IMPROPER PERFORMANCE OF MECHANICAL SEALS

Processing equipment that come with pumps, compressors, and any type of rotating shaft also comes with mechanical seals. This is to reduce the emission of liquid outside the machine, preventing any visible leakage. With a mechanical seal, the environment is not only clean and hazard free but the integrity of the equipment is also protected so they last longer. The performance of the mechanical seal is critical to the overall operation of your reactor, so when a seal starts to work improperly it can lead to a number of serious complications. 

What are the symptoms of a mechanical seal that is not running properly?

There are varying symptoms of failing mechanical seals based on the seal type. In the case of pump seal, higher than normal nitrogen consumption is often an indicator of a problem. When a flow meter is placed in-line and the indicator ball is above allowable limits or if the indicator ball is bouncing in the meter, it is often another indicator of the problem.

What can you do to avoid seal problems?

There are four common failure reasons of double mechanical seal: design error, material selection error, product quality problem and improper use.

1. Design Error

Design errors are usually caused by designers not understanding the product well enough. For example, the pressure on the seal product is expected to be insufficient, the understanding of the stress distribution data on the seal surface is incorrect, and the size of the groove in which the seal is placed is not reasonable. Careful analysis of seal products before design can avoid seal failure and save production time and costs.

2. Material Selection Error

The characteristics of the seal materials vary and their applications are also different. The choice of materials should be considered from various aspects, such as the use temperature, the hardness, the compression deformation and the wear resistance. In addition to careful selection of various influencing factors, functional testing of seal materials is also required.

3. Product Quality Problem

The production quality of seals is closely related to the reliability of final products. When selecting seals, they should be inspected, investigated and tested many times.

4. Improper Use of Seal

A good seal, if not used properly, can also cause the entire product seal to fail, such as the wrong use of lubricant. Close and careful monitoring of the seal is the best way to get an early diagnosis of seal issues. By proactively inspecting key elements you can take preventative measures to keep the seal running efficiently for longer. 

What are short term and long term problems caused by leaking seals?

For water pump mechanical seal, a leaking seal puts more barrier fluid into the batch contaminating it. The barrier fluid will leak into the atmosphere and onto the vessel head making a mess. Eventually the lubricator will run dry and the seal will fail and no longer hold the vessel contents which could contaminate the atmosphere.

Mechanical seals have the advantages of small leakage, low energy consumption, long life, and wide range of use. Once the mechanical seal fails, the whole machine will stop working. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively and correctly analyze the cause of failure of the mechanical seal, and take appropriate and accurate preventive and corrective measures to eliminate the fault in a timely manner.