Patent Grant
11679365
This application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 19175939.8, filed May 22, 2019, the content of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a rotary machine for acting on a process fluid.
Conventional rotary machines for mixing, pumping, agitating or otherwise acting on one process fluid or several process fluids such as agitators are generally used in many different industrial processes for mixing or agitating e.g. a liquid or a liquid containing solids.
In many applications the process fluid is contained in a tank or a tower or another vessel and the agitator is mounted to a wall or the bottom or the cover of the vessel. Amongst the wide range of industries where agitators are used is for example the pulp and paper industry. Here, agitators are used for example for dilution, mixing or bleaching processes. As an example, the process fluid may be pulp which is a suspension comprising fibrous materials and water.
Basically a rotary machine like an agitator comprises an impeller or propeller for acting on the fluid, a shaft which is connected at one end to the impeller and at the other end to a drive unit for rotating the shaft with the impeller. The drive unit usually has a motor and a coupling for connecting the motor with the shaft, wherein the coupling comprises a belt drive or a gear box or any other suited transmission device.
Typically the drive unit is arranged outside of the vessel and at least a part of the shaft with the impeller is located inside the vessel for agitating the process fluid. There are known both top-mounted and side-mounted agitators. Top-mounted agitators are usually mounted to the cover or the top part of the tower or the vessel with the shaft of the agitator extending vertically. Side-mounted agitators are usually mounted to a side wall of the tower or the vessel with the shaft extending horizontally. Examples for both types of agitators are those which are sold by the applicant under the brands AGISTAR™, SALOMIX™ and SCABA™.
The agitator comprises a sealing unit for sealing the shaft, such that the process fluid cannot escape from the vessel along the shaft. The sealing unit may be configured with a mechanical seal or a gland packing or any other sealing element. For many applications it is known to provide the agitator with a flush device for flushing the sealing element. The flush device is arranged around the sealing element in close proximity to the impeller and delimits a annular flush chamber. The flush device may comprise a bushing that surrounds the shaft. The bushing usually delimits two leakage gaps through which a flushing fluid may escape from the flush chamber, namely a radial leakage gap between the sealing element and the bushing and an axial leakage gap between the bushing and the impeller, e.g. the hub of the impeller.
Usually both the radial leakage gap and the axial leakage gap are arranged between a rotating component and a stationary component during operation of the rotary machine. The axial leakage gap is arranged between the stationary bushing and the rotating impeller, and the radial leakage gap is arranged between the stationary bushing and e.g. the rotating part of a mechanical seal.
During operation of the agitator a flushing fluid, for example water, is introduced into the flush chamber, passes through the radial leakage gap, then through the axial leakage gap and is discharged, usually into the vessel. Flushing the sealing element has the primary function to prevent the process fluid e.g. a suspension, from entering the sealing unit. The flow of flushing fluid directed through the radial and the axial leakage gap constitutes a barrier for the process fluid, so that the sealing unit is protected against the intrusion of the process fluid. In particular solid components in the process fluid such as fibrous material could cause enhanced or excessive wear in the sealing unit or other components.
Another important function of flushing the sealing unit, in particular when the process fluid is hot, is the cooling of the sealing unit by the flushing fluid.
In view of a reliable and efficient functioning of the flushing of the sealing element it is desirable that the flushing fluid has a high velocity in the leakage gaps. Therefore, the width of the leakage gaps should be quite small. For example, a typical value for the width of the radial leakage gap is about 0.3 mm. On the other hand, when the width of the leakage gaps is too small, an excessive wear may result or even worse, the flushing does not work properly. For example, when the axial leakage gap is not properly dimensioned, the fluid film between the bushing and the impeller may tear off resulting in a physical contact between the bushing and the impeller, even a metal, metal contact may occur. This causes excessive wear or even considerable damages.
Starting from this state of the art it is an object of the invention to propose an improved rotary machine, in particular an agitator, which enables a reliable, low-wear and efficient flushing of the sealing element.
The subject matter of the invention satisfying this object is characterized by the features described herein.
