Patent ID: 6918252

Claim:
A method for cooling a seal located in a wall of a seal chamber and through which a movable shaft passes, said seal being heated by hot pressurized vapor that leaks through a labyrinth into the seal chamber and internal friction, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a seal chamber in which the seal is located and into which said hot pressurized vapor leaks; (b) injecting cool liquid into the seal chamber in which the seal is located; (c) cooling and condensing said hot pressurized vapor in said seal chamber thus cooling the seal and reducing the pressure in the seal chamber and producing condensate; (d) supplying liquid containing said condensate from said seal chamber to a seal chamber condensate drainage vessel for collecting only liquid containing said condensate produced in said seal chamber; and (e) pumping liquid containing the collected condensate from said seal chamber condensate drainage vessel to an exit of a condenser.