SEAL
A seal is inserted into a space to be sealed. First and second end portions of the seal are engaged with first and second end surfaces of the space. The seal is compressed between the first and second end surfaces. The compression strains the seal. The strain includes the rotation of a cross-section of the seal so as to bias the seal into engagement with a surface forming one of an inboard surface and an outboard surface of the space.
This divisional application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/610,220 filed on Dec. 13, 2006, and to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/749,908 filed on Dec. 13, 2005, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein as if set forth at length.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to seals. More particularly, the invention relates to compression seals.
A variety of metallic seal configurations exist. Many metallic seals are commonly held under compression between two opposed flanges of the elements being sealed to each other. Such metallic seals may be used in a variety of industrial applications.
Many examples of such metallic seals are of an annular configuration, having a convoluted radial section which permits the seal to act as a spring and maintain engagement with the flanges despite changes or variations in the flange separation. Certain such seals have an S-like section while others have a section similar to the Greek capital letter sigma (Σ) with diverging base and top portions. Other similar seals are formed with additional convolutions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne aspect of the invention involves a method for sealing a space. A seal is inserted into the space. First and second end portions of the seal are engaged with first and second end surfaces of the space. The seal is compressed between the first and second end surfaces. The compression strains the seal. The strain includes the rotation of a cross-section of the seal so as to bias the seal into engagement with a surface forming one of an inboard surface and an outboard surface of the space.
In various implementations, the space may have both said inboard surface and said outboard surface and the sealing may be between said inboard and outboard surfaces. The seal may be inserted into the space in a non-interference relation. The seal may be exposed to an operational fluid pressure difference across the seal in the space (e.g., resulting from normal or abnormal operation of the members being sealed). The pressure difference acts to increase an engagement bias of the seal against at least one of the inboard and outboard surfaces. The cross-section may have an exterior perimeter formed as a rounded-corner trapezoid. In a relaxed condition, the base and top of the trapezoid may have off-longitudinal normals. The engaging may be along first and second diagonally opposite ones of the rounded corners. The compressing may bring the third and fourth rounded corners into respective engagement with the inboard and outboard surfaces. The seal may be engineered so that the actual or abnormal fluid pressure difference provides a desired increase in the engagement bias of the seal against at least one of the inboard and outboard surfaces. The engaged first and second end portions may be offset normal to a direction of the compressing so as to cause the rotation (e.g., at different radii for an annular seal of circular planform).
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe seal cross-section includes first and second sides 44 and 46. A rounded corner 48 transitions between the base 40 and first side 44; a rounded corner 50 transitions between the base 40 and second side 46, a rounded corner 52 transitions between the first side 44 and top 42; and a rounded corner 54 transitions between the second side 46 and the top 42. In the exemplary relaxed condition, the rim 30 falls along the corner 48 relatively near the base 40; the second rim 32 falls along the corner 54 relatively near the top 42; the outboard extreme 26 falls along the corner 50; and the inboard extreme 28 may be represented by the first side 44 or may be along the corners 48 or 52 near the first side 44. A center 60 of the seal cross-section may be represented by the centroid or, for the exemplary regular trapezoid, the central midpoint between the base 40 and top 42. In the exemplary circular planform seal 20, the center 60 forms a circle along which the seal cross-section is swept 360° about the axis 22.
The seal may initially be longitudinally installed in a relaxed condition freely without radial interference inboard and/or outboard (or with very light interference). For example, with the members 110, 112, and 114 in position and the member 116 remote, the seal may be longitudinally inserted through the associated open annular channel end. The member 116 may then be inserted to close the channel to form the space 100. Among other alternatives where the members 110 and 112 are not pre-positioned, the seal may be pre-placed around the member 110 or within the member 112. In this relaxed installation state, there may be gaps 120 and 122 between the seal outboard and inboard extremes and the adjacent surfaces 102 and 104. To provide sealing, the members 114 and 116 and their associated surfaces 106 and 108 are drawn toward each other. The surfaces 106 and 108 may initially engage the rims 30 and 32. Because the contact locations 124 and 126 are at different radii (initially offset by RO (FIG. 4)), the radial difference allows the compression by the members 114 and 116 to form a couple. The couple rotates the seal cross-section (e.g., clockwise about the center 60 in the view of
Accordingly, the exemplary seal in the exemplary space can function effectively as a bidirectional seal. Also, the exemplary seal could be installed upside-down and still provide bidirectional sealing, thereby avoiding problems of installer error. Nevertheless, the seals may be applied to environments (i.e., configurations of the space being sealed) where only unidirectional sealing is necessary or where the seal must be installed in a particular one of the two orientations.
