Seal assembly for a rotary machine

Abstract

A seal assembly of a rotary includes a radially oriented plate that axially opposes a front and rear support plates of a stator interface. The seal assembly also includes a film-riding shoe coupled with the radially oriented plate. The shoe forms a shoe fluid bearing between the shoe and a rotating component responsive to rotation of the rotating component and pressurization of fluid in the rotary machine upstream of the stator interface. One or more of the stator interface or the film-riding shoe includes one or more ports or pathways through which higher-pressure fluid upstream of the stator housing in the rotary machine flows to form an aft axial fluid bearing between the radially oriented plate and the rear support plate of the stator interface.