Borgwarner Inc.

Borg-warner Industrial Products, Inc.

Robert S Wentworth, Jr

Duncan D Bragg

A controllable mechanical seal for sealing a rotating body relative to a housing of a fluid device. The mechanical seal includes a pair of seal rings supported in juxtaposed relation in said housing. Each seal ring has a cylindrical outer surface and a radial end sealing face which, at a given operating condition of the machine, has a predetermined optimum convergence angle relative to the other seal ring face. The sealing faces are yieldably biased into contact with one another to define a dynamic seal there between. A seal ring support member is telescopically arranged about the outer cylindrical surface of one of said ring such that exposed surface area end regions of the cylindrical surface of the support ring are subjected to selectable differential pressures which cause the associated seal ring to distort thereby causing the seal face of the associated ring to assume a select angle of convergence relative to the seal face of the other seal ring. A sensor may be provided for automatically controlling the angle of convergence between the seal faces as a function of machine operation.

Face seal with automatic face convergence means

A mechanical seal assembly disposed within a pump housing for retarding the flow and leakage of fluids and other matter from being pumped along the motor drive shaft. The mechanical seal assembly of the present invention includes a non-rotating seal ring and a seal ring which rotates with the motor drive shaft. The non-rotating seal ring is resiliently mounted from the impeller side of the housing and is operably carried by the pump housing such that its seal face is urged toward the seal face of the rotating seal ring. A flexible assemblage comprises part of the non-rotating seal mounting arrangements and assures flexibility of the non-rotating seal face despite pump operating conditions.

Mechanical seal with radially disposed bias component

A mechanical seal assembly for use with centrifugal pumps including at least one unitized elastomer assembly for urging the seal faces of a pair of seal rings into sealing engagement with each other. The unitized elastomer assembly serves as a seal ring mounting arrangement and includes a spaced pair of metallic rings which are chemically bonded to an annular elastomer body disposed therebetween and whose cross section between the rings is loaded in shear when the elastomer assembly is operatively arranged in the pump. A mechanical seal is established between at least one of said rings and the elastomer body for protecting the chemical bond therebetween against attack by corrosive pump product.

Mechanical seal for pumps and method of fabricating same

A pressure balanced mechanical seal, especially adaptable for use in a swivel in an oil well drilling arrangement comprising a pair of relatively rotatable seal rings constructed of silicon carbide or tungsten carbide each received in a cavity defined by a cylindrical and a radial wall in the respective housing for the ring with the inner cylindrical surface of each exposed to high pressure, high temperature drilling mud and with means to communicate drilling mud to the outer cylindrical surfaces thereof, and means for balancing the axial forces on the rings and to insure sufficient axial forces for perfecting the seal. Tensional and compressive forces on the rings are minimized insuring reasonable life to the seal, far in excess of that in the conventional packings now used in the oil drilling system.

Pressure balanced seal

A low emission valve assembly for use with volatile fluids and incorporating a pair of independent inner and outer metal bellows mechanical seal assemblies with means to compensate for thermal expansion of a liquid between the seals and which means transmits product pressure within the valve to the seals, so that the inner seal floats with a near zero pressure differential from outside to inside. The compensating means can be a pressure responsive bellows arrangement or a pressure response diaphragm arrangement.

Low emission valve

A pump-mechanical seal assembly in which the setting of the mechanical seal is maintained when the pump impeller's position is adjusted relative to the pump housing, and means to accomplish this objective.

Pump-mechanical seal construction with axial adjustment means

A mechanical seal assembly, especially for use in a slurry pump in which the seal rings are resiliently urged into sealing relation by at least one elastomeric assembly loaded in shear. The preferred embodiment is constructed as a cartridge for installation and removal as a unit but it may also be constructed for installation in situ.

Mechanical seals with setting block for use with slurry pumps

An alarm system for indicating excessive leakage of liquid across the engaging seal faces of a mechanical seal, especially those seals which are so positioned to prevent visual inspection.

Mechanical seal leakage alarm

A mechanical seal assembly especially constructed for use in low temperature environments in which an elastomer, i.e., an O-ring made of natural or synthetic rubber, is used as a substitute for the generally accepted and more expensive lapped or other types of joints.

Mechanical seal assembly

In mechanical seals adapted to perform in high temperature environments, fragile gaskets characterized by poor elasticity and conformability are used to perfect a seal between adjacent parts. Gaskets may be made of graphite, carbon, asbestos and/or fiberglass containing material. In order to perfect such a seal, gaskets with a parallelogram cross-section are used. They are expanded radially and their cross-section changed when placed between two parts during assembly.

Mechanical seal

A mechanical seal assembly associated with a rotatable shaft means and comprising a pair of seal rings, one stationary and one rotatable with the shaft means, the seal rings having generally radially disposed engaging faces. A bellows means connected to the stationary seal ring resiliently urges it toward the rotatable ring. Resilient means locating the position of the rotatable seal ring resiliently counters the resilient force on said stationary ring by the bellows means. The entire seal assembly is on a sleeve which can be assembled with a shaft or removed therefrom as a unit.

Bellows type mechanical seal

Mechanical seal manufacturing process

A system for clamping a bellows assembly of a mechanical seal to its flange in the minimum radial and axial space which comprises the use of set screws, the threads of which are received in openings defined in part by a body flange and in part by a bellows support ring. The portion in the support ring is threaded while the remainder is not threaded. The threads in the threaded opening portion may match those of the set screw, i.e., helical, or may be merely parallel, i.e. not helical. In the latter, the arc of contact between the threads is relatively small.

Bellows-type mechanical seal

A pressure transfer unit having a movable partition including a flexible bellows for separating an internal, controlled-pressure chamber from a reference-pressure chamber. A valve is provided for limiting the volume of liquid that can be injected into and received in the controlled-pressure chamber during filling or refilling thereof. A spring biases the partition to apply a predetermined force to the partition and to shut off fluid transfer in the event of bellows failure. The unit is arranged for simple and rapid assembly and disassembly.

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Temecula, CA, United States of America

Robert S Wentworth, Jr