Rotating Pump Seal Holder for Shaft-Independent Refurbishment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pump seals require complex and time-consuming replacement or refurbishment processes, often necessitating removal of the entire pump shaft, leading to increased operational downtime.
Innovation Solution
A seal assembly with a rotating seal holder and guide system that allows for the replacement or refurbishment of seal components without removing the pump shaft, enabling easier maintenance and reduced downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the seal is designed to be retained on the pump shaft during operation, then the seal can be easily replaced or refurbished without removing the shaft, but the structure becomes more complex requiring additional components like seal holders and guides
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into multiple independent components: a seal holder that retains the seal assembly, a guide that interfaces with the pump shaft, and the seal assembly itself. This segmentation allows individual components to be replaced or refurbished independently without removing the entire pump shaft, resolving the contradiction between ease of repair and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal assembly is nested within the seal holder, which in turn is retained by the guide on the pump shaft. This nested structure allows the seal components to be contained and accessed sequentially, enabling easy replacement of the seal assembly while maintaining a compact overall structure that does not require shaft removal.
2Loss of time
If the seal assembly is designed to remain on the pump shaft during operation, then operational downtime is reduced during maintenance, but the removal process becomes more difficult requiring additional steps to detach the seal holder and guide
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the seal into removable components (seal holder and guide) that can be detached separately from the pump shaft, the invention enables quick replacement of the seal assembly during maintenance without time-consuming shaft removal, thus reducing operational downtime while managing removal complexity through systematic component detachment.
3Reliability
If the seal holder is configured to rotate with the pump shaft, then the seal assembly can effectively seal during pump operation, but the seal holder requires a retention mechanism that increases structural complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The guide is nested on the pump shaft with features that engage the seal holder, creating a retained rotating assembly. This nested retention mechanism ensures the seal holder rotates reliably with the shaft for effective sealing while maintaining structural efficiency through the interlocking guide-seal holder configuration rather than requiring separate complex retention systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A seal for a pump includes a seal housing configured to be received in a housing of the pump and a seal assembly received in the seal housing. The seal further includes a seal holder receiving at least a portion of the seal assembly, the seal holder being configured to rotate with respect to the seal housing. The seal also includes a guide coupled to the seal housing and retaining the seal holder, such that the seal holder rotates with respect to the seal housing, wherein during operation of the pump, the seal holder and a portion of the seal assembly rotate. A pump includes the pump seal, and a method for refurbishing a pump seal includes removing and replacing at least a portion of a seal assembly of the pump seal, wherein refurbishing the pump seal does not require removing a pump shaft from the pump.