Patent ID: 6843481
Filing Date: 2005-01-18
Classification: F04B,F16J

Abstract:
1. A clearance seal assembly, comprising: a stationary member defining a first side, a second sides, an opening connecting the first and second side, and an inner wall surrounding the opening; a moving member moveably disposed through the opening; and a sealing member having an internal wall and an outer wall, the sealing member circumferentially disposed between the stationary member and the moving member, wherein the inner wall of the stationary member and the outer wall of the sealing member define a first gap and an entry of a liquid into the first gap is blocked by a static seal disposed between the stationery member and the sealing member, wherein the sealing member and the moving member, when assembled, define a continuous and uniform second gap, having a size that allows the fluid to fill the second gap but prevents the fluid from flowing through the second gap from the first side to the second side of the opening under an operating pressure differential between the first and the second side, wherein the size of the second gap remains unchanged from assembly to under operating pressure.