The longitudinal resilience of the exemplary seal is associated more with changes in its cross-sectional orientation than with changes to its cross-section. This may be distinguished from certain annular springs and spring seals. To achieve this, the exemplary seal cross-section is of relatively low aspect or slenderness ratio. The aspect ratio may be measured in several ways. One way is to determine the largest linear dimension of the cross-section (approximately shown by LMAX in
Exemplary seal materials are metals (e.g., alloys), optionally coated (e.g., electroplated). Exemplary alloys are nickel aluminum bronze, stainless steel or other iron-based alloys, copper, beryllium copper, nickel- or cobalt-based superalloys, and the like. For example, for the wellhead seal discussed below, an uncoated nickel aluminum bronze may be used. Alternatively, a plated superalloy may be used (e.g., silver-plated Alloy 718). In a turbine nozzle application discussed below, an exemplary material is a nickel- or cobalt-based superalloy (e.g., Alloy 718 or Waspaloy (UNS: N07001) coated with an intermetallic, cermet coating). Alternative materials include metal matrix composites (e.g., metal matrices including ceramic fibers such as silicon carbide or alumina). Exemplary matrices may be foamed by spray deposition (e.g., of a titanium-aluminum-vanadium alloy such as Ti6Al4V), powder metallurgy, mechanical alloying, liquid metal pressure forming, stir casting, squeeze casting, and reactive processing. Non-metallic seal materials may nevertheless be used.
Exemplary seal manufacturing techniques may involve one or more rough stages including rough forming and rough machining and one or more finish stages including finish machining and polishing. For small diameter seals, initial machining may be from bar, ring, or tube stock. For intermediate diameter seals, forging or casting may be followed by machining. Alternatively, butt-welded rings may be formed and spin profiled. Large rings may be formed by close-to-form extruded wire rolling followed by butt welding, dressing, and critical surface machining/polishing. Nevertheless, other manufacturing techniques may be used.
In various examples, the seals may be used in the oil industry (e.g., wellheads, Christmas trees, and the like).
Yet other seal sections are possible.
The
Further compression of the flanges to a fully mated condition will rotate the cross-section of the exemplary seal (e.g., clockwise as viewed in
The non-bottoming of the seal may have one or more of several advantages. First, manufacturing tolerances and wear tolerances of the members being sealed (e.g., the flanges) may be more easily accommodated. Differential thermal expansion may also be more easily accommodated (e.g., thermal expansion of the seal relative to the space being sealed). In some applications, it may be desirable to provide further flexibility by not having the flanges bottomed. Non-bottoming flanges could be provided with an adjustment mechanism to adjust the precompression of the seal. Such adjustment may also be useful for addressing tolerance issues.
The effective leveraging or mechanical advantage associated with rotating the seal cross-section may make the radial contact loads particularly sensitive to the longitudinal position. This is exacerbated by any radial tolerance problems. Accordingly, the adjustment mechanism may be particularly useful where there are radial tolerance issues or where relatively precise control over the radial loading is required.
In the exemplary configuration of
The pressure difference may be reversed.
