring for improving the hydraulic seal in the cylinder.

A seal assembly for a valve stem comprises an external seal placed on a valve stem facing an external environment; an internal seal placed on the valve stem facing a process environment; the external and internal seals define a chamber for the containment of barrier fluid; the chamber has an inlet configured to be placed into fluid communication with a source of barrier fluid; a detector of the amount of barrier fluid; a pressurizer device for providing the chamber with a positive pressure with respect to the process environment; the pressurizer device is configured to be installed coaxially with the valve stem.

A radial pressure adjustable gland sealing system is disclosed herein. The system includes at least one inflatable bladder operable to surround a rotating shaft or sleeve of a rotating shaft, and at least one inflating tube. One end of each inflating tube is in fluid communication with the internal envelope of one of the at least one inflatable annular bladder. An opposite end of each inflating tube is connected, or extends, to a location outside of a static housing in which the rotating shaft is housed, such that the level of inflation of each inflatable bladder can be adjusted by way of its respective inflating tube, and thereby adjust the level of radial pressure exerted on the rotating shaft or sleeve for a rotating shaft.

A seal assembly for sealing an annular space between a first cylindrical surface and a second cylindrical surface. The annular space has high pressure zones and low pressure zones. The seal assembly has an annular seal with an inner surface that faces the second cylindrical component, an outer surface that faces the first cylindrical component, a sealing end and an engagement end. A seal actuator assembly applies a force to the engagement end of the annular seal to urge the annular seal in a first direction towards an engaged position within the annular space. The force applied to the engagement end of the annular seal has a first component aligned with the first direction and a second component that is perpendicular to the first direction. The first component is at least 1.7 times greater than the second component.

A compression assembly for maintaining integrity of the seals in a stuffing box. The compression assembly includes a housing which is adapted to connect to the body of a stuffing box. There is an internal annular piston chamber formed in the housing and an annular piston reciprocally disposed in the piston chamber. There is a chamber formed by piston cylinder walls and the top of the piston whereby grease or other fluid under pressure can be introduced so as to exert pressure on the piston and hence movement thereof toward the stuffing box seals. The assembly also comprises a position sensor to monitor travel of the piston.

An improved remotely adjustable gland follower for a stuffing box of a rotary or reciprocal mechanical device is provided. In one embodiment of the invention, the gland follower includes a body portion with at least one cylinder having a fluid inlet at the power end and a piston. The piston has a hydraulic end positioned within the cylinder and an opposed packing face surrounding the shaft and configured to extend into the seal cavity. The piston engages and compresses the packing in the seal cavity when pressurized by fluid introduced into the fluid inlet at the power end of the cylinder. At least one o-ring groove may be formed in the hydraulic end of the piston to receive at least one o-ring for improving the hydraulic seal in the cylinder.

A radial pressure adjustable gland sealing system is disclosed herein. The system includes at least one inflatable bladder operable to surround a rotating shaft or sleeve of a rotating shaft, and at least one inflating tube. One end of each inflating tube is in fluid communication with the internal envelope of one of the at least one inflatable annular bladder. An opposite end of each inflating tube is connected, or extends, to a location outside of a static housing in which the rotating shaft is housed, such that the level of inflation of each inflatable bladder can be adjusted by way of its respective inflating tube, and thereby adjust the level of radial pressure exerted on the rotating shaft or sleeve for a rotating shaft.

A hydraulic ram used for maintaining pressure on pump packing. A pump packing closure mechanism is sized to extend around a shaft of a pump, and to close a space between the shaft of the pump and a housing. The closure mechanism presses against packing rings that surround the shaft of the pump. A hydraulic ram presses the closure mechanism against the packing rings.

This seal structure 1 is provided with an annular seal member 2, a shaft member 4 having a seal groove 5 where the inner peripheral side of said seal member 2 is arranged, and an inner peripheral wall member 6 which has an internal space surrounded by an inner peripheral wall 61, wherein the shaft member 4 is arranged in the internal space 62, and the annular seal member 2 is arranged in the seal groove 5 of the shaft member 4. The side of the outer periphery 21 of the annular seal member 2 is formed by overlapping, in the axial direction D1, a plurality of ring-shape parts 3 which are closed or unclosed when viewed in a radial direction D2; when viewed in the radial direction D2, on one side of a center axis C1 of the annular seal member 2, in a longitudinal cross-section of the plurality of ring-shape parts 3, one corner 32 of the two corners of the edge 31 facing the inner peripheral wall 61 of the inner peripheral wall member 6 contacts the inner peripheral wall 61 of the inner peripheral wall member 6.

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to an apparatus for monitoring a valve having: a body of the valve containing a control element; a neck extending from the body of the valve and connected to a mounting support, wherein the neck partially houses a valve stem connected to the control element and further wherein the valve stem extends through the mounting support; a gland ring mounted around the valve stem, wherein the gland ring is partially within the mounting support; a gland retainer mounted above the gland ring within the mounting support; one or more fasteners connecting the gland retainer to the body of the valve; and one or more load cells mounted around the fasteners and located above the gland retainer, wherein each load cell is configured to sense a clamping force between a top surface and a bottom surface of the load cell.