Piston Compressor Sealing Ring With Pressure-Relief Running Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing piston rings in piston compressors experience high friction, leading to increased temperature, wear, and reduced service life, especially in dry-running conditions, and pose a risk of fracture failure parts entering the compression chamber, damaging critical components.
Innovation Solution
A sealing element with an annular body featuring a pressure relief groove that divides the running surface into pressure-relieved and sealing partial surfaces, reducing friction and guiding it stably along the mating surface, and a design with overlapping ring joints to prevent foreign bodies from entering the compression chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ring height or contact area of the piston ring is increased to improve sealing effect, then the sealing effect increases, but the friction increases leading to higher temperature and reduced service life
Solution Approach 1:
The running surface is segmented into a sealing partial surface and a pressure-relieved partial surface by the pressure relief groove. The sealing partial surface maintains contact for sealing, while the pressure-relieved partial surface reduces friction and heat generation, resolving the contradiction between sealing effectiveness and friction reduction.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the contact area between piston ring and cylinder wall is reduced to decrease friction, then friction and temperature are reduced, but the guiding stability decreases and tilting tendency increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the running surface have different functions: the sealing partial surface provides stable guiding and sealing contact, while the pressure-relieved partial surface reduces friction. This local differentiation allows the ring to maintain stability where needed while reducing friction in other areas.
3Reliability
If additional preload elements are added to improve sealing, then sealing effect is enhanced, but device complexity increases and risk of fracture failure parts entering compression chamber increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure relief groove serves multiple functions: it reduces friction and heat generation, improves sealing by optimizing pressure distribution, and acts as a retention feature for fracture failure parts. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate preload elements and complexity-reducing accessories.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure relief groove converts the harmful high pressure acting on the entire running surface into a beneficial pressure distribution pattern. By relieving pressure on the pressure-relieved partial surface, it reduces friction and heat while maintaining sealing on the sealing partial surface, and simultaneously provides a retention feature for potential fracture parts.
Data Source
Figure 1~2a
Figure 2b~2c
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
Sealing element (1) for sealing a sliding surface of a piston compressor (100), the sealing element (1) comprising an annular body (2) with at least one ring segment extending in the circumferential direction (U) of the annular body (2) and with a first end (2a) and a second end (2b), wherein the annular body (2) has an upper ring flank (3), which, when the sealing element (1) is used according to the invention, faces the compression chamber (V) of the piston compressor (1), a lower ring flank (4), a running surface (5) which can be brought into contact with the sliding surface to be sealed, and a circumferential surface (6) radially opposite the running surface (5), wherein the annular body (2) has at least one radial bore (7) which fluidically connects the running surface (5) and the circumferential surface (6) arranged radially opposite the running surface,whereby the running surface (5) is divided in the axial direction (A) into a pressure-relieved partial surface (5a) and a sealing partial surface (5b).