Claims
- 1. A refrigeration compressor seal assembly for use in inhibiting the loss of refrigerant between a compressor shaft and a compressor housing, said seal assembly comprising:
- a face seal operatively positionable between the compressor housing and the compressor shaft, said face seal including a seal nose and a mating ring;
- a lip seal operatively positionable between the compressor housing and the compressor shaft, said lip seal and said face seal collectively forming a seal cavity for retaining fluid adjacent to said face seal; and
- a bypass channel for bypassing fluid around said lip seal, wherein said bypass channel is confined to a top circumferential portion of said compressor housing.
- 2. A refrigeration seal assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said seal nose comprises a maximum of about 0.5 weight percent lead.
- 3. A refrigeration seal assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said seal nose comprises a tin bronze alloy.
- 4. A refrigeration seal assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said tin bronze alloy comprises alloy C90300.
- 5. A refrigeration seal assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mating ring includes tungsten carbide with a nickel binder.
- 6. A refrigeration seal assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said mating ring includes tungsten carbide with about 6% nickel binder.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/532,106, filed Sep. 22, 1995, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,756 on Dec. 2, 1997.
US Referenced Citations (17)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
226082 |
Jul 1962 |
ATX |
761108 |
Dec 1956 |
GBX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
"Engineered Fluid Sealing"; Crane Packing Company; pp. 115-118, 168-173, Sep. 1981. |
"Metals Handbook"; 9th ed.; pp. 390, 392 and 417; Apr. 1982. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
532106 |
Sep 1995 |
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