Anti-coning aspirating face seal

1. A turbomachine aspirating face seal assembly comprising: an aspirating face seal operable for restricting leakage of high pressure air from a relatively high pressure region of the turbomachine to a relatively low pressure region of the turbomachine at a juncture between a non-rotatable member of the turbomachine and a rotatable member of the turbomachine, the aspirating face seal being moveable between an open position and a closed position,

the rotatable and non-rotatable members including gas bearing rotatable and non-rotatable face surfaces respectively,

primary and starter seal teeth mounted on a seal teeth carrier on the rotatable member, and

a plurality of circumferentially spaced vent passages connecting a closed annulus formed between the primary tooth and an overlapping portion of the gas bearing rotatable and non-rotatable face surfaces to the low pressure region when the aspirating face seal is in the closed position.

2. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the primary and starter seal teeth being annular labyrinth seal teeth designed and operable to sealingly engage corresponding abradable primary and starter seal lands respectively on the non-rotatable member.

3. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:

an annular slider axially slidingly mounted on the non-rotatable member,

the primary and starter seal lands and the non-rotatable face surface mounted on the slider, and

a pull-off biasing means for urging the annular slider away from the rotatable member and the non-rotatable face surface away from the rotatable surface and the primary and starter seal lands away from the primary and starter seal teeth respectively.

4. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a secondary seal in sealing engagement with an annular radially inner slider surface of the annular slider in the low pressure region and the pull-off biasing means located radially outwardly of the annular slider in the high pressure region.

5. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 4 further comprising:

the pull-off biasing means including a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart coil springs disposed within spring chambers of circumferentially spaced apart cartridges,

annular housings surrounding the spring chambers attached to the non-rotatable member, and

forward ends of the coil springs resting against axially forward static stop fingers extending radially outwardly from and attached to or part of the annular slider.

6. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 5 further comprising tongues extending radially inwardly from the housings into grooves in the annular slider.

7. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 6 further comprising the cartridges attached to an annular flange around and fixed to the non-rotatable member.

8. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 7 further comprising:

pairs of lugs extending radially outwardly from the annular flange,

lug bolt holes disposed through the lugs,

ear bolt holes through ears attached to the cartridges, and

bolts disposed through the ear bolt holes and through the lug bolt holes.

9. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 4 further comprising:

the annular slider including a central ring and annular forward and aft extensions extending forwardly and aftwardly respectively from the central ring,

the pull-off biasing means positioned radially outwardly of the forward extension and the secondary seal positioned radially inwardly of the forward extension,

the primary seal land carried on the central ring,

the non-rotatable face surface mounted on a radially inner aftwardly extending annular ledge of the central ring,

first and second pluralities of circumferentially spaced apart first and second vent passages respectively extending through the central ring,

the second vent passages extending substantially radially inwardly through the annular ledge, and

a deflector seal tooth mounted on the seal teeth carrier and oriented to direct bearing airflow from a gas bearing space extending axially between the non-rotatable and rotatable face surfaces.

10. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 9 further comprising air feed passages extending radially inwardly from the high pressure region through the central ring and through the non-rotatable face surface to the gas bearing space.

11. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a drain assembly for preventing oil from flowing into the aspirating face seal.

12. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 4 further comprising:

a drain hole in the non-rotatable member located upstream or forward of the aspirating face seal and the secondary seal,

a radially inwardly sloping inner surface of the non-rotatable member, and

the radially inwardly sloping inner surface extending at least between the drain hole and the aspirating face seal and tapering radially inwardly between the drain hole and the aspirating face seal.

13. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 12 further comprising an annular oil dam depending from an aft or downstream end of the non-rotatable member and located upstream or forward of the aspirating face seal.

14. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 8 further comprising:

the annular slider including a central ring and annular forward and aft extensions extending forwardly and aftwardly respectively from the central ring,

the pull-off biasing means positioned radially outwardly of the forward extension and the secondary seal positioned radially inwardly of the forward extension,

the primary seal land carried on the central ring,

the non-rotatable face surface mounted on a radially inner aftwardly extending annular ledge of the central ring,

first and second pluralities of circumferentially spaced apart first and second vent passages respectively extending through the central ring,

the second vent passages extending substantially radially inwardly through the annular ledge, and

a deflector seal tooth mounted on the seal teeth carrier and oriented to direct bearing airflow from a gas bearing space extending axially between the non-rotatable and rotatable face surfaces.

15. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 14 further comprising air feed passages extending radially inwardly from the high pressure region through the central ring and through the non-rotatable face surface to the gas bearing space.

16. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 15 further comprising a drain assembly for preventing oil from flowing into the aspirating face seal.

17. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 16 further comprising:

a drain hole in the non-rotatable member located upstream or forward of the aspirating face seal and the secondary seal,

a radially inwardly sloping inner surface of the non-rotatable member, and

the radially inwardly sloping inner surface extending at least between the drain hole and the aspirating face seal and tapering radially inwardly between the drain hole and the aspirating face seal.

18. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 17 further comprising an annular oil dam depending from an aft or downstream end of the non-rotatable member and located upstream or forward of the aspirating face seal.

19. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 17 further comprising the non-rotatable member coupled to an annular frame and a bearing supported by the frame in an annular sump bounded by a sump member located radially inwardly of the non-rotatable member.

20. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 19 further comprising an annular oil dam depending from an aft or downstream end of the non-rotatable member and located upstream or forward of the aspirating face seal.