Thus, according to an aspect of the invention, a rotary machine for acting on a process fluid is provided, comprising an impeller for acting on the process fluid, a shaft, on which the impeller is mounted, a drive unit operatively connected to the shaft for rotating the shaft and the impeller about an axial direction, a sealing unit having a sealing element for sealing the shaft during rotation of the shaft, and a flush casing configured to receive a flushing fluid for flushing the sealing element, wherein the flush casing is configured to delimit an annular flush chamber extending about the sealing element, wherein the flush casing comprises a bushing surrounding the sealing element and delimiting a radial leakage gap arranged between the sealing element and the bushing, and wherein the bushing is arranged and configured to delimit an axial leakage gap between the impeller and the bushing, wherein the width of the axial leakage gap in the axial direction is adjustable.
Since the width of the axial leakage gap, i.e. the extension of the axial leakage gap in the axial direction is adjustable it can be perfectly fitted to the respective application. It is no longer necessary to fix the width of the axial leakage gap already during the production of the rotary machine, but it is possible to adjust the width of the axial leakage gap even after the mounting of the rotary machine, e.g. after the rotary machine has been mounted to a wall of a vessel. Thus, the distance in axial direction between the bushing of the flush casing and the impeller, in particular the hub of the impeller, may be adjusted and optimized after the rotary machine has been mounted to the location where it shall operate.
Thus, by the rotary machine according to one aspect of the invention it is possible to control or to set the velocity of the flushing fluid in the axial leakage gap. It is no longer necessary to manufacture the rotary machine with a safety clearance regarding the axial leakage gap, because after installation of the rotary machine the width of the axial leakage gap may be adjusted to an optimal value. For example, the width of the axial leakage gap may be set to zero or at least approximately zero, so that the velocity of the flushing fluid in the axial leakage gap becomes very high. A nominal width of zero of the axial leakage gap means that the bushing is just touching the impeller, e.g. the impeller hub, during standstill of the rotary machine. During operation of the rotary machine the flushing fluid may leak through the axial leakage gap of nominal zero width with a very high velocity. A high velocity of the flushing fluid in the axial leakage gap ensures, that the process fluid and in particular solid constituents of the process fluid may not enter the sealing unit. Therewith the reliability of the rotary machine is enhanced and the wear is reduced.
The possibility to adjust the width of the axial leakage gap after the mounting of the rotary machine makes the manufacturing of the rotary machine easier and cheaper because the manufacturing can be done with wider tolerances.
It is an additional advantage of the adjustable width of the axial leakage gap that the consumption of the flushing fluid may be minimized which makes the operation of the rotary machine more efficient and less expensive.
Furthermore, it is also possible to re-adjust the width of the axial leakage gap, e.g. after some time of operation of the rotary machine. If the width of the axial leakage gap changes, for example the width becomes larger due to wear, the width of the axial gap may be easily changed to the desired value. This reduces the service and maintenance efforts.
According to a preferred embodiment, the flush casing is configured to be movable in the axial direction.
Preferably the flush casing is configured to be movable in the axial direction between a first end position and a second end position. Thus, there is a maximum width of the axial leakage gap, for example when the flush casing is in the first end position.
According to one embodiment, the width of the axial leakage gap is zero, when the flush casing is in an operating position located between the first end position and the second end position, so that the bushing abuts against the impeller. Thus, preferably the flush casing is neither in the first end position nor in the second end position when it is in the operating position, where the width of the axial gap is zero, so that the bushing touches the impeller. This measure has the advantage that the width of the axial leakage gap can be re-adjust after some operating time, e.g. if the width of the axial leakage gap increases.
The width of the axial leakage gap has a maximum value when the flush casing is in one of the first and the second end position. Usually the width of the axial leakage gap has its maximum value during mounting of the rotary machine e.g. to a wall of a vessel. When the mounting is finished the flush casing is moved to the operating position.
The maximum value is not a critical value. It may be adapted to the respective application or location. Just as examples the maximum value may be at most 5 mm, or at most 1 mm, or at most 0.5 mm.
According to one embodiment the flush casing comprises a plurality of slot holes with each slot hole extending in the axial direction, and wherein for each slot hole a fixing element is configured to engage the respective slot hole and for fixing the flush casing with respect to the axial direction. This design is quite easy to manufacture and enables a reliable adjustment of the width of the axial leakage gap.
