Patent ID: 11913465
Assignee: CANDU ENERGY INC.
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  G  Y | IPC F  G

Claim 2:
3. A method of sealing a pump, the method comprising:
directing pressurized fluid through a first section of a staging flow path towards a first seal;
increasing angular velocity of the pressurized fluid as it traverses said staging flow path by motion of a rotor assembly of said pump, wherein said increasing said angular velocity comprises directing said pressurized fluid over at least one accelerating surface of said rotor assembly;
directing the pressurized fluid through a second section of said staging flow path towards a second seal, wherein each of the first and second seal have a stator seal member and a rotor seal member, said rotor seal member comprise a first and second expansion control ring around said rotor seal member, said first expansion control ring configured to expand out of contact with said rotor seal member at a lower temperature than said second expansion control ring,
restricting thermal expansion of at least one of said first and second seal below a threshold temperature;
tightening at least one of said first and second seal in response to elevated fluid temperature above said threshold temperature.