US-12618474-B2 - Swivel seal assembly and alignment method

US12618474B2US 12618474 B2US12618474 B2US 12618474B2US-12618474-B2

Abstract

A swivel seal assembly includes a first alignment fixture mountable to an adapter flange and having an alignment cylinder; a second alignment fixture mountable to a rotating lower nut and having an alignment cylinder, where in the first alignment cylinder is inserted into the second alignment cylinder in a sliding fit; the adapter flange having a locating fixture to concentrically align a non-rotating upper nut with the adapter flange, the adapter flange being concentrically aligned with the lower nut and a rotating seal assembly when the first alignment cylinder is inserted into the second alignment cylinder; a stationary seal assembly having a stationary seal ring with an annular projection; the rotating seal assembly having a rotating seal ring with an annular projection, wherein the annular projections are concentrically aligned with one another in a sealing relationship when the rotating seal assembly and stationary seal assembly are concentrically aligned.

Inventors

Paul M. Masini

Assignees

Deublin Company, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20250905

Claims (4)

1 . A swivel seal assembly having a non-rotating upper nut, having a sleeve and a carrier assembly and a stationary seal assembly connected with the carrier assembly, and a rotating lower nut having a rotating seal assembly mounted on the rotating lower nut, comprising: a first alignment fixture having a flange and an alignment cylinder extending from the flange and wherein the first alignment fixture alignment cylinder is provided with an outside diameter; a second alignment fixture having a flange and an alignment cylinder, wherein the second alignment fixture flange is configured for mounting to the rotating lower nut, wherein the second alignment fixture alignment cylinder is provided with an inside diameter greater than the outside diameter of the first alignment fixture alignment cylinder; wherein the first alignment fixture alignment cylinder is configured to be inserted into the second alignment fixture alignment cylinder in a sliding fit; an adapter flange having a planar base and an annular flange extending from the planar base, wherein the first alignment fixture flange is configured for mounting to the planar base and wherein the planar base includes at least one locating fixture extending from the planar base parallel to the annular flange of the adapter flange, wherein the adapter flange is concentrically aligned with the rotating lower nut and the rotating seal assembly when the first alignment cylinder is inserted into the second alignment cylinder; wherein the non-rotating upper nut comprises an alignment pilot configured to accept the locating fixture of the adapter flange to position the non-rotating upper nut into concentric alignment with the adapter flange, the adapter flange being further configured for mounting to the sleeve and carrier assembly in concentric alignment; wherein the stationary seal assembly comprises a stationary seal retainer and a stationary seal ring having an annular protrusion on a sealing surface of the stationary seal ring; wherein the rotating seal assembly comprises a rotating seal retainer and a rotating seal ring having an annular protrusion on a sealing surface of the stationary seal ring; and wherein the stationary seal ring sealing surface and the rotating seal ring sealing surface face one another, and wherein the rotating seal ring annular protrusion and the stationary seal ring annular protrusion are concentrically aligned with and directly engage one another in a sealing relationship when the rotating seal assembly and stationary seal assembly are concentrically aligned with one another.
2 . The swivel seal assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a stationary seal pilot ring mounted on and concentrically aligned with the carrier assembly and configured to contain the stationary seal assembly within the stationary seal pilot ring in concentric alignment with the carrier assembly; and a rotating seal pilot ring mounted on and concentrically aligned with the lower nut and configured to contain the rotating seal assembly within the rotating seal pilot ring in concentric alignment with the lower nut.
