Floating seal

摘要

A floating seal assembly for sealing two static parts is disclosed. Each static part has an opposing groove, and the opposing grooves define a seal cavity. Floating seal assembly includes a floating circumferential seal having a middle portion and opposing end portions, each opposing end portion is positioned within a groove in one of the static parts, wherein each end portion has a curved side facing a low pressure side of the seal cavity. The floating seal assembly according to embodiments of the invention is pressure driven in that each curved side of the end portions is configured to engage a low pressure side of the seal cavity in response to a pressure differential across the sealing cavity reaching a threshold value.

主权项

1. A floating seal assembly for sealing two static parts of a turbomachine, the two static parts having opposing grooves defining a seal cavity, the floating seal assembly comprising:
a floating circumferential seal having a middle portion, and opposing end portions, each opposing end portion positioned within a groove in one of the static parts, wherein each end portion has a curved side facing a low pressure side of the seal cavity, each curved side configured to engage the low pressure side of the seal cavity in response to a pressure differential across the seal cavity reaching a threshold value, wherein the floating circumferential seal includes a plurality of sections, wherein each of the plurality of sections includes a male part on a first end of each segment and a female part on a second end of each segment, the male part including a portion of each apex of each curved side at the first end of each segment and the female part including a portion of each apex of each curved side at the second end on of each segment, and wherein the male and female parts of each section are configured to matingly engage a corresponding male or female part of an adjacent section in the plurality of sections such that a continuous line of contact is formed in response to each curved side of each end portion of the floating circumferential seal engaging the low pressure side of the seal cavity.