Mechanical Face Seal Barrier Gas Feed for Low-Loss Compressors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compressor arrangements with sliding ring seals experience high process gas consumption, leading to inefficiency, high operating costs, and significant structural requirements for gas supply systems.
Innovation Solution
The compressor arrangement incorporates a sliding ring seal with a through opening in the stationary sliding ring to directly supply process gas as a blocking fluid to the sealing gap, eliminating the need for a labyrinth seal and reducing the sealing gap width to ≤ 10 µm.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a labyrinth seal is used in the mechanical seal assembly, then sealing against the compressor is achieved, but process gas consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the labyrinth seal from the mechanical seal assembly, retaining only the essential mechanical seal components. By removing the redundant sealing element (labyrinth seal), the patent reduces process gas consumption while maintaining adequate sealing through the optimized mechanical seal with its sealing gap of ≤ 10 µm.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the critical parameter of sealing gap width from the conventional 200 µm (labyrinth seal) to ≤ 10 µm (mechanical seal). This parameter reduction enables effective sealing with minimal process gas consumption, resolving the contradiction between sealing reliability and gas loss.
2Reliability
If a labyrinth seal is included in the mechanical seal assembly, then sealing is improved, but device complexity and structural effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the labyrinth seal structure from the mechanical seal assembly, simplifying the overall device design. This extraction of the redundant sealing component reduces structural complexity, manufacturing effort, and assembly complexity while maintaining sealing effectiveness through the mechanical seal alone.
3Ease of manufacture
If a large sealing gap is used in the labyrinth seal, then manufacturing is easier, but process gas consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention fundamentally changes the sealing gap parameter from 200 µm (labyrinth seal) to ≤ 10 µm (mechanical seal). Although this requires tighter manufacturing tolerances, it eliminates the need for large clearance gaps and dramatically reduces process gas consumption, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing ease and gas loss.
4Reliability
If process gas is supplied to the mechanical seal in large quantities, then sealing performance is maintained, but compressor efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By reducing the sealing gap to ≤ 10 µm, the invention enables effective sealing with minimal barrier fluid flow. This parameter change allows the mechanical seal to maintain sealing performance while consuming only 10-100 times less process gas than conventional labyrinth seal arrangements, thereby preserving compressor efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design significantly reduces process gas consumption by up to 20 to 100 times, enhances compressor efficiency, and decreases investment and maintenance costs by eliminating the labyrinth seal and simplifying the gas supply system.
Implementation Method 1
The two seal rings define a sealing gap between their sliding surfaces. The stationary seal ring has a through-opening, which runs from a rear side of the stationary seal ring to an opening on the first sliding surface of the stationary seal ring, in order to supply process gas from the barrier fluid line through the stationary seal ring to the sealing gap.
Implementation Method 2
The mechanical seal assembly comprises a mechanical seal with a stationary seal ring having a first sliding surface and a rotating seal ring having a second sliding surface. The two seal rings define a sealing gap between their sliding surfaces.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a compressor arrangement, comprising a compressor (2) for compressing a process gas (13) from an intake region (21) to a delivery region (22), a mechanical face seal arrangement (3) for sealing against a shaft (5) of the compressor (2) with respect to an atmosphere (6), the mechanical face seal arrangement having a mechanical face seal (4) with a stationary seal ring (41) that has a first seal face (41a) and having a rotating seal ring (42) that has a second seal face (42a), which define a sealing gap (40) between the seal faces (41a, 42a), and a barrier fluid supply (7) with barrier fluid line (70), which leads from the pressure region (22) of the compressor (2) to the mechanical face seal (4) and through which process gas is branched off from the delivery region as barrier fluid, the stationary seal ring (41) having a through-opening (8), which runs from a rear side (41b) of the stationary seal ring (41) to an opening on the first seal face (41a) of the stationary seal ring in order to feed process gas from the barrier fluid line (70), through the stationary seal ring (41), to the sealing gap (40).