Piston seal ring bypass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12590634-B2
Application number	US-202418426952-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2024
Priority date	Jan 31, 2023
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

A machine comprising a rotor having: an inner member; an outer member encircling the inner member; and a groove in one of the inner member and the outer member. The groove has a first side wall, a second side wall and a base. A split ring seal is accommodated in the groove and contacts a surface of the other of the inner member and the outer member The first side wall has a plurality of open radial first channels and the second side wall has a plurality of open radial second channels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A machine comprising a rotor having:
an inner member; an outer member encircling the inner member; a groove in one of the inner member and the outer member, the groove having a first side wall, a second side wall and a base; and a split ring seal accommodated in the groove and contacting a surface of the other of the inner member and the outer member,
wherein:
the first side wall has a plurality of open radial first channels;
the second side wall has a plurality of open radial second channels;
in an outward radial direction the second channels have an angular component opposite an angular component of the first channels; and
viewed axially, the first channels and second channels are off radial by an angle θ of at least 5°.

2 . The machine of claim 1 wherein:
the machine is a turbomachine having an upstream end and a downstream end;
the first channels are upstream channels;
the second channels are downstream channels;
the rotor has a direction of rotation; and
in the outward radial direction the second channels have said angular component in the direction of rotation.

3 . The machine of claim 1 wherein:
the first channels and the second channels are open channels.

4 . The machine of claim 1 wherein:
the first channels and the second channels are at least 30% out of phase with each other.

5 . The machine of claim 1 wherein:
the first channels are identical to the second channels.

6 . The machine of claim 1 wherein:
there are ten to twenty first channels; and
there are ten to twenty second channels.

7 . The machine of claim 1 wherein:
the groove is in the inner member.

8 . The machine of claim 7 being a gas turbine engine wherein:
the inner member is a shaft of a spool; and
the outer member is a seal runner protruding from a bore of a disk of a rotor stack of the spool.

9 . The machine of claim 1 wherein:
the inner member is made of a nickel-based alloy;
the outer member is made of a nickel-based alloy; and
the split ring seal comprises or consists of a nickel-based alloy or a cobalt-based alloy.

10 . A method for using the machine of claim 1 , the method comprising:
driving rotation of the inner member and the outer member and creating a pressure difference across the split ring seal; and the pressure difference causing gas flow through the first channels into the groove and from the groove through the second channels.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein:
the gas flow reduces a circumferential thermal asymmetry induced by a circumferentially asymmetrical seating of at least one of the first axial end face and the second axial end face.

Assignees

• Rtx Corp

Inventors

• Winder Calvin Jay
• Maalouf Fadi S
• Bintz Matthew E
• Quinn Ryan Hamilton
• Delarm Justin Roger
• West Shane Tyler
• Virtue Jr John P
• Lyders David R
• Wright Anna Lauren
• Parekh Kalpendu J
• Van Lieu Pieter

Classifications

• F16J15/443

  provided with discharge channels · CPC title

• F16J15/3488

  Split-rings · CPC title

• F16J15/164

  the sealing action depending on movements; pressure difference, temperature or presence of leaking fluid · CPC title

• F01D11/005

  Sealing means between non relatively rotating elements · CPC title

• F16J9/26

  characterised by the use of particular materials · CPC title