Seal assemblies for reciprocating and rotary applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9488277-B2
Application number	US-201213985957-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2012
Priority date	Mar 10, 2011
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

Low-pressure and high-pressure reciprocating and rotary applications use seal assemblies to prevent leakage. One embodiment of a seal assembly includes a major annular body having opposing spaced-apart annular lips extending from a heel portion with a bore extending through the heel portion. A first spring is disposed between the lips, biasing the lips apart. A minor annular body extends from one of the lips of the major annular body. The minor annular body has opposing spaced-apart walls that extend from a base region and form a pocket. A second spring is disposed in the pocket between the spaced-apart walls, biasing the walls apart. During actuator operation, pressurized fluid urges one wall of the minor annular body against a pump head surface to produce a face seal and one of the lips of the major annular body against a rod surface to produce a radial seal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seal assembly comprising:
a major annular body having opposing spaced-apart annular lips extending from a heel portion, the spaced-apart annular lips forming a first pocket and the major annular body having a bore extending through the heel portion;
a first spring disposed in the first pocket between the spaced-apart annular lips, biasing the lips apart;
a minor annular body extending from one end of one of the spaced-apart annular lips of the major annular body, the minor annular body having opposing spaced-apart walls that extend from a base region and form a second pocket; and
a second spring disposed in the second pocket between the spaced-apart walls, biasing the spaced-apart walls apart; wherein the base region is separate from and disposed radially outward from the heel portion and the base region connected to the heel portion through a spaced-wall of the minor annular body connected to a spaced-apart annular lip of the major annular body.

2. The seal assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a backup ring abutting the heel portion of the major annular body.

3. The seal assembly of claim 2 , wherein the backup ring has a smaller diameter than the heel portion of the major annular body.

4. The seal assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a deformable hinged region where the minor annular body joins one of the lips of the major annular body.

5. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the minor annular body is greater than an outer diameter of the major annular body.

6. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spaced apart walls of the minor annular body extend substantially orthogonally to the lips of the major annular body.

7. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein the minor annular body and the major annular body are integrally formed as a unit.

8. An actuator comprising:
a movable rod;
a pump head with a chamber for receiving the rod;
a wash housing abutting the pump head, the wash housing having a hole through which the rod extends into the chamber of the pump head;
a gland in one of the pump head or the wash housing; and
a seal assembly disposed in the gland, the seal assembly comprising:
a major annular body having opposing spaced-apart lips extending from a heel portion, the spaced-apart lips forming a first pocket and the major annular body having a bore extending through the heel portion, the bore being sized to closely receive the rod;
a first spring disposed in the first pocket between the spaced-apart annular lips, biasing the spaced-apart lips apart;
a minor annular body extending from one end of one of the spaced-apart lips of the major annular body, the minor annular body having opposing spaced-apart walls that extend from a base region and form a second pocket, wherein the base region is separate from and disposed radially outward from the heel portion and the base region connected to the heel portion through a spaced-wall of the minor annular body connected to a spaced-apart annular lip of the major annular body; and
a second spring disposed in the second pocket between the spaced-apart walls, biasing the spaced-apart walls apart.

9. The actuator of claim 8 , wherein movement of the rod produces pressurized fluid urges one of the walls of the minor annular body against a surface of the pump head to produce a face seal and one of the lips of the major annular body against a surface of the rod to produce a radial seal.

10. The actuator of claim 9 , wherein the movement of the rod is reciprocating motion.

11. The actuator of claim 9 wherein the movement of the rod is rotation.

12. The actuator of claim 8 , wherein the wash housing includes the gland.

13. The actuator of claim 8 , wherein the seal assembly further comprises a backup ring abutting a surface of the gland.

14. The actuator of claim 13 , wherein the heel portion of the major annular body has a surface and a portion of the surface of the heel portion abuts a surface of the gland and another portion of the surface of the heel portion abuts the backup ring.

15. The actuator of claim 13 , wherein the backup ring has a smaller diameter than the heel portion of the major annular body.

16. The actuator of claim 8 , wherein the seal assembly further comprises a deformable hinged region where the minor annular body joins one of the lips of the major annular body.

17. The actuator of claim 8 , wherein a diameter of the minor annular body is greater than an outer diameter of the major annular body.

18. The actuator of claim 8 , wherein the spaced apart walls of the minor annular body extend substantially orthogonally to the lips of the major annular body.

19. The actuator of claim 8 , wherein the minor annular body and the major annular body are integrally formed as a unit.

Assignees

• Shreve Joshua A
• Almeida Neal
• Waters Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Shreve Joshua A
• Almeida Neal

Classifications

• F04B1/0448 Primary

  Sealing means, e.g. for shafts or housings (for pistons F04B1/0408 {; Stoffing boxes F04B53/164}) · CPC title

• F04B53/143

  Sealing provided on the piston · CPC title

• G01N2030/326

  pumps · CPC title

• F04B53/00

  Component parts, details or accessories not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F04B1/00 - F04B23/00 or F04B39/00 - F04B47/00 · CPC title

• G01N30/32

  of pressure or speed (G01N30/36 takes precedence) · CPC title