Stationary seal ring assembly for use in dry gas face seal assemblies

Abstract

A stationary seal ring assembly for a dry gas face seal unit which comprises a face seal ring adapted to cooperate with a rotating mating ring mounted on a shaft, a shroud mounted on the periphery of the face seal ring to prevent the ring from bending or deflecting when subjected to unbalanced gas pressures, and mounting apparatus connected between the face seal and the shroud for mounting the shroud onto the face seal ring, the mounting apparatus comprising a support ring and a retaining ring which, together with the shroud, urge a pair of seals against the opposite faces of the stationary seal ring. The face seal ring also includes a pair of static annular grooves formed in the mating face of the seal ring, with a plurality of recesses extending between the annular grooves, whereby the high-pressure gas is deflected against the radial and axial faces of the annular grooves to evenly distribute high-pressure gas on the mating surface of the seal ring to tend to prevent deflection and bending of the stationary seal ring.