3 . An alignment assembly for a swivel seal assembly having a non-rotating upper nut, having a sleeve and a carrier assembly and a stationary seal assembly connected with the carrier assembly, a rotating lower nut having a rotating seal assembly mounted on the rotating lower nut, wherein the rotating seal assembly comprises a rotating seal retainer and a rotating seal ring having an annular protrusion on a sealing surface of the stationary seal ring, wherein the stationary seal ring sealing surface and the rotating seal ring sealing surface face one another, and wherein the rotating seal ring annular protrusion and the stationary seal ring annular protrusion are concentrically aligned with and directly engage one another in a sealing relationship when the rotating seal assembly and stationary seal assembly are concentrically aligned with one another, the alignment assembly comprising: a first alignment fixture having a flange and an alignment cylinder extending from the flange and wherein the first alignment fixture alignment cylinder is provided with an outside diameter; a second alignment fixture having a flange and an alignment cylinder, wherein the second alignment fixture flange is configured for mounting to the rotating lower nut, wherein the second alignment fixture alignment cylinder is provided with an inside diameter greater than the outside diameter of the first alignment fixture alignment cylinder; wherein the first alignment fixture alignment cylinder is configured to be inserted into the second alignment fixture alignment cylinder in a sliding fit; an adapter flange having a planar base and an annular flange extending from the planar base, wherein the first alignment fixture flange is configured for mounting to the planar base and wherein the planar base includes at least one locating fixture extending from the planar base parallel to the annular flange of the adapter flange, wherein the adapter flange is concentrically aligned with the rotating lower nut and the rotating seal assembly when the first alignment cylinder is inserted into the second alignment cylinder; wherein the non-rotating upper nut comprises an alignment pilot configured to accept the locating fixture of the adapter flange to position the non-rotating upper nut into concentric alignment with the adapter flange, the adapter flange being further configured for mounting to the sleeve and carrier assembly in concentric alignment; wherein the stationary seal assembly comprises a stationary seal retainer and a stationary seal ring having an annular protrusion on a sealing surface of the stationary seal ring; wherein the rotating seal assembly comprises a rotating seal retainer and a rotating seal ring having an annular protrusion on a sealing surface of the stationary seal ring; wherein the stationary seal ring sealing surface and the rotating seal ring sealing surface face one another, and wherein the rotating seal ring annular protrusion and the stationary seal ring annular protrusion are concentrically aligned with and directly engage one another in a sealing relationship when the rotating seal assembly and stationary seal assembly are concentrically aligned with one another; a stationary seal pilot ring mounted on and concentrically aligned with the carrier assembly and configured to contain the stationary seal assembly within the stationary seal pilot ring in concentric alignment with the carrier assembly; and a rotating seal pilot ring mounted on and concentrically aligned with the rotating lower nut and configured to contain the rotating seal assembly within the rotating seal pilot ring in concentric alignment with the rotating lower nut.
4 . A method of aligning a swivel seal assembly having a non-rotating upper nut, having a sleeve and a carrier assembly and a stationary seal assembly connected with the carrier assembly, a rotating lower nut having a rotating seal assembly mounted on the rotating lower nut, wherein the rotating seal assembly comprises a rotating seal retainer and a rotating seal ring having an annular protrusion on a sealing surface of the stationary seal ring and having an inside diameter and an outside diameter, wherein the stationary seal ring sealing surface and the rotating seal ring sealing surface face one another, and wherein the inside diameter and outside diameter of the rotating seal ring annular protrusion are approximately the same as the insider diameter and outside diameter of the stationary seal ring annular protrusion such that the rotating seal ring annular protrusion and the stationary seal ring annular protrusion are concentrically aligned with and directly engage one another in a sealing relationship when the rotating seal assembly and stationary seal assembly are concentrically aligned with one another, the method comprising: assembling the non-rotating upper nut and rotating lower nut; mounting an adapter flange to a flange of a top alignment fixture; mounting a bottom alignment fixture to the lower nut; inserting an alignment cylinder of the top alignment fixture into an alignment cylinder of the bottom alignment fixture and collapsing the top and bottom alignment fixtures together; raise the top alignment fixture and adapter flange and align a locating fixture of the adapter flange with an alignment pilot of the non-rotating upper nut to align the non-rotating upper nut with the adapter flange; secure the upper nut to the adapter flange; remove the top and bottom alignment fixtures; and fasten the adapter flange to the sleeve, carrier assembly, and stationary seal assembly.