Cooling Insert for Compact Centrifugal Pump Shaft Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centrifugal pumps used for conveying hot fluids face challenges in maintaining a compact design with high reliability, low leakage, and long service life, especially when space is limited and adequate cooling of shaft or axial face seals is difficult, especially when dealing with high thermal and chemical loads.
Innovation Solution
A centrifugal pump with a shaft sealing arrangement featuring a cooling insert that surrounds the rotating element and forms a chamber for the shaft sealing arrangement, utilizing a cooling channel with a helical structure and guide contours to promote turbulent flow for efficient heat dissipation, and a secondary cooling system for dissipating friction heat, produced using additive manufacturing for a compact and efficient design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a long spacer is used to separate the shaft seal from the hot pump housing, then the shaft seal is protected from excessive temperatures, but the pump structure becomes more complex and occupies more space
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling insert is nested within the pump housing structure, with cooling channels integrated into the housing wall thickness. This allows the cooling function to be embedded within the existing structure rather than adding external spacers, thereby protecting the shaft seal from heat while maintaining a compact overall design.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a long axial spacer to distance the shaft seal from the hot housing, the invention creates a cooling pathway through the housing wall in the radial dimension. Cooling channels are formed through the pump housing wall to conduct cooling medium from the hot side to the seal side, transferring heat in a different spatial dimension and avoiding the need for extended axial spacing.
2Temperature
If cooling channels are added to the pump housing, then heat dissipation is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the manufacturing approach by utilizing additive manufacturing (3D printing) to create the cooling channels directly within the pump housing. This allows complex internal cooling geometries to be produced as a single integrated component without traditional subtractive machining, reducing manufacturing steps and enabling optimized cooling pathways that would be difficult to achieve with conventional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling insert is designed as a single integrated component that combines multiple functions: structural support, sealing surface mounting, and cooling medium distribution. By merging these functions into one component manufactured via additive processes, the invention reduces assembly steps and simplifies production compared to traditional multi-component approaches.
3Volume of moving object
If the shaft seal is positioned close to the hot pump housing, then the pump structure is more compact, but the shaft seal experiences high thermal loads reducing its service life
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling insert acts as an intermediary element between the hot pump housing and the shaft seal. It provides a thermal barrier while maintaining the compact positioning of the seal near the housing. The cooling channels within the insert create a thermal management interface that protects the seal from excessive heat while allowing the compact overall pump design to be maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling medium is supplied to the cooling insert in advance to pre-cool the area where the shaft seal will operate. This preliminary cooling action ensures that when the shaft seal is positioned close to the hot housing, the local temperature at the seal interface is already reduced, preventing thermal degradation and extending service life while maintaining compact dimensions.
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
The solution ensures reliable operation with minimal leakage, extended service life, and simplified maintenance while maintaining a compact and cost-effective design, effectively managing heat dissipation in high-temperature applications.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling channel (9) with a helical structure and guide contours (10) for promoting a turbulent flow
Implementation Method 2
dissipating heat from the rotating element (2)
Implementation Method 3
Cooling medium flows through this cooling channel in order to dissipate the heat emitted by the hot fluid
Implementation Method 4
a secondary cooling system for dissipating friction heat
Implementation Method 5
dissipating friction heat from the axial face seal
Data Source
AI summary
Please substitute the new Abstract submitted herewith for the original Abstract: A centrifugal pump includes a shaft arrangement and a cooling insert. The shaft sealing arrangement includes a rotating element and a stationary element, which form a sealing gap associated with a lubricating film in a chamber. The cooling insert has a first region and a second region. The first region at least partially surrounds the rotating element. The second region at least partially delimits the chamber.