High-Pressure Seal Assembly Geometry to Limit Energizer Back Jetting
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Solution Overview
Problem
High pressure fluid pumps face issues with fluid leakage due to the pressure differential across seal assemblies, leading to potential damage and reduced lifespan of the seals and energizers.
Innovation Solution
A seal assembly design that minimizes the lateral displacement between the energizer and the primary seal, with a groove positioned closer to the sealing region, and maintains specific clearances to distribute stresses effectively, ensuring the seal remains compliant and rigid to prevent failure and fluid intrusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the groove is positioned farther from the sealing region, then the energizer has more space to accommodate pressure differentials, but fluid intrusion behind the energizer increases causing damage and reduced lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the groove in a specific dimensional location closer to the sealing region, changing the spatial dimension of the groove's position. This dimensional change reduces the lateral distance fluid must travel to reach the energizer, thereby minimizing fluid intrusion and pressure differential accumulation behind the energizer while maintaining seal reliability.
2Strength
If the seal assembly is designed to be rigid to withstand high pressure, then pressure containment is improved, but compliance and sealing performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing the seal assembly with differentiated structural properties: the outer seal body maintains rigidity for pressure containment, while the energizer and groove region provide localized compliance for sealing adaptation. This local differentiation allows the assembly to simultaneously withstand high pressures and maintain conformal sealing contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal assembly employs a composite structure combining rigid sealing surfaces with a compliant energizer element. This composite design integrates materials or structural elements with different mechanical properties, allowing the rigid portions to contain pressure while the compliant energizer maintains sealing contact and adapts to surface variations.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the groove is positioned closer to the sealing region, then fluid intrusion is reduced, but the energizer has less space to accommodate pressure differentials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the groove's positional dimension to achieve an optimal balance point where the groove is close enough to the sealing region to minimize fluid intrusion pathways, yet maintains sufficient distance to provide the energizer with adequate volume for accommodating pressure differentials without excessive fluid accumulation.
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 design reduces fluid intrusion behind the energizer, minimizing damage and extending the lifespan of the seal assembly by controlling pressure differentials and maintaining proper sealing performance.
Implementation Method 1
The seal 41 can include a resilient material, such as an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene that fills the gap 21 without extruding out of the gap 21 when the pressure vessel 20 is pressurized
Implementation Method 2
The O-ring 43 can be more flexible than the seal 41 at low pressures to seal the gap 21 when the pressure within the pressure vessel 20 is relatively low
Data Source
AI summary
A seal assembly includes a seal body and an energizer. The seal assembly is dimensioned to lessen the chance of certain failure modes, such as back jetting of pressurized fluid that gets behind the energizer during a pressurization operation. A ratio of a lateral distance of the seal body to an axial length of the energizer is between 0.400 and 1.7087. A ratio of the lateral distance to an inner radius of the seal body is between 0.10 and 0.401. A ratio of a web thickness of the seal body to the inner radius is between 0.068 and 0.0881. A ratio of the difference between a radial height of the energizer and a groove height of the seal body to the radial height is between 0.050 and 0.155. A ratio of the difference between the radial height and the groove height to the inner radius is between 0.015 and 0.3486.