Brush seal

• US 6,416,057 B1
• Filed: 04/14/2000
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Flowserve Management Company (Flowserve Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Flowserve Management Company (Flowserve Corporation)
• Inventors: Adams, William V., McCowey, Christopher D., Waling, Leroy A., Artiles, Antonio F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rodgers, Matthew E.
• Application Number:
  US09/549,460
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 277/355, 277/352, 277/361, 277/362, 277/371, 277/374, 277/375, 277/396, 277/346, 277/347, 277/348
• US Class Current: 277/355
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3288 Filamentary structures, e.g. brush seals
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3412 with cavities F16J15/3424 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/441 with floating ring

Abstract

A brush seal arrangement for sealing cooperation between a shaft and a surrounding member which is relatively rotatable with respect to the shaft. The brush seal includes an annular rotor disposed in surrounding relationship to the shaft and sealed with respect to the housing, and the rotor mounts thereon first and second annular bush members which are disposed in axially spaced relation and which have annular edge portions which create a frictional and sealing engagement with the shaft to nonrotatably and sealingly couple the rotor to the shaft. A passage extends through the rotor for communication with an annular region defined between the annular brushes in surrounding relationship to the shaft, and a pressurized buffer gas is supplied through the passage into the annular region.

Claims

1. A brush seal arrangement for sealing cooperation between a shaft and a surrounding member which is relatively rotatable with respect to the shaft, said brush seal comprising an annular rotor disposed in surrounding relationship to the shaft and being sealed with respect to the housing, the rotor mounting thereon first and second annular brush members which are disposed in axially spaced relation and which have annular edge portions which create a frictional and sealing engagement with the shaft to nonrotatably and sealingly couple the rotor to the shaft, a passage extending through the rotor for communication with an annular region defined between the annular brush members in surrounding relationship to the shaft, and a pressurized buffer gas supplied through the passage into the annular region.

2. A seal arrangement according to claim 1, including a first noncontacting face seal cooperating between said housing and one end of said rotor, said first face seal having one annular edge communicating with an intermediate chamber containing the pressurized buffer gas and the other annular edge communicating with a process fluid upstream of the brush members.

3. A seal arrangement according to claim 2, including a second face seal cooperating between said housing and the other axial end of said rotor and creating a noncontacting face seal therebetween, said second face seal having one annular edge which communicates with the intermediate chamber and at the other annular edge communicates with a low pressure zone.

4. A seal arrangement according to claim 3, wherein a spring-energized elastomeric seal arrangement cooperates axially between the housing and a rear side of the first face seal for urging the first face seal axially toward the rotor.

5. A hybrid seal arrangement for creating a sealed relationship between a shaft and a surrounding member which is rotatable relative to the shaft, the seal arrangement comprising a rotor which surrounds the shaft within the surrounding member and is substantially nonrotatable relative to the shaft, a first nonrotatable seal ring surrounding the shaft and nonrotatably secured relative to the surrounding member and disposed in axially opposed relationship to one axial end of said rotor for creating a first noncontacting face seal therebetween, a second nonrotatable sealing ring surrounding the shaft and nonrotatably connected to the surrounding member and disposed in axially opposed relationship with respect to the other axial end of said rotor to define a second noncontacting face seal therebetween, said rotor mounting thereon an annular brush member defined by a plurality of bristles which project radially with respect to the shaft and which have terminal ends which project beyond the rotor and create a frictional and sealing contact with the shaft over an annular area therewith to both sealingly and nonrotatably couple the rotor to the shaft, and an annular elastomeric gasket member mounted on the rotor in axially close proximity to the brush member on a side thereof which communicates with a process fluid, said annular gasket member radially overlapping the projecting ends of the brush bristles which contact the shaft so as to minimize migration of process fluid past the brush bristles.

6. A seal arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the annular gasket member includes an annular platelike gasket part which projects radially and is axially clamped between the annular brush member and an opposed axial face on the rotor, the annular platelike part of the gasket terminating radially in an enlarged annular gasket part which radially overlaps the terminal ends of the bristles which project outwardly of the rotor.

7. A seal arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the rotor has a pair of said annular brush members mounted therein in axially spaced relation for sealingly contacting the shaft at a pair of axially spaced annular areas, and said gasket member being positioned axially between said pair of brush members.