Mechanical Seal

Mechanical Seal
Mechanical seals are leakage control devices, which are found on rotating
equipment such as pumps and mixers to prevent the leakage of liquids and gases
from escaping into the environment.
 Mechanical Seal
Mechanical seal is a device intended to prevent or minimize leakage from a
vessel through the clearance around a rotating shaft entering that vessel.
When sealing a centrifugal pump, the challenge is to allow a rotating shaft to
enter the ‘wet’ area of the pump, without allowing large volumes of pressurized
fluid to escape.
To address this challenge there needs to be a seal between the shaft and the
pump housing that can contain the pressure of the process being pumped and
withstand the friction caused by the shaft rotating.
 Gland Packing
Gland packing is a braided, rope like material that is packed around the shaft -
physically stuffing the gap between the shaft and the pump housing.
 Gland Packing vs Mechanical Seal
Gland packing is still commonly used in many applications, however increasingly users
are adopting mechanical seals for the following reasons:
• The friction of the shaft rotating wears away at the packing over time, which leads to
increased leakage until the packing is adjusted or re-packed.
• The friction of the shaft also means that packing also needs to be flushed with large
volumes of water in order to keep it cool.
• Packing needs to press against the shaft in order to reduce leakage – this means that
the pump needs more drive power to turn the shaft, wasting energy.
• Because packing needs to contact the shaft it will eventually wear a groove into it,
which can be costly to repair or replace.
 Gland Packing vs Mechanical Seal
Mechanical Seal Gland Packing

Negligible leakage Leaks

Medium to high cost Low Cost

Less frequent maintenance More frequent maintenance

More downtime during repairs Simple Maintenance

 Mechanical Seal
A basic mechanical seal contains three
sealing points:
• The stationary part of the seal is fitted
to the pump housing with a static seal
– this may be sealed with an o-ring or
gasket clamped between the stationary
part and the pump housing.
• The rotary portion of the seal is sealed
onto the shaft usually with an O ring.
• The mechanical seal itself is the
interface between the static and
rotary portions of the seal.
 Primary Seal
While two of the sealing points in a seal design are
simple static seals, the seal between the rotating and
stationary members needs a little more consideration.
The primary seal is achieved by two very flat, lapped
faces, which create a difficult leakage path
perpendicular to the shaft. Rubbing contact between
the two flat mating surfaces minimizes leakage. For all
seals, one face is held stationary in a housing, and the
other face rotates with the shaft.
 Seal Face Flatness
Rotating and stationary sealing faces materials
selected for their low coefficient of heat and
are compatible with the fluid being pumped.
The surfaces of the seal faces are super-lapped
to a high degree of flatness; typically 2-3
Helium light-bands (0.00003” / 0.0008mm).
Sealing faces of the mechanical seals are
generally pressed together using some form of
spring loading.
 Fluid Film
If the seal faces rotated against each other without some form of lubrication
they would wear and quickly fail due to face friction and heat generation. For this
reason some form of lubrication is required between the rotary and stationary
seal face; this is known as the fluid film.
 Fluid Film
In most mechanical seals the faces are kept lubricated by maintaining a thin film
of fluid between the seal faces. This film can either come from the process fluid
being pumped or from an external source.
The need for a fluid film between the faces presents a design challenge –
allowing sufficient lubricant to flow between the seal faces without the seal
leaking an unacceptable amount of process fluid, or allowing contaminants in
between the faces that could damage the seal itself.
This is achieved by maintaining a precise gap between the faces that is large
enough to allow in a small amounts of clean lubricating liquid but small enough
to prevent contaminants from entering the gap between the seal faces.
 Seal Faces
The gap between the faces on
a typical seal is as little as 1
micron – 75 times narrower
than a human hair. Because
the gap is so tiny, particles that
would otherwise damage the
seal faces are unable to enter,
and the amount of liquid that
leaks through this space is so
small that it appears as vapor.
Vaporization
 Fluid Film
This micro-gap is maintained using springs to push
the seal faces together, while the pressure of the
liquid between the faces (the fluid film) acts to push
them apart.
• Without the pressure pushing them apart the two
seal faces would be in full contact, this is known as
dry running and would lead to rapid seal failure.
• Without the process pressure (and the force of
the springs) pushing the faces together the seal
faces would separate too far, and allow fluid to
leak out.
 Mechanical Seal
Recirculation Gasket or O-ring
for cooling

Secondary Seal Primary Seal Tertiary Seal.