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/691,489 filed Sep. 6, 2024, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention The present disclosure relates to swivel seal assemblies for use in fluid coupling devices for high speed and/or high-pressure applications, and, more particularly, to a swivel seal assembly providing for extended life of sealing members within the swivel seal assembly. 2. Discussion of Background Information Fluid coupling devices are utilized in high-speed drilling operations where it is necessary to couple the outlet of a fluid source to the rotating device. For example, swivel seal assemblies are utilized in oil and gas drilling operations to provide a sealing arrangement between the washpipe and the rotating sealing housing. One type of a drilling rig swivel seal assembly utilizes a stack of rotary seals which are typically comprised of reinforced elastomeric material that provide a dynamic sealing arrangement with the external cylindrical sealing surface of the washpipe. An improved swivel seal assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,968 incorporates a stationary seal in a stationary, floating seal assembly that is mounted to the non-rotating portion of the swivel seal assembly and is configured to engage a rotating seal in a rotating seal assembly mounted to a rotating portion of the swivel seal assembly to provide a sealing arrangement between the rotating seal assembly and the floating seal assembly. The rotating seal is provided with a generally flat sealing surface, while the stationary seal has an annular projection in its sealing surface. This is referred to as a nose-to-flat sealing profile. While nose-to-flat seal profiles provide an improved seal lifespan relative to earlier swivel seal designs, they still suffer from wear issues resulting from the nose eventually wearing a groove into the flat sealing surface, thereby causes damage to the outside and inside diameters of the nose face seal ring. This affects the load balance ratio, which, in turn, contributes to a higher leakage rate. The swivel seal assembly of the present disclosure extends the life of the seals within the swivel seal assembly relative to the prior art described above. SUMMARY In general terms, the swivel seal assembly described in the present disclosure includes an assembly and method for increasing the lifespan of a swivel seal assembly. One object of the present disclosure is to provide a swivel seal assembly and seal alignment method for effective incorporation of a nose-to-nose sealing arrangement into the swivel seal assembly. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a swivel seal assembly having a non-rotating upper nut, having a sleeve and a carrier assembly and a stationary seal assembly connected with the carrier assembly, and a rotating lower nut having a rotating seal assembly mounted on the rotating lower nut includes a first alignment fixture having a flange and an alignment cylinder extending from the flange and wherein the first alignment fixture alignment cylinder is provided with an outside diameter; a second alignment fixture having a flange and an alignment cylinder, wherein the second alignment fixture flange is configured for mounting to the rotating lower nut, wherein the second alignment fixture alignment cylinder is provided with an inside diameter greater than the outside diameter of the first alignment fixture alignment cylinder; wherein the first alignment fixture alignment cylinder is configured to be inserted into the second alignment fixture alignment cylinder in a sliding fit; an adapter flange having a planar base and an annular flange extending from the planar base, wherein the first alignment fixture flange is configured for mounting to the planar base and wherein the planar base includes at least one locating fixture extending from the planar base parallel to the annular flange of the adapter flange, wherein the adapter flange is concentrically aligned with the rotating lower nut and the rotating seal assembly when the first alignment cylinder is inserted into the second alignment cylinder; wherein the non-rotating upper nut comprises an alignment pilot configured to accept the locating fixture of the adapter flange to position the non-rotating upper nut into concentric alignment with the adapter flange, the adapter flange being further configured for mounting to the sleeve and carrier assembly in concentric alignment; wherein the stationary seal assembly comprises a stationary seal retainer and a stationary seal ring having an annular protrusion on a sealing surface of the stationary seal ring; wherein the rotating seal assembly comprises a rotating seal retainer and a rotating seal ring having an annular protrusion on a sealing surface of the stationary seal ring; and wherein the stationary seal ring sealin