Not all mechanical seals are built in the same way. Depending on the industry, needs, and various variables in a particular process, a mechanical seal’s requirements can vary differently. But there are numerous aspects that all mechanical seals share to some degree. These are some of the major key features every good mechanical seal has:
Protected Springs
In the past, mechanical seals had the spring exposed to the process fluid. As the fluid generally contains numerous contaminants, exposing the spring made it highly likely to go through damage over time. Apart from limiting the spring’s reaction to movement, it also prevents the spring from keeping its seal face shut. This is a major issue, therefore, it’s necessary to have a spring design where the spring is placed near the atmospheric side.
Balanced Design
The seal faces stay closed thanks to the liquid’s hydraulic pressure as well as any pressure from the seal spring, offering compression force. If a seal is balanced, the seal ring area is also reduced. With this phenomenon, the net closing force is lower, which has numerous benefits. These include less face wear, lower power consumption, and heat production.
Monolithic Seal Faces
In modern designs, monolithic seal faces are used where the material for the seal face is the only one used. Here, special consideration has to go into the geometry of the seal face so that its shape can handle the torque adequately. Engineers are paying attention to Finite Element Analysis to design appropriate seal faces capable of operating in this situation.
They’re the go-to option for industries where there’s little to no room for downtime.
Stationery Design
As the name suggests, stationary seals don’t have springs that rotate alongside the pump shaft. They’re not influenced by the rotational speeds, nor do they need relevant adjustment concerning each rotation.
The major advantage is their simplicity makes them cheap, but only for those operating at low speeds. They’re heavily used as cartridge seals.
If you’re looking for Engineered Sealing Solutions that meet the aforementioned criteria and more, work with us at Robco of America. We design custom-designed seals, helping you have access to higher quality products as compared to random OEM parts.
We also develop mechanical seals for agitators, pumps, compressors, reactors, centrifugal pumps, and bead mil units. If you’re looking for mechanical seal repair services, call 1-800-662-0585 for technical support or email at sales@robcoamerica.com.