 Mechanical Seal
Spring or Spring Force Seat or Mating Ring

Face or Primary Ring

 Seal Face Materials
The choice of a proper seal face
material is the first and most important
step for long wear and favorable results.
The most reliable combination of
materials is that of one seal face in
graphite and the counterface in silicon
carbide, tungsten carbide or ceramic.
When the fluid to be sealed is abrasive it
is recommended to install two hard
faces such as silicon carbide or tungsten
carbide.
 Common Seal Face Materials
• Graphite: The self-lubricating properties of this material make it the first choice as
seal face. Graphite has excellent anti-frictional qualities and is compatible with an
extremely wide range of temperatures and corrosive environments. Good self-
lubricating properties permit transitory dry running. It is not however good in
abrasive applications.
• Tungsten Carbide: This material has great mechanical resistance, so it is suitable to
operate with abrasive fluids and ideal for high pressure applications. Tungsten
carbide also can be re-lapped and polished to be re-used.
• Silicon Carbide: Is a bluish-black material created by fusing silica and coke. It is in
the same family as Ceramic (due to the Silica), but has much better lubrication
qualities and is harder.
 Secondary Seals Materials
Selection of secondary seals depends on process fluid
and operating temperature. Chemical incompatibility can
lead to swelling of the gaskets and subsequent failure of
the mechanical seal.
Elastomers take their denomination from the excellent
elastic memory they have. This is the reason why
elastomers are the primary choice as secondary seals.
Very high or very low temperatures cannot be withstood
by any kind of elastomer. PTFE for chemical
compatibility and Grafoil for high and low temperature
are the standard option in severe applications.
 Secondary Seals Materials
Use Material Temperature

Mineral Oil / grease / Nitrile (NBR) -45° to +120°

solvents
Water / steam EPDM (EPR) -40° to +150°

Chemicals Viton (FKM/FPM) -33° to +200°

Wide range of applications Polytetrafluoroethylene -180 ° to +250°

(PTFE )
Corrosion, aggressive Grafoil -240° to +500°
chemicals, high
temperature applications
 Mechanical Seal Types
• Conventional (Non-Cartridge)
Mechanical Seals - are typically lower cost
and often installed on general service
equipment. These seals require higher
operator skill to service as they installed as
individual components.
• Cartridge Mechanical Seals - is a
completely enclosed seal system with
preassembled components. Typically, this seal
type is composed of a gland, sleeve, and other
hardware that make pre-assembly possible.
This dramatically reduces the potential for
assembly error and the time require for seal
replacements.
 Conventional vs Cartridge Mechanical Seal
Conventional Cartridge

Lower initial cost Higher initial cost

Require precise measurements during installation Easy / Simple installation

More time required for installation Reduced down times during maintenance

Reduced spares costs as the individual components Entire seal spare

can be stocked vs. the entire seal
 Mechanical Seal Types
All mechanical seals are hydraulically balanced to control the opening and closing forces on the
seals rings.

The balanced seal has the same opening (face) area as the unbalanced seal, but the closing area has
been reduced about the face area. Because force equals pressure times area, reducing the closing area
reduces the closing force. Consequently, less heat is generated and the seal generally has a longer life.
 Balancing Ratio
Closing Force - In mechanical seals, in addition to the closing force generated
by the springs or bellow, a hydrostatic force generated by the fluid pressure acts
on the seal ring.
Opening Force - The fluid pressure also penetrates between the seal faces,
producing a lubrication film and generating an opening force.
The ratio between the forces which are closing the seal ring and the ones which
are opening the seal ring is called the "balancing ratio".
When the balancing ratio is greater than one , we have an unbalanced seal.
In the other cases we have a balanced seal.
 Unbalanced Seals
Generally unbalanced seals have good performance when subjected to vibrations,
misalignments; they are cheaper and their application does not require shaft or
sleeve notching.
The main limitation in the application of unbalanced mechanical seals is the
operating pressure.
High pressures produce an excessive closing force which affects the stability of the
liquid film between the seal faces, inducing overheating and premature wearing.
 Balanced Seals
High pressure and high speed obviously generate proportionally high values of
friction heating. Balanced seals address this problem with a reduced closing force,
as previously discussed.
The balanced design contributes to reduced heat generation during operation,
which is beneficial for applications where excessive heat could affect seal
performance or the integrity of the sealed fluid.
 Unbalanced vs Balanced Seal
Unbalanced Balanced

Heat generation is more Heat generation is less

More stable to vibration, misalignment Less stable to vibration, misalignment
Seal life is less Seal life is more
Installed in a pump having low stuffing box pressure Installed in all range of pressure
Has a simple structure Structure is complicated, and it is generally required
to process the step on the shaft or the sleeve
Cost is lower than balanced seal Cost is higher than unbalanced seal
 Mechanical Seal Types
• Inside mounted (Internal) -The fluid is in contact with
all the mechanical seal components; the chemical
compatibility of these with the fluid must be ensured.
It is best to use it when working with clean
fluids. Inside-mounted seals are easy to cool and are
capable of sealing high pressures.
• Outside mounted (External) - is used when the fluid
contains solids which could block the spring, when
the medium to be sealed is chemically very aggressive
and may attack the metals used to make the springs.
 Mechanical Seal Types
• Pusher - consists of a primary sealing ring assembled with an ‘O’ ring and springs. The
dynamic ‘O’ ring is designed to move axially (be pushed) along the shaft or sleeve.
• Non-Pusher - A non-pusher type seal consists of a bellows assembly. A secondary
sealing member is not required to make up the travel as the rotary and stationary seal
faces wear. Primary seal face wear is typically accommodated by welded metal or
elastomeric bellows which move to assist in the compression of the rotary to stationary
seal faces.
Non-Pusher Bellow Type Seal
 Pusher vs Non-Pusher Seal
Pusher Non-Pusher

