Patent ID: 7980562

Claim:
A seal arrangement comprising: an annular housing; and a plurality of leaf seal members arranged annularly, at least a portion of each leaf seal member extending into the housing, the housing defining a higher pressure region and a lower pressure region that is opposite the higher pressure region, the housing including: at least one high pressure annular plate adjacent to the higher pressure region; and at least one low pressure annular plate adjacent to the lower pressure region, wherein: the at least one low pressure annular plate defines a plurality of curved channels each extending laterally across, and associated with, more than one leaf seal member, the channel being in flow communication with the lower pressure region at the distal end to the housing, the at least one low pressure annular plate defines a land between each of the channels, a substantial minority of a height of each of the leaf seal members being immediately adjacent to at least one channel, and a substantial majority of the height of each of the leaf seal members being adjacent at least one corresponding land, and the at least one low pressure annular plate having a top surface and a bottom surface and the plurality of curved channels extend from the top surface to the bottom surface.