Seal Flush Cooler Assembly Using Vaporizing Heat Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mechanical seals in rotary shaft equipment face issues with frictional wear leading to leakage and axial movement causing fretting or shredding of secondary seals, and existing cooling methods may not effectively manage temperature fluctuations.
Innovation Solution
A system incorporating a vaporizing heat exchanger and cooling spur to divert and vaporize a portion of the flush liquid, cooling it and using the vaporized fluid to thermally couple with the heat exchanger to cool the flush liquid before it enters the seal chamber, thereby maintaining optimal temperature and reducing leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanical seal assembly is provided with a flush liquid to lubricate and cool the seal faces, then frictional wear is reduced and seal life is extended, but the flush liquid may become too hot during operation causing excessive leakage and seal failure
Solution Approach 1:
The flush liquid flow is segmented into two separate paths: a main flow path that provides continuous cooling, and a secondary path that diverts a portion of the flush liquid through the vaporizing heat exchanger for intensive cooling. This segmentation allows the system to handle high temperature conditions while maintaining adequate cooling capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes phase transition (vaporization) of a portion of the flush liquid in the vaporizing heat exchanger to absorb heat and cool the main flush liquid flow. By converting a small percentage of the flush liquid to vapor and then condensing it, the system achieves efficient cooling of the seal faces without requiring external cooling sources.
2Temperature
If the flush liquid flow rate is increased to improve cooling, then seal temperature is reduced, but the system energy consumption and leakage increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of cooling the entire flush liquid flow, the invention applies partial action by diverting only a small portion (e.g., 5-20%) of the flush liquid through the vaporizing heat exchanger. This partial cooling action is sufficient to cool the main flow and achieve the desired seal temperature reduction while minimizing energy consumption and avoiding excessive leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The phase transition process in the vaporizing heat exchanger provides intensive cooling with minimal fluid consumption. The vaporization and condensation cycle of the diverted flush liquid portion creates a high-efficiency heat transfer mechanism that cools the main flow without requiring large volumes of cooling liquid, thereby reducing energy loss and leakage.
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 system effectively cools the flush liquid, reducing frictional wear and maintaining seal integrity by ensuring the flush liquid remains in a liquid state, thus minimizing leakage and extending the lifespan of mechanical seals.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling spur can divert a small portion of the flush liquid and cause it to vaporize. The vaporization will result in a gas or gas liquid mixture (vaporized fluid) that is at a lower temperate than the flush liquid.
Implementation Method 2
As both the cooled vaporized fluid and the flush liquid are thermally coupled to the heat exchanger, the cooled vaporized fluid can be used to cool the flush liquid.
Implementation Method 3
As both the cooled vaporized fluid and the flush liquid are thermally coupled to the heat exchanger, the cooled vaporized fluid can be used to cool the flush liquid.
Data Source
AI summary
A pumping system includes a conduit that fluidly couples a pump outlet to a flush inlet to provide a path for liquid that exits the pump at the at outlet to be introduced into the chamber that housings a sliding seal via the flush inlet. A vaporizing heat exchanger is disposed along the conduit between the pump outlet and the flush inlet such that a cooling portion of the liquid that exits the pump is diverted from the conduit and the cooling portion of the liquid is used to cool fluid remaining in the conduit before it enters the flush inlet.