Sealing Concept

John Crane
Why Rotating Equipment Needs a Seal?

>> to prevent fluid leakage to the atmosphere between the rotating

shaft and the stationary housing filled with liquid or gas
John Crane
Old Style Sealing Using Packing

Gland Packing Fluid injection at

1bar above
Positive suction pressure
product
pressure
Leakage

Leakage of
flush into
product

John Crane
Old Style Sealing Using Packing

Advantages:
Inexpensive sealing medium
Many different types available
Ease of temporary repair
Considered easy to use / install

Limitations:

Must leak to work effectively

Dilution of process from flush water
Runs on shaft/sleeve causing
D Wear
D Friction
D Power loss
Requires regular adjustment

With todays emission regulations and productivity goals, is this a good solution?

John Crane
Typical Sealing Systems

Basic Seal construction 1 Basic Seal construction 2

Basic Seal construction 3 Basic Seal construction 4 John Crane

Typical Sealing Systems

Mechanical Seal
Cartridge Structure
Basic Seal
Shaft Sleeve Collar

Gland Plate
John Crane
Why Use Mechanical Seal?

Pump Casing

Process Fluid

Modern rotating equipment use mechanical seal to meet emission regulations and
productivity goals
John Crane
Packing vs Mechanical Seals

Packing Mechanical Seal

Is not a seal but rather a restricting Will seal with invisible leakage. On difficult
device. Requires leakage or it will applications the leakage ratio between
burn. seals and packing is 1 to 100 or better.
Will groove and wear shafts and Seals have been known to run 8 to 10
sleeves. years without failure.
High horsepower load to overcome Monetary savings from little to no product
friction. loss, water savings and energy savings.
Product loss. Little maintenance required after initial
Requires large amounts of water. installation.

Requires maintenance time and Seals offer better safety when sealing
downtime for installations and potentially hazardous materials.
packing adjustments.
Equipment damaged and destroyed
from leakage.

John Crane
Minimum Costs Of Sealing

Gland Packing Cartridge Seal

1 2 3 Year 1 2 3
100 100 100 Cost Per Gland 900 0 0
300 300 300 Cost To Re-Pack
Cost To Fit Seal 100 0 0
100 100 100 Cost To Adjust 0 0 0
300 300 300 Cost To Replace Sleeve 0 0 0
10 10 10 Cost Of Water Loss 0 0 0
200 200 200 Cost Of Cleaning 0 0 0
1000 1000 1000 Cost Of Power to 200 200 200
Overcome Friction
Product Re-Heat Costs 0 0 0
2010 2010 2010 Total Costs 1200 1200 1200
TYPICAL SAVING 810 810 810
John Crane
Minimum Cost Of Sealing

Sealing Options Sealing Options - Cartridge Seals

Benefits

Cartridge seals are designed by  Preset To Their Working Length.

John Crane with benefits which are  Eliminate Fitting Errors.
additional to the already accepted  Keeps Contact Faces Clean As
high quality performance of our Seal Is Assembled At Our Factory.
 Seals Pressure Tested
conventional mechanical seals.
Throughout Manufacture.
 Easy To Fit.
 Reduced Spares.
 Rationalisation Of Sealing
Systems.
Systems

John Crane
Where Mechanical Seal is used??
Any Rotating Equipment handling liquid or gas such as :
Mixers Pumps
Propeller shafts

Gas turbines Steam turbines

Compressors

Gearbox

Centrifuges
John Crane
How A Mechanical Seal Work?
1 Light Band
Rotating Stationary Face, Seat Secondary = 0.0000116
and Springs Seals
assembly assembly inches
= 0.000294 mm

The seal faces are lapped very flat

( 1 to 2 lightbands)
A very thin fluid film ( 3 to 5 microns) is
formed and served the following purposes: separation
D to separate the two sliding faces
D to lubricate the sliding faces Lubricant
D to reduce friction / heat generation
D to prevent fluid leakage to the atmosphere Heat
John Crane
The Sealing Interface

Human Hair
60 microns
separation

Face
Lubrican
Lubrican
tt
Fluid Film
3 to 5 microns
heat
Seat
Vapour > emission
(Invisible leakage)

Mechanical seal has normal leakage but not visible because the liquid at
the ID of the film will vaporised slowly in very small quantity - emission

John Crane
The Sealing Interface

Shape:
Convex Concave

Fluid Film:
Face Separation Contact

Fluid Property:
Some liquids are easier to vaporise,
some are more stable when
temperature increases Flashing Non-flashing
John Crane
What are the users expectations on
mechanical seal?

1. Exceptional performance throughout the life of the equipment. The

complete pumping system must run when it is needed & last a long time.
2. The pump must operate safely & existing regulations while reducing cost.
3. Running a plant with fewer operators & mechanics.

1. Mechanical seal must be carefully selected for each application to

achieve the design reliability because pump and seal systems are
vital to a plants operation.
2. User must ensure that mechanical seal operate properly to give an
acceptable seal life.

John Crane
How To Achieve Acceptable Seal Life?

When the primary ring rotates

against the mating ring,
rubbing and viscous shear
generates

between the seal faces.

Heat generation can cause:

D Over-heating of seal materials
D Vaporisation of process fluid
D Unstable face conditions
D Increased face wear
D Reduced seal life

John Crane
How To Achieve Acceptable Seal Life?
pressure
liquid
phase
vapour
phase

e
e

an
an

ne
op

ta
eth

pr

bu
T
X

temperature
Fluid Property:
Some liquids are easier to vaporise, some are more stable
when temperature increases

Vapour Suppression By:

Reducing Temperature (Cooling)
Increasing Pressure
John Crane
How To Achieve Acceptable Seal Life?

Example The pressure at which a liquid will flash into a vapor at a

given temperature

Vapor -- -- -- -- -- Vapor
pressure ---Water--- pressure
curve
-- --- -- ---

~~~
13.8 bara is required

~
~~
13.8 bara to prevent water from boiling at 200 C
(200 psia)

The boiling point

Steam
of water is 100 C
1.013 bara at atmospheric pressure
(14.7 psia)

Temperature
0 C 100 C 200 C
(32 F) (212 F) (392 F)
Higher pressure is required to avoid boiling at higher temperature
John Crane
How To Achieve Acceptable Seal Life?

Increase
seal chamber pressure
to increase
temperature margin
Pressure
Pumping
Temperature Vapor
pressure
curve
2 X
API 682
Seal chamber
1
Recommend
50 psi(3.5 bar) pressure
minimum

~
~
~
Differential Pressure

Vapor
Liquid Vapor
pressure
at pumping
temperature Temperature
John Crane
How To Achieve Acceptable Seal Life?

Heat Transfer
By Conduction
By Convection

Lubrication must be provided by

a thin film of liquid between seal faces

To achieve acceptable seal life:

1. The seal faces must be lubricated and the heat removed.
2. The fluid between the seal face will not vaporised or disappeared

Flushing helps to achieve acceptable seal life by

1. Removes heat
2. Replenishes cool clean lubricating liquid
John Crane