Piston Compressor Throttle Arrangement With Stacked Sealing Discs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional throttle rings in piston compressors are ineffective in sealing dynamic pressure peaks, leading to rapid wear of actual sealing elements and a reduction in sealing function due to increased gap between the throttle ring and its mating partner.
Innovation Solution
A throttle arrangement featuring a sealing disk holder with an L-shaped radial section and multiple annular sealing disks, allowing axial play and gas passage openings to distribute pressure evenly, limiting radial wear and maintaining sealing effectiveness over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional frictionless throttle rings are used, then the initial sealing function is provided, but the sealing function deteriorates rapidly due to wear-related enlargement of the minimal gap
Solution Approach 1:
The throttle ring is segmented into multiple annular sealing discs (at least two) arranged one behind the other in the axial direction. Each sealing disc has its own minimal gap to the piston rod, distributing the sealing function across multiple elements. This segmentation prevents the rapid deterioration seen in single-element designs, as wear on one disc does not immediately compromise the entire sealing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing discs are designed with a specific axial height that provides predetermined axial play, allowing them to move transversely to the axial direction during operation. This preliminary design of movement capability enables the sealing discs to adapt to wear and maintain contact with the piston rod, extending service life before replacement is needed.
2Loss of substance
If frictionless sealing elements are used, then low initial wear is achieved, but the sealing function is reduced due to inability to seal dynamic pressure component
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing discs are designed with specific local properties: they have a first minimal gap to the piston rod for sealing the dynamic pressure component, and a second minimal gap for frictionless operation. The axial height is specifically dimensioned to provide axial play, enabling transverse movement. These localized quality features allow the discs to simultaneously achieve low wear and effective sealing of dynamic pressure peaks.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing discs are designed to be movable transversely to the axial direction through the provided axial play. This dynamic capability allows the discs to adapt their position during operation, maintaining optimal contact with the piston rod for sealing while minimizing friction and wear. The dynamic adjustment enables the system to handle varying pressure conditions effectively.
3Reliability
If the axial height of sealing discs is increased to improve sealing, then the sealing function is enhanced, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making each sealing disc extremely tall to achieve sealing, the invention uses multiple discs (at least two) with moderate axial heights. The combined sealing effect of multiple discs with individual minimal gaps provides sufficient sealing of dynamic pressure components without requiring excessive axial height for a single disc. This partial action approach distributes the sealing function across multiple elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-element axial sealing approach to a multi-disc arrangement where sealing occurs through multiple minimal gaps in the axial direction. By stacking sealing discs one behind the other, the sealing function is achieved through accumulation of multiple partial sealing actions rather than a single large axial dimension, effectively using the axial stacking dimension to reduce the required axial height per disc.
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 throttle arrangement provides improved sealing of dynamic pressure components, reducing wear-related deterioration and maintaining a consistent sealing effect by limiting radial play and distributing pressure effectively, thus enhancing the service life of the sealing disks.
Implementation Method 1
The first leg features multiple gas passage openings... When the sealing discs are coaxially aligned with the first leg and the body to be sealed, a first annular gap is formed between the boundary surface and the sealing discs, which is fluidically connected to the high-pressure side via the gas passage openings
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
Throttle arrangement (1) for sealing a sliding surface (9) of a body of a piston compressor (20) movable in an axial direction (A), wherein the throttle arrangement (1) in use has a high-pressure side (1a) on the compression chamber side and a low-pressure side (1b) on the crankshaft side, the throttle arrangement (1) comprising a plurality of annular sealing discs (2) and a sealing disc holder (3), wherein the sealing disc holder (3) has an L-shaped radial section, with a first leg (4) extending in the axial direction (A) and a second leg (5) extending transversely to the axial direction (A), which legs (4, 5) together form the L-shaped radial section, wherein the second leg (5) is annular and has a bearing surface (6) pointing towards the high-pressure side (1a), on which bearing surface (6) the sealing discs (2) are arranged stacked on top of each other in the axial direction (A),wherein the first leg (4) is cylindrical and extends along the outer or inner circumference of the second leg (5) from the support surface (6) towards the high-pressure side (1a), wherein the axial height (H4) of the first leg is selected such that the sealing discs (2) stacked on the support surface (6) have axial play in use, wherein the first leg (4) has a plurality of gas passage openings (7), wherein the first leg (4) has a boundary surface (8) pointing towards the sealing discs (2), wherein, when the sealing discs (2) are coaxially aligned with the first leg (4) and the body to be sealed, a first annular gap (RS1) is formed between the boundary surface (8) and the sealing discs (2), which is fluidically connected to the high-pressure side (1a) through the gas passage openings (7),and wherein a second annular gap (RS2) is formed between the sliding surface (9) of the body to be sealed and the sealing discs (2), the wear-related enlargement of which is essentially limited by the radial width of the first annular gap (RS1).