In the
In
Such seals 720 and 750 may offer increased robustness relative to thin self-energizing compression spring seals (e.g., formed of convoluted sheetmetal rings such as having cross-sections resembling the letter E or the Greek capital letters sigma (Σ) or omega (Ω)). Surface discontinuities of the vane ring 700 at junctions between the segments 702 may wear the seal during operation. For a sheetmetal seal, the thinness of the metal allows only a slight amount of wear before failure. With the thicker seals of
One or more embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, as noted above, the particular anticipated pressure differences may influence the selection of seal cross-sectional shape and orientation. In reengineering, remanufacturing, or retrofit applications, details of the existing components to be sealed may influence details of any particular implementation. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims:
Claims
1. A method for sealing a space formed by first and second end surfaces adjacent inboard and outboard surfaces, the method comprising:
- inserting a seal into the space without radial interference with inboard or outboard surfaces;
- engaging first and second end portions of the seal with the first and second end surfaces of the space;
- locally compressing the seal between the first and second end surfaces; and
- straining the seal to rotate a cross-section of the seal to bias the seal into engagement with the inboard and outboard surfaces of the space, the straining including a terminal portion of the compressing acting to shift the seal into said engagement with said inboard and outboard surfaces of the space.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the straining comprises:
- exposing the seal to an operational fluid pressure difference across the seal in the space, the pressure difference acting to shift the seal into said engagement with the other one of said inboard and outboard surfaces of the space.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein:
- the first and second end surfaces are base surfaces of first and second channels in first and second flanges.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein:
- the first and second end surfaces are surfaces of first and second flanges, respectively, and the compressing bottoms said first and second flanges without bottoming the seal relative to the first and second flanges.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein:
- the first and second end surfaces are surfaces of first and second flanges; and with the first and second flanges bottomed against each other, the seal is not bottomed.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein:
- the first and second end surfaces are surfaces of first and second flanges; and
- with the first and second flanges bottomed against each other, engagement regions of the first and second end portions of the seal with the first and second end surfaces remain radially spaced apart and radially non-overlapping.
7. A method for sealing an annular-shaped space, the method comprising:
- inserting a seal into the space without radial interference inboard or outboard;
- engaging first and second end portions of the seal with first and second end surfaces of the space;
- compressing the seal between the first and second end surfaces, the compressing bottoming first and second members respectively having the first and second end surfaces without bottoming the seal relative to the first and second members; and
- straining the seal to rotate a cross-section of the seal to bias the seal into engagement with the inboard and outboard surfaces of the space;
- and shifting the seal into engagement with said inboard and outboard surfaces of the space.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein:
- the engaged first and second end portions are offset normal to a direction of the compressing so as to provide a force couple to induce the rotating.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein:
- the seal is a continuous annulus and the first and second end portions are radially offset from each other normal to a central axis of the seal.
10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
- exposing the seal to an operational fluid pressure difference across the seal in the space, the pressure difference acting to increase an engagement bias of the seal against at least one of the inboard and outboard surfaces.
11. The method of claim 7 wherein:
- said cross-section has an exterior perimeter formed as a rounded-corner trapezoid, and wherein, in a relaxed condition, the base and top of the trapezoid have off-longitudinal normals.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein:
- the engaging is along first and second diagonally opposite said rounded corners; and
- a combination of the compressing and an operational pressure difference brings the third and fourth said rounded corners into respective engagement with the inboard and outboard surfaces.
13. The method of claim 7 wherein:
- said cross-section has an exterior perimeter having first and second rounded ends and first and second sides;
- the engaging brings a first portion of the first rounded end into engagement with the first end surface;
- the engaging brings a first portion of the second rounded end into engagement with the second end surface;
- a combination of the compressing and an operational pressure difference brings a second portion of the first rounded end into engagement with the outboard surface; and
- the combination of the compressing and an operational pressure difference brings a second portion of the second rounded end into engagement with the inboard surface.
14. The method of claim 7 applied with inboard and outboard such seals to seal between three members:
- a first member providing the inboard surface for the inboard seal;
- a second member providing the outboard surface for the inboard seal and the inboard surface for the outboard seal; and
- a third member providing the outboard surface for the outboard seal.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein:
- said first member is a tubing hanger;
- said second member is a spacer;
- said third member is a wellhead.