Preferably the bushing comprises an annular front side facing the impeller, wherein at least one radially extending groove is disposed in the front side of the bushing. The radially extending groove(s) has/have the advantage that even at a zero distance between the front side of the bushing and the impeller, e.g. the impeller hub, there is still at least one flow channel for the flushing fluid to escape from the flush chamber.
As an advantageous measure the front side of the bushing is made of a plastic.
In preferred embodiments, the bushing is made of a plastic. A suited plastic due to its wear properties is for example polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is commercially available under the trade name TEFLON.
According to a preferred design the rotary machine comprises a mounting flange for fastening the rotary machine to a wall of a vessel.
In a specifically preferred embodiment the rotary machine is designed as an agitator for mixing or agitating the process fluid.
Furthermore, it is preferred that the agitator is designed as a side-mounted agitator for being horizontally mounted to a wall of a vessel.
In other embodiments the agitator may be designed as a top-mounted agitator for being mounted vertically to a wall of a vessel for the process fluid. However, the agitator may also be designed for other types of mounting it to a vessel, a tower, a tank or the like.
Further advantageous measures and embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims.
The invention will be explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings.
In the following description of the invention reference is made by way of example to a rotary machine designed as an agitator for mixing or agitating a process fluid. Although this is in practice an important embodiment of a rotary machine according to the invention, it has to be understood that the invention is not restricted to such embodiments as an agitator. The rotary machine according to the invention may also be designed as any other type of a rotary machine for mixing, pumping, agitating or otherwise acting on process fluids. Preferably the rotary machine is intended for being mounted to a wall of a vessel.
For the sake of a better understanding, firstly the general setup of an agitator will be explained referring to
The agitator comprises an impeller 2 for acting on the process fluid in the vessel 200. The impeller comprises a hub 21 and a plurality of blades 22 mounted to the hub 21 for acting on the process fluid. For example, the impeller 2 has three blades 22.
The hub 21 of the impeller 2 is connected in a torque-proof manner to an end of a shaft 3, for example by a central fixing screw 31 (
The coupling 42 may comprise a belt drive for connecting the motor 41 to the drive shaft 3. Of course, the agitator 1 may also be designed with any other coupling 42 between the motor 41 and the drive shaft 3, for example with a gear box or any other suited transmission device.
The embodiment of the agitator 1 shown in
The side-mounted agitator 1 has a mounting flange 5 for fastening the agitator 1 to the wall 100 of the vessel 200. The mounting flange 5 surrounds the shaft 3 concentrically and comprises several bores (not shown) for receiving screws or bolts for fastening the agitator 1 to the wall 100. When the agitator 1 is mounted to the wall 100, the impeller 2 and the part of the shaft 3 between the mounting flange 5 and the impeller 2 are located within the vessel 200 containing the process fluid to be agitated or mixed by the impeller 2. For sealing the rotating shaft 3 passing through the wall 100 of the vessel 200, the agitator 1 further comprises a sealing unit (seal) 6 having a seal housing 62 as well as a sealing element 61 for sealing the shaft 3 during rotation of the shaft 3. The sealing element 61 may be designed for example as a stuffing box or as a gland packing or as a single mechanical seal or as a double mechanical seal or as any other sealing element 61 for the sealing of a rotating shaft 3. Further details of the agitator 1 such as bearings are well known to the skilled person and therefore will not be described in more detail.
Preferably, the sealing element 61 is designed as a single mechanical seal or as a double mechanical seal. Typically, a mechanical seal comprises a stator and a rotor. The rotor is connected in a torque-proof manner with the shaft 3 of the rotary machine 1 and the stator is fixed with respect to the housing of the rotary machine 1 such that the stator is secured against rotation. During rotation of the shaft 3 the rotor is in sliding contact with the stator thus performing the sealing action.
The agitator 1 further comprises a flush casing 7 configured to receive a flushing fluid for flushing the sealing element 61. The flushing fluid is indicated by the arrow with the reference numeral F in
The flush casing 7 surrounds the shaft 3 adjacent to the impeller 2 and more precisely adjacent to the hub 21 of the impeller 2. The flush casing 7 is a stationary part and is configured to delimit an annular flush chamber 71 extending about the sealing element 61. The flush chamber 71 is supplied with the flushing fluid as indicated by the arrow F.
