Groove-Based Sealing for Semi-Hermetic Compressor Casings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional semi-hermetic compressors rely on numerous bolts and face gaskets for sealing, which can be cumbersome and inefficient, leading to potential leaks and increased manufacturing complexity.
Innovation Solution
A sealing arrangement featuring circumferentially extending grooves and sealing members on radially facing surfaces provides a robust, leak-proof seal between the casing main body and end covers, reducing the number of required bolts and simplifying the mounting process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If numerous bolts and face gaskets are used for sealing, then sealing reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the sealing function from the bolted connection system and relocates it to a groove-based sealing member system. The sealing member is positioned in a circumferential groove on the flange surface, separating the sealing function from the fastening function performed by bolts, thereby reducing mounting complexity while maintaining sealing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a sealing member as an intermediary element between the flange surfaces. This sealing member, positioned in a circumferential groove, acts as a mediator that ensures reliable sealing without requiring numerous bolts and face gaskets, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining sealing effectiveness
2Reliability
If numerous bolts are used to ensure tight sealing, then sealing performance is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the sealing function from the bolted connection system and relocates it to a groove-based sealing member system. The sealing member is positioned in a circumferential groove on the flange surface, separating the sealing function from the fastening function performed by bolts, thereby reducing mounting complexity while maintaining sealing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using numerous bolts distributed around the flange interface, the invention uses a concentrated sealing member in a circumferential groove that provides sealing along the entire interface. This partial action at a critical location (the groove) achieves complete sealing effectiveness without requiring excessive bolts
3Reliability
If face seal gaskets are used with multiple bolts, then sealing reliability is improved, but the number of parts and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the sealing function with the flange structure itself by incorporating a circumferential groove directly into the flange. This eliminates the need for separate face seal gaskets and reduces the number of discrete parts, making manufacturing easier while maintaining sealing reliability through the integrated groove design
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the sealing function from the bolted connection system and relocates it to a groove-based sealing member system. The sealing member is positioned in a circumferential groove on the flange surface, separating the sealing function from the fastening function performed by bolts, thereby reducing mounting complexity while maintaining sealing reliability
Data Source
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AI summary
A sealing arrangement (40) is provided for sealing an interface between a casing main body (12) and a casing end cover (16). A circumferential lip (42) on the casing main body (12) defines a first radially facing circumferential surface (46) and the end cover (16) has a circumferential lip (50) defining a second radially facing circumferential surface (52). The sealing arrangement (40) includes a first circumferentially extending groove (55) formed in one of the first and second circumferential surfaces (46,52) and a sealing member (56) disposed within the first groove (55) in sealing contact with the one of said first groove (55) and in sealing contact with the other one of the first and second circumferentially extending surfaces (46,52).