16. The method of claim 7 further comprising engineering the seal, the engineering comprising:
- determining a desired seal response to a fluid pressure difference across the seal in the space, the desired response including an increase in engagement bias of the seal against at least one of the inboard and outboard surfaces; and
- selecting at least one parameter of shape and orientation of the cross-section to provide the desired response.
17. A sealed joint comprising:
- a first end surface;
- a second end surface;
- a seal compressed between the first and second end surfaces and having first and second end portions respectively contacting the first and second end surfaces, the first and second end portions offset transverse to a direction of the compression; and
- a lateral surface, the seal compressively engaged to the lateral surface and not an opposite lateral surface.
18. The joint of claim 17 wherein:
- the lateral surface is an outboard surface.
19. The joint of claim 17 wherein:
- first and second flanges respectively having the first and second end surfaces are bottomed relative to each other without the seal being bottomed relative to the first and second flanges.
20. The joint of claim 17 wherein:
- the seal has a circular annular platform;
- the seal has a cross-section having an exterior perimeter formed as a trapezoid with rounded corners.
21. The joint of claim 17 wherein:
- the seal has a circular annular platform;
- the seal has a cross-section having an exterior perimeter formed having first and second parallel sides and first and second rounded ends.
22. A method for sealing a space formed by first and second end surfaces adjacent inboard and outboard surfaces, the method comprising:
- inserting a seal into the space without radial interference inboard or outboard, the seal having a cross-section having an exterior perimeter formed as a trapezoid with rounded corners;
- engaging first and second of the corners of the seal cross-section with first and second end surfaces of the space;
- compressing the seal between the first and second end surfaces; and
- straining the seal to rotate the cross-section of the seal to bias the seal into engagement with said inboard and outboard surfaces of the space.
23. A single-element bi-directional sealing ring for sealing against fluid pressure in an annulus between the facing concentric surfaces of two bodies, said sealing ring comprising an annular body member with an inclined trapezoidal cross-section.
24. The scaling ring of claim 23 in which all corners of said trapezoidal cross-section have a radius feature.
25. The scaling ring of claim 23 in which after the system pressure and clamping loads are removed, the sealing ring returns approximately to its original form, so that the joint of which it is a part may be more easily separated for disassembly.
26. The sealing ring of claim 23 having a cross-section to diameter ratio sufficient to avoid elastic instability and buckling due to its displacement and loading during installation and in operation.
27. The sealing ring of claim 23 in which at least three corners of said trapezoidal cross-section are rounded.
28. A method for engineering the sealing ring of claim 23, the method comprising; determining a desired increase in the radial dimension of the cross-section in proportion to at least one of:
- axial compression of the ring; and
- a defined axial force; and
- selecting the inclination angle is defined so as to provide said increase.
29. The sealing ring of claim 23 formed of a metallic material.
30. The sealing ring of claim 23 formed of a non-metallic fiber-reinforced composite material.
31. The sealing ring of claim 23 installed between the facing surfaces of the bodies and longitudinally compressed between planar surfaces of a support ring and a loading ring.
32. The sealing ring of claim 23 installed between the facing surfaces of the bodies and longitudinally compressed between the bodies.
33. The sealing ring of claim 23 installed between the facing surfaces of the bodies and wherein:
- the seal cross-section is shaped and oriented so that an increase in radial span of the cross-section in response to axial loading eliminates radial clearances between the seal and facing surfaces and generates radial compression of the contacting surfaces of the seal cross-section and said bodies effective to create a barrier to the passage of fluid.
34. A bi-directional sealing ring for sealing against fluid pressure in the annulus between the facing cylindrical surfaces of two concentric bodies, said sealing ring comprising an annular body member with an inclined triangular cross-section.
35. A bi-directional sealing ring for sealing against fluid pressure in the annulus between the facing cylindrical surfaces of two concentric bodies, said sealing ring comprising an annular body member an inclined cross-section of trapezoidal, triangular, or obround exterior perimeter so as to have radially offset first and second longitudinal extremes.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 8, 2010
Publication Date: Mar 10, 2011
Inventor: Horace P. Halling (Durham, CT)
Application Number: 12/877,513
International Classification: F16J 15/02 (20060101);