The flush casing 7 further comprises a bushing 72 which functions as a throttle for throttling the flow of the flushing fluid from the flush chamber 71 to the vessel 200. With respect to the axial direction A, the bushing 72 is arranged at that end of the flush casing 7 which is adjacent to the hub 21 of the impeller 2. Thus, the bushing 72 has an annular front side 721 (
The bushing 72 delimits two leakage gaps 8, 9 (
During operation of the agitator 1 the flush chamber 71 is supplied with the flushing fluid, e.g. water. The flushing fluid passes from the flush chamber 71 through the radial leakage gap 8, then through the axial leakage gap 9 and is then discharged to the vessel 200.
The leakage gaps 8, 9 are quite small, i.e. they have a small width L8 and L9 respectively. As an example, the width L8 of the radial leakage gap may be for example less than 0.5 mm, e.g. approximately 0.3 mm. The widths L8 and L9 of the leakage gaps 8 and 9 determine the velocity, with which the flushing fluid flows through the leakage gaps 8, 9 and therewith both the quality or the reliability of the flushing and the consumption of the flushing fluid.
According to the invention the width L9 of the axial leakage gap 9 in the axial direction A is adjustable. For adjusting the width L9 of the axial leakage gap 9 it is preferred that the flush casing 7 is configured to be movable in the axial direction A. The bushing 72 is fixedly connected with the flush casing 7. Thus, a movement of the flush casing 7 in the axial direction A changes the width L9 of the axial leakage gap 9.
Preferably, the flush casing 7 is configured to be movable in the axial direction A between a first end position and a second end position. When the flush casing 7 is in an operating position, which is located between the two end positions regarding the axial direction A, the bushing 72 abuts against the hub 21 of the impeller 2, so that the nominal width L9 of the axial leakage gap 9 equals zero. Of course, it is not required that the width L9 of the axial leakage gap 9 is nominally zero during operation. The flush casing 7 may also be moved to a position where the width L9 is different from zero. When the flush casing 7 is in one of the end positions, for example the second end position, the width L9 of the axial leakage gap 9 has a maximum value. The maximum value is not a critical feature of the invention. It may be for example at most 5 mm or at most 1 mm or at most 0.5 mm. The maximum value may also be larger than 5 mm.
For adjusting the position of the flush casing 71 and therewith the width L9 of the axial leakage gap 9 it is preferred that the flush casing 7 comprises a plurality of slot holes 10 (
For a better understanding
The flush casing 7 comprises at least two slot holes 10 and two fixing elements 11, wherein the slot holes 10 are distributed along the circumference of the flush casing 7. In preferred embodiments the flush casing 7 is provided with three slot holes 10 or with four slot holes 10 and each slot hole 10 is provided with a fixing element 11.
Preferably, the flush casing 7 is mounted to the seal housing 62 (
For installing the agitator 1, it is preferred to move the flush casing 7 to that end position, where the width L9 of the axial leakage gap has the maximum value, for example the second end position. The agitator 1 is mounted to the wall 100 of the vessel 200 and fixed. After that, all fixing elements 11 are untightened and the flush casing 7 is moved in the axial direction A until the desired width L9 of the axial leakage gap 9 is realized. For example, the flush casing is moved to the operating position, in which the bushing 72 abuts against the hub 21 of the impeller. Then the flush casing 7 is fixed by tightening all fixing elements 11.
It is a great advantage that the width L9 of the axial leakage gap 9 is adjustable after the agitator has been installed at the location where it operates. It is no longer necessary to fix the width L9 of the axial leakage gap already at the manufacturing of the agitator. Therefore the flushing of the seal element 61 may be optimized and the velocity of the flushing fluid in particular in the axial leakage gap 9 is controllable.
As a further preferred measure the annular front side 721 of the bushing 72, i.e. the side which faces the hub 21 of the impeller 2, is provided with at least one radially extending groove 722 (see
A further advantage of the adjustable width L9 of the axial leakage gap 9 is that the width L9 may be re-adjusted for example during service or maintenance work after some operation time of the agitator 1.
It is preferred that at least the front side 721 of the bushing 72 is made of a plastic, in particular a wear-resistant plastic such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Of course it is also possible that the entire bushing 72 is made of a plastic, e.g. made of PTFE.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19175939 | May 2019 | EP | regional |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200368704 A1 | Nov 2020 | US |
