High pressure seal arrangement
US5411298A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 18, 1993 |
| Grant date | May 2, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 18, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16L39/06
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A fluid swivel is described, of the type that carries oil, water or natural gas at high pressure between an undersea well and a weathervaning ship, which has a seal device of increased lifetime. The seal device (56, FIG. 2 ) lies in a cavity of a first swivel part (12) and includes a rigid seal ring (62) that is slidable toward and away from a sealed surface (66). A deformable seal (60) can be backed up by the seal ring, with the seal ring sliding to close the extrusion gap (70) into which the seal could extrude when high pressure fluid enters the swivel. A pressure source (80) coupled to the cavity urges the backup part to deform radially and slide toward the sealed surface with a force that increases as the pressure of fluid in the swivel increases. Both upstream and downstream ends (89, 99) of the seal ring are closely guided in movement toward and away from the sealed surface, and/or the dynamic side of the seal ring lies closely adjacent to the sealed surface at both its upstream and downstream end portions (180, 194, FIG. 9 ). The seal device can include only the more rigid seal ring (284, FIG. 12 ). The sealed surface (162, FIG. 8 ) can lie on the outer swivel part, with the…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.