Temperature and pressure resistant rotating seal construction for a pump

Abstract

A seal construction is provided for sealing a rotating pump shaft against passage of a fluid along its central axis. The seal construction includes front and rear sealing flanges mounted coaxially to and rotatable with the pump shaft. A temperature stabilized chamber is provided adjacent each sealing flange including means for recirculating and cooling fluid disposed therein so as to maintain the fluid between adjacent engaging members at a substantially constant temperature thereby maintaining a flatness of the sealing engagement between the sealing flange surfaces and the engaging members. The recirculating/cooling system includes a plurality of vanes mounted on and integrally formed with the sealing flange, the vanes causing the fluid within the chambers to flow circumferentially around the pump shaft and exit the chamber by way of an exit orifice, then reenter the chamber through an entry orifice with the fluid being cooled at a location in the circulation line remote from the chamber disposed between adjacent engaging members.