A rotary seal housing having opposing ends, a first fluid conducting slot at one of the opposing ends, a pair of spaced apart fluid conducting slots at the other opposing end, and sets of apertures connecting the first fluid conducting slot with the pair of fluid conducting slots, the housing having helical push back grooves that are arcuate in cross-section.
1. A seal housing comprising a body ( 30 ) having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, said body having a bore there through along said longitudinal axis thereby defining longitudinally extending interior and exterior surfaces of said housing, said body and said interior and exterior surfaces terminating at first and second opposed transversely contoured ends ( 43 , 44 ), said first end of said body ( 44 ) having a first transverse slot ( 71 ), said second end of said body ( 43 ) having second and third spaced apart transverse slots ( 60 , 61 ), said second and third slots being physically separated from one another in said body, said first slot and said second and third slots terminating in said body at opposed internal ends ( 70 , 72 ) thereby leaving a body section ( 73 ) between said internal end of said first slot and said opposing internal ends of said second and third slots, at least one of said interior and exterior surfaces carries at least one seal member ( 46 ), said first transverse slot extends longitudinally into said body and transversely of said body along said transverse contour of said first end, said second and third transverse slots extend longitudinally into said body and transversely of said body along said transverse contour of said second end, said second and third slots are not in fluid communication with one another in a transverse manner, a first set of a plurality of said apertures ( 63 ) establishes first fluid communication between said first slot and said second slot and a second set of a plurality of different apertures ( 64 ) establishes second fluid communication between said first slot and said third slot which second fluid communication is independent of said first fluid communication, and said body has at least one port ( 37 ) between the exterior surface and said second slot ( 60 ) and at least one port ( 38 ) between the exterior surface and said third slot ( 61 ), whereby fluid entering said body by way of one of said first and second ports passes through one set of said apertures into said first groove and from said first groove back through the other set of said apertures to reach an exit port.
2. The housing of claim 1 wherein said first transverse slot extends over a major portion of said first transversely contoured end, said second transverse slot extends over a minor portion of one end of said second transversely contoured end, and said third transverse slot extends over a major portion of the remainder of said second transversely contoured end that is not covered by said second transverse slot.
3. The housing of claim 1 wherein said first transverse slot extends over essentially all of said contour of said first end, said third transverse slot extends over essentially all of said remaining contour of said second transversely contoured end that is not covered by said second slot.
4. The housing of claim 1 wherein said spaced apart apertures are provided in first and second groups each such group containing a plurality of said apertures, said first group of apertures extending solely between said second transverse slot and an opposing section of said first transverse slot, and said second group of apertures extending solely between said third transverse slot and an opposing section of said first slot.
5. The housing of claim 3 wherein said apertures extend essentially along said longitudinal axis and are essentially parallel with one another, and said second group of apertures comprises a majority of the total of apertures in said first and second groups of apertures, whereby fluid introduced into said housing by way of said port in said third transverse slot fills said third transverse slot, as said fluid reaches an aperture communicating with said third transverse slot it passes from said slot through said aperture into said first transverse slot until said fluid fills same, as said fluid reaches an aperture communicating with said second transverse slot it passes through said aperture into said second transverse slot, and after filling said second transverse slot said fluid passes out of said housing by way of said port in said second transverse slot.
6. The housing of claim 5 wherein said port in said third transverse slot is located near the end of said third transverse slot that is furthest from said second transverse slot, and said port in said second transverse slot is located near the end of said second transverse slot that is furthest from said port in said third transverse slot.
7. The housing of claim 1 wherein said interior surface of said body carries around its circumference a transversely extending groove ( 47 ), said groove being disposed intermediate said first and second opposed transversely contoured ends, and said body carries at least one port ( 36 ) between said exterior of said body and said groove.
8. The housing of claim 1 wherein said seal housing is segmented and each said segment of said housing contains said first, second, and third transverse slots together with communicating apertures so that when said segments are joined together they form a final seal housing having multiple sets of first, second, and third transverse slots with accompanying apertures.
9. The housing of claim 1 wherein said seal member is composed of a plurality of helical grooves ( 46 ), each such groove being arcuate in its transverse cross-section.