Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Curtiss-wright Electro-mechanical Corporation

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Westinghouse Electric Company LLC

David J Janocko

Charles David Bice

Daniel C Buck

Charles D Bice

Salvador H Talisa

Judith E Hodgson

Bruce A Howard

William E McGann

Paul LePage

Nick Tallos

Glenn Quinty

Stanley J Pieseski

Richard S Nye

Charles Moskowitz

Arrangements for promoting the restriction of fluid flow along a shaft via providing a deformable ring member in an annulus between the shaft and housing. In an initial general condition, the deformable ring member permits free fluid flow in a general direction along the shaft while in a second, constricted condition, the deformable ring closes or blocks a gap or clearance normally conducive to free fluid flow to thereby restrict fluid flow. An actuation medium, which can take any of a very wide variety of forms, preferably promotes constriction of the deformable ring member directly or indirectly.

Backup seals in rotary pumps

A thermally actuated shutdown seal for a rotating shaft having a narrow annular fluid flow path surrounding the shaft. The seal surrounds the shaft with the annulus therebetween during normal operation and constricts against the shaft when the shaft slows or stops rotating. The annulus is maintained open during normal operation by a spacer interposed between opposing ends of a split ring. When the shaft stops rotating, the temperature of the annulus rises, which actuates removal of the spacer from the split ring constricting the split ring against the shaft blocking the annulus. The blocked annulus causes a pressure differential across the seal which urges a polymer seal ring, downstream of the split ring against the shaft which seals the annulus. In one embodiment, the spacer is formed of a meltable material. In a second embodiment, the spacer is removed from the split ring by a thermally responsive actuator.

Thermally activated shutdown seals for rotatable shafts

A high-temperature superconductive microwave delay line that operates in an essentially pure TEM field configuration in a compact assembly. The delay line is a planar signal delay line which includes first and second substrates made of first and second dielectric materials; each substrate can be LAO material. First and second patterned delay line segments having a configuration, are formed of first and second conductive materials on the obverse sides of the first and second substrates, respectively. On the reverse side of each of the first and second substrates, respective first and second ground planes are formed using respective first and second conductive materials, which are preferred to be high-temperature superconductive films, such as YBCO films. The delay line also includes coupling means for coupling the first patterned delay line segment to the second patterned delay line segment, thus bringing the two patterned delay line segments into substantial contact.

High-temperature superconducting microwave delay line of spiral

A shutdown seal is provided in a pump for activation to prevent passage of fluid along a shaft relative to a fluid-containing housing of the pump through which the shaft extends. The shutdown seal is an annular member having a mounting flange and a sealing collar. The mounting flange is attached to the housing, and the sealing collar is disposed about the shaft. The annular member is constructed of shape memory metal material which below its transition temperature has an expanded configuration in which its annular sealing collar portion is spaced from the shaft so as to define a deactivated unsealed condition of the shutdown seal. On the other hand, above the transition temperature of the material the annular member has a contracted configuration in which its sealing collar contacts the shaft so as to define an activated sealed condition of the shutdown seal. In one embodiment, the annular member of the shutdown seal forms a stationary part of a slip joint secondary seal coupled between the housing and shaft. In another embodiment, the annular member of the shutdown seal forms a hollow shell attached to the interior of a stationary part of a slip joint secondary seal coupled between the housing and shaft.

Reactor coolant pump shaft seal utilizing shape memory metal

A pump has a stationary seal housing with pressurized liquid and gas therein, a rotatable shaft disposed through the housing and operable for centrifugally producing rotation of the liquid within the housing, and a seal assembly disposed between the housing and rotatable shaft. The pump employs a device for venting from the housing to the exterior thereof the gas released from the liquid in the housing, such as by a drop in the pressure thereof, while blocking escape of the liquid therefrom. The venting device includes a body in the form of an externally threaded plug threadably mounted into an internally threaded bore in the seal housing, a flow facilitating passageway defined through the plug, extending between, and having respective entry and exit openings at, the respective inner and outer sides of the plug for providing communication between the interior and exterior of the seal housing, and a micro-porous membrane mounted to the plug across the entry opening of the passage for permitting gas flow while blocking liquid flow therethrough.

Device incorporating micro-porous membrane for venting gases from seal

A double dam seal in a reactor coolant pump includes an internal mechanism in the seal to pressurize its annulus. In one form, the mechanism is an inclined flow passage incorporated in the rotating runner of the seal having an outlet in communication with the seal annulus and an inlet in communication with reactor coolant water flow within the pump housing and being located on a smaller radius of rotation that the passage outlet. Rotation of the runner causes rotational movement of the passage and any water therein, turning the passage and rotating runner into a centrifugal pump, causing a pressure differential along the passage due to centrifugal effects, and feeding water via the passage outlet to the seal annulus at a pressure above that at the passage inlet. In another form, the mechanism is a tube projecting at an angle from the rotating runner, or a recessed scoop defined in the runner at an angle to, and communicating with a passage having an inlet and outlet at generally the same radius of rotation. The tube or scoop are also at generally the same radius of rotation but extend upstream of the passage inlet. Rotational movement of the tube or scoop with the rotating runner through the reactor coolant water in the seal housing develops a pressure higher at the passage inlet than outlet which, in turn, is supplied by the passage to the double dam seal annulus.

Reactor coolant pump having double dam seal with self-contained

Growing community of inventors

Forest Hills, PA, United States of America

David J Janocko