Closing force supplied by springs Closing force supplied by bellows (no dynamic ’O’
ring)
Used in low temp. services Can be used in high temp services (metal bellows)
‘O’ ring secondary seals Metal bellows use ‘grafoil’ secondary seals to handle
high temperature
Less expensive More expensive
Tend to hang up and sometimes there is fretting of Less chance to hang up
the shaft.
 Double Mechanical Seal
A double mechanical seal consists of two seals arranged in a series. The inboard, or
“primary seal” keeps the product contained within the pump housing. The outboard, or
“secondary seal” prevents the fluid from exiting the system and entering the atmosphere.
 Double Mechanical Seal Applications
Double mechanical seals are commonly used in the following circumstances:
• If the fluid and its vapors are hazardous to the operator or environment, and
must be contained
• When aggressive media are used at high pressures or temperatures
• For various polymerizing, or sticky media.
 Barrier / Buffer Fluid
To extend the life of any seal, it is important
to control the fluid film that comes into
contact with the seal face. This establishes the
ideal lubrication, temperature, and pressure.
Double seals require fluid exchange between
the inboard and outboard seal faces. There
are barrier or buffer fluid between the
primary seals. This fluid is typically delivered
from a tank to cool and lubricate the seal
faces using a piping plan.
 Barrier / Buffer Fluid
Barrier Fluid: Fluid pressure is 15-30 Psig/1-2 Bar higher than the pumped
fluid pressure
• Used when the process fluid is highly dangerous and a failure of one primary
seal could put employees or the environment in danger
• Displaces the sealed fluid across the inboard seal and lubricates the seal faces
Buffer Fluid: Fluid pressure is lower than sealed pressure
Used if contamination of the process fluid is unacceptable and if the sealed fluid
provides adequate primary seal lubrication.
 Dual Pressurized Mechanical Seal
Dual pressurized: Primary leakage is barrier fluid into the process; therefore the
process must be able to accept a small amount of barrier fluid
 Dual Unpressurised Mechanical Seal
Dual Unpressurised: Primary leakage is process fluid; therefore the secondary
seal is essentially a backup seal.
 Double Mechanical Seal Configurations
There are three ways seal faces are configured / arranged in double mechanical
seals: Back-to-Back, Tandem, and Face-to-Face.
 API 684
API 684 specifies requirements and gives recommendations for sealing systems
for centrifugal and rotary pumps used in the petroleum, natural gas, and chemical
industries.
It covers seals for pump shaft diameters from 20 mm (0.75 in.) to 110 mm (4.3
in.).
 API 684 Seal Categories
As per API 684, there are 3 seal categories:
 API 684 Seal Types
As per API 684, there are 3 seal types:
 API 684 Seal Arrangements
As per API 684, there are 3 seal arrangements:
 API 684 Seal Code
In accordance with this standard,
mechanical seals can be described in a
general manner by using the
simplified coding system. It is the
intention of this seal code to
accurately describe the seal and seal
system being implemented in a given
application. The following is an
example. The definition of each
letters and numbers are provided
within the standard.
 API Seal Plans
A primary factor in
achieving highly reliable,
effective sealing
performance is to create
the best fluid environment
around the seal. API
Piping plans help to ensure
good conditions for
mechanical seal operation
as well as improving safety
and pump reliability.
 API Plan 11
Recirculation from the pump discharge
through a flow control orifice into the
seal chamber.
• Fluid flows from the seal chamber
back into the process stream.
• Default API Plan for most single seals.
• Calculation of recirculation flow rate,
heat removal and orifice size are
required.
 API Plan 31
Product recirculation from discharge
through a cyclone separator, which
directs clean fluid to the seal and fluid
with solids back to pump suction.
• Used in media with suspended solids
• Used to prevent the abrasion of the
mechanical seal by particles.
 API Plan 52
Plan 52 uses an external reservoir to
provide buffer fluid for the outer seal
of an unpressurized dual seal
arrangement. Flow is induced by a
pumping ring.
• No process contamination.
• Provides redundancy in the event of
a seal failure.
 API Plan 53A
Plan 53A uses an external reservoir
to provide barrier fluid for a
pressurized dual seal arrangement.
• Applications where no leakage to
atmosphere can be tolerated e.g.
hazardous, toxic, inflammable
media.
• There will always be some leakage
of barrier fluid into the product.
Compatibility of barrier fluid with
product to be checked.