Movable Shaft Seal Assembly for Hygienic Pressure Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mechanical shaft seal assemblies in the food industry face challenges in maintaining hygiene due to product leakage from the product side to the non-product side, leading to microbial contamination, and existing cleaning methods are laborious and costly.
Innovation Solution
An intermittently sealing element assembly that moves between a non-sealing and active sealing position based on pressure, allowing for efficient rinsing, cleaning, and sterilization by sealing only during standstill and when pressurized with cleaning fluids, using a ring-shaped element that moves between a non-sealing and sealing position relative to the shaft and housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a continuous flow of water is used to rinse the non-product side, then microbial contamination is prevented, but water consumption increases and an additional dynamic sealing device is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic sealing action where the sealing element is moved to seal the non-product side only during cleaning operations, rather than maintaining continuous sealing. This allows intermittent cleaning cycles to be performed without requiring permanent additional sealing devices, thereby reducing water consumption while maintaining hygiene standards during critical cleaning periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element is designed to be movable between sealed and open positions, allowing dynamic adaptation between operational mode (open, no sealing) and cleaning mode (closed, sealed). This dynamic capability enables the system to switch functions without requiring separate static sealing components, eliminating the need for additional dynamic sealing devices while controlling water usage.
2Ease of operation
If the seal is disassembled to clean the non-product side space, then cleaning access is improved, but labor and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is segmented into a movable sealing element that can be independently actuated from the main seal assembly. This segmentation allows the non-product side to be sealed and cleaned separately without disassembling the entire seal, providing cleaning access while maintaining operational components in place, thereby reducing both labor and time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable sealing element acts as an intermediary mechanism that provides access to the non-product side space for cleaning purposes. By sealing this space intermittently, it enables cleaning operations to be performed on the sealed side without requiring full disassembly, thus improving cleaning access while minimizing the time and labor required compared to complete disassembly.
3Reliability
If the sealing element assembly is moved to seal during rotation, then sealing performance improves, but friction and wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element operates periodically rather than continuously - remaining open during rotation to minimize friction and wear, then closing intermittently during cleaning operations to provide sealing performance. This periodic sealing approach maintains reliability when needed while significantly reducing cumulative friction and wear during operational periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element dynamically transitions between open and closed states based on operational requirements. During rotation, it remains open to eliminate friction and wear; during cleaning, it closes to provide sealing. This dynamic behavior optimizes both sealing performance and component longevity by avoiding continuous contact that would cause wear.
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 solution enables effective cleaning and sterilization of mechanical shaft seals without interrupting rotation, reducing the risk of microbial contamination and improving hygiene while being more cost-efficient than traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
The resilient part is arranged such that it moves the sealing element assembly from a non-sealing position to a sealing position
Data Source
AI summary
A sealing element assembly (1) for a single type mechanical shaft seal assembly (2) is adapted to be arranged between the circumference of a rotatable shaft (3) and a static housing (4) surrounding the shaft (3). A first side (5) in an axial direction of the sealing element assembly (1) is adapted to face an enclosed space (6) between the housing (4) and the shaft (3) and the opposite second side (7) of the sealing element assembly (1) is adapted to face an ambient space (8), wherein the sealing element assembly (1) is adapted to be at least partly moveably arranged in an axial direction from a non-sealing position to a sealing position. The sealing element assembly (1) in the non-sealing position is adapted to be arranged at distance from a surface (10) of a plane that is transversal or tapered up to ±5 degrees to an axis of the shaft (3). The sealing position of the sealing element assembly (1) is arranged to seal against said surface (10) such that the sealing element assembly (1) constitutes a sealing between the rotatable shaft (3) and the housing (4) when the enclosed space (6) is pressurized.