An improved air-riding seal system for turbine engines is presented. The seal system includes a movable primary seal assembly, a stationary secondary seal assembly, and at least one structure to increase the stiffness of a thin film between the primary seal and a rotating component. The primary seal
An improved air-riding seal system for turbine engines is presented. The seal system includes a movable primary seal assembly, a stationary secondary seal assembly, and at least one structure to increase the stiffness of a thin film between the primary seal and a rotating component. The primary seal assembly includes an annular seal ring and an arcuate support arm. The annular seal ring has a cross section that is substantially L-shaped and a surface with a step face and a circumferential dam. The arcuate support arm has a tooth at one end adjacent to an outermost circumferential surface along the seal runner, which could include an optional notch. The tooth and outermost circumferential surface are separated by a gap. A plurality of radial dams disposed along the surface in an outward radial arrangement from the circumferential darn is provided to improve the stiffness of the thin film.
대표청구항▼
1. An air-tiding seal system comprising: (a) a primary seal assembly movable between a seal runner extending from a rotatable shaft and a housing structure, said primary seal assembly including:(i) an annular seal ring having a cross section that is substantially L-shaped and a surface with a step f
1. An air-tiding seal system comprising: (a) a primary seal assembly movable between a seal runner extending from a rotatable shaft and a housing structure, said primary seal assembly including:(i) an annular seal ring having a cross section that is substantially L-shaped and a surface with a step face and a circumferential dam, said surface disposed opposite of a sealing surface along said seal runner; and(ii) an arcuate support arm attached at one end to said annular seal ring and having a tooth extending to an end which is adjacent to an outermost circumferential surface along said seal runner and is separated from said outermost circumferential surface by a gap;(b) a secondary seal ring disposed between and contacting said primary seal assembly and said housing structure so as to form a bore seal and a face seal therewith; and(c) a structure along said surface which increases stiffness of a thin film between said surface and said sealing surface, said structure having a plurality of radial dams or at least one hydrodynamic pocket disposed along said surface in an outward radial arrangement with respect to said circumferential dam, said outermost circumferential surface along said seal runner has a notch that varies said gap depending on relative position between said circumferential dam and said sealing surface, a maximum distance between said circumferential dam and said sealing surface results in a minimum clearance of said gap, a minimum distance between said circumferential dam and said sealing surface results in a maximum clearance of said gap. 2. The air-riding seal system of claim 1, where said arcuate support arm or said tooth is sufficiently stiff to minimize vibrations along said primary seal assembly. 3. The air-riding seal of claim 1, wherein said annular seal ring and said arcuate support arm are composed of a ceramic composition. 4. The air-riding seal system of claim 3, wherein said ceramic composition is silicon nitride. 5. A gas turbine engine having at least one air-riding seal system of claim 1. 6. The gas turbine engine of claim 5, wherein said air-riding seal system provides a thin film adjacent to a rotating component, said thin film being sufficiently stiff to prevent contact between said air-riding seal system and said rotating component when operational conditions within said gas turbine engine include temperatures up to approximately 1500° Fahrenheit and rotational speeds up to approximately 1500 feet-per-second. 7. An air-tiding seal system comprising: (a) a cylindrical-shaped carrier disposed about a rotatable shaft with a seal runner extending therefrom;(b) a primary seal assembly including at least two segments which form a ring-shaped seal, each said arcuate seal segment contacts said cylindrical-shaped carrier and is movable thereon, each said arcuate seal segment having a cross section that is substantially L-shaped and a surface with a step face and an arcuate dam, said surface disposed opposite of a sealing surface along said seal runner, each said arcuate seal segment having an arcuate support arm disposed at one end thereof and having a tooth extending to an end adjacent to an outermost circumferential surface along said seal runner, said tooth and said outermost circumferential surface separated by a gap;(c) a secondary seal ring disposed between and contacting each said primary seal assembly and a housing structure so as to form a bore seal and a face seal therewith; and(d) a structure along each said surface of each said primary seal assembly which increases stiffness