The Mechanism of a Wavy-Tilt-Dam Mechanical Seal in Reactor Coolant Pump
Mechanical seal is a critical parts of the reactor coolant pump (RCP) in nuclear power plants. A wavy-tilt-dam (WTD) mechanical seal is used in RCP to prevent fluid leakage. Each RCP is equipped with three WTD mechanical seals arranged in series. Each seal, designed for a specific pressure differential, provides a total breakdown from full system to atmospheric pressure. Hence the WTD mechanical seal works among a wide range of pressure. During the start-up and shut down period, the working pressure differential is around 1.9 MPa, and the pressure differential in the seal cavity is 5.3 MPa during the steady-state for each seal.