SPECIFYING MECHANICAL SEALS

Mechanical seals have become increasingly popular in industry. Many companies develop a set of mechanical seal specifications to make it easier for their people to select one or more seals for an application. The lack of a company specification can cause problems with inventory, installation and interchangeability of seals. Plants are accepting seal components with unidentified materials, making troubleshooting an impossible task for them.

A good company specification for mechanical seals will include the following:

--                       Mechanical Seal materials with the widest range of chemical compatibility,

--                       Mechanical Seals that are easy to install,

--                       Mechanical Seals with features that make seal repair easy and low cost,

--                       Mechanical Seals that require the least amount of inventory and spare parts,

--                       Mechanical Seals that operate over a wide range of temperature, pressure and speed, and

--                       Mechanical Seal designs that allow the easiest conversion of packed pumps to mechanical seals.

A typical plant will use some or perhaps all of the following five types of mechanical seals:

•     A single cartridge-mounted balanced seal,

•     A dual cartridge-mounted balanced seal,

•     A balanced outside seal for low pressure applications,

•     A balanced seal installed inside the stuffing box, and

•     Metal bellows mechanical seals for chemical and high temperature applications

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Seal Materials

SPECIFYING MECHANICAL SEALS