of a thin film between each said surface and said sealing surface, said structure having at least two radial dams or at least one hydrodynamic pocket disposed along said surface in an outward radial arrangement with respect to said arcuate dam, said outer outermost circumferential surface along said seal runner has a notch that varies each said gap depending on relative position between said arcuate dam and said sealing surface, a maximum distance between said arcuate dam and said sealing surface results in a minimum clearance of said gap, a minimum distance between said arcuate dam and said sealing surface results in a maximum clearance of said gap. 8. The air-riding seal system of claim 7, wherein said arcuate support arm or said tooth is sufficiently stiff to minimize vibrations along each said primary seal assembly. 9. The air-riding seal system of claim 7, wherein each said annular seal ring and said arcuate support arm are composed of a ceramic composition. 10. The air-riding seal system of claim 9, wherein said ceramic composition is silicon nitride. 11. A gas turbine engine having at least one air-riding seal system of claim 7. 12. The gas turbine engine of claim 11, wherein said air-riding seal system provides a thin film adjacent to a rotating component, said thin film being sufficiently stiff to prevent contact between said air-riding seal system and said rotating component when operational conditions within said gas turbine engine include temperatures up to approximately 1500° Fahrenheit and rotational speeds up to approximately 1500 feet-per-second. 13. An air-riding seal system comprising: (a) a seal assembly movable between a seal runner extending from a rotatable shaft and a housing structure, said seal assembly including:(i) an annular seal ring having a cross section that is substantially L-shaped and a surface with a step face and a circumferential dam, said surface disposed opposite of a sealing surface along said seal runner; and(ii) an arcuate support arm attached at one end to said annular seal ring and having a tooth extending to an end which is adjacent to an outermost circumferential surface along said seal runner and is separated from said outermost circumferential surface by a gap; and(b) a structure along said surface which increases stiffness of a thin film between said surface and said sealing surface, said structure having a plurality of radial dams or at least one hydrodynamic pocket disposed along said surface in an outward radial arrangement with respect to said circumferential dam, said outermost circumferential surface along said seal runner has a notch that varies said gap depending on relative position between said circumferential dam and said sealing surface, a maximum distance between said circumferential dam and said sealing surface results in a minimum clearance of said gap, a minimum distance between said circumferential dam and said sealing surface results in a maximum clearance of said gap. 14. An air-tiding seal system comprising: (a) a cylindrical-shaped carrier disposed about a rotatable shaft with a seal runner extending therefrom;(b) a seal assembly including at least two segments which form a ring-shaped seal, each said arcuate seal segment contacts said cylindrical-shaped carrier and is movable thereon, each said arcuate seal segment having a cross section that is substantially L-shaped and a surface with a step face and an arcuate dam, said surface disposed opposite of a sealing surface along said seal runner, each said arcuate seal segment has an arcuate support arm disposed at one end thereof and has a tooth extending to an end adjacent to an outermost circumferential surface along said seal runner, said tooth and said outermost circumferential surface separated by a gap; and(c) a structure along each said surface of each said seal assembly which increases stiffness of a thin film between each said surface and said sealing surface, said structure having at least two radial dams or at least one hydrodynamic pocket disposed along said surface in an outward radial arrangement with respect to said arcuate dam, said outer outermost circumferential surface along said seal runner has a notch that varies each said gap depending on relative position between said arcuate dam and said sealing surface, a maximum distance between said arcuate dam and said sealing surface results in a minimum clearance of said gap, a minimum distance between said arcuate dam and said sealing surface results in a maximum clearance of said gap.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (6)
Garrison, Glenn M.; McNickle, Alan D.; McNickle, legal representative, Diane, Air riding seal.
Haynes, George Perry; Manry, Jared Daniel, Bidirectional lift-off circumferential shaft seal segment and a shaft seal including a plurality of the segments.
O'Brien, Michael, Fluid transfer seal assemblies, fluid transfer systems, and methods for transferring process fluid between stationary and rotating components using the same.
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