Radially Cut Torus Spring Seal for Cryogenic Leakage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Seals used in extreme operating conditions, such as cryogenic temperatures, experience reduced contact pressure due to shrinkage or deformation, leading to increased leakage between components.
Innovation Solution
A seal design featuring a metallic annular spring with radially cut perforations disposed about the inner and/or outer diameter, maintaining contact pressure through a differential pressure profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional seal is used at cryogenic temperatures, then the seal material remains flexible and sealable, but the seal shrinks or deforms significantly away from the hardware, reducing contact pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is segmented into multiple functional zones including an enlarged shoulder portion, a body portion, and an O-ring groove. The radially-cut torus spring is also segmented into multiple independent segments that can deform independently. This segmentation allows different portions of the seal to perform different functions - the shoulder maintains positioning while the segmented spring compensates for shrinkage through independent deformation of each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The radially-cut torus spring provides dynamic compensation for thermal shrinkage. As the seal contracts at cryogenic temperatures, the spring segments deform elastically to maintain constant contact pressure. The spring's dynamic elastic deformation allows it to adapt to dimensional changes in the seal and hardware, ensuring continuous sealing force despite temperature-induced shrinkage.
2Reliability
If the seal shrinks at cryogenic temperatures, then the seal material maintains its sealing properties, but the contact pressure between seal and hardware decreases, leading to increased leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The radially-cut torus spring is pre-loaded during assembly to exert outward radial force on the seal before thermal shrinkage occurs. This preliminary compressive force counteracts the subsequent shrinkage effect, ensuring that when the seal contracts at cryogenic temperatures, the spring maintains adequate contact pressure. The pre-compression creates a force reserve that actively opposes the harmful shrinkage effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring's physical parameters - particularly its radial width, wall thickness, and segment geometry - are optimized to provide appropriate stiffness and force characteristics. By carefully selecting these parameters, the spring generates sufficient contact pressure to compensate for seal shrinkage while avoiding excessive force that could damage the seal or hardware. The parameter optimization ensures the spring's elastic deformation produces the desired compensating effect.
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 seal maintains improved contact pressure and reliability at cryogenic temperatures, reducing leakage and enhancing sealing performance compared to traditional designs.
Implementation Method 1
a radially-cut torus spring which maintains a differential pressure profile between the metallic annular body of the spring and the radially cut perforations
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods include providing a seal for an assembly. The seal includes a jacket having a base, an inner sealing leg, and an outer sealing leg, and further includes a spring disposed within the jacket between and in contact with the inner sealing leg and the outer sealing leg. The spring includes a metallic annular body comprising an inner diameter and an outer diameter, and a plurality of radially cut perforations disposed about at least one of the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the metallic annular body.