S PECIAL

FEATURE

API 610 a n d API 682:

a powerful combination
for m a x i m u m p u m p /
mechanical seal reliability
The API 682 a n d API 610 s t a n d a r d s ,
w h i l e e x p l a i n e d in i n d e p e n d e n t by Ralph Gabriel, Director of
d o c u m e n t s , establish g u i d e l i n e s t h a t Product Engineering and Technical
c a n together p r o v i d e s e a l i n g s y s t e m s Manager for API 682 Products, John
a n d p u m p s t h a t a r e c a p a b l e of Crane International, Morton Grove,
e n s u r i n g e x t e n d e d M e a n Time Be~ Illinois, USA
tween Planned Maintenance
(MTBPM) a n d l o w emissions. To
r e a l i z e these benefits, the s e a l man- seal chambers, w h i ch are larger a nd offer an
ufacturer, p u m p o r i g i n a l e q u i p m e n t o p t i m u m e n v i r o n m e n t for t h e seal. This d e m o n -
manufacturer ( O E M ) a n d e n d s t r a t e s h o w t h e design and c o n d i t i o n of t he
u s e r m u s t c o l l a b o r a t e : the s e a l p u m p is integrally r e l a t e d to t h e p e r f o r m a n c e of
m a n u f a c t u r e r m u s t h a v e p r o p e r d ~ t h e seal. An API 682-qualified seal, designed for
sign p r a c t i c e s , verify the design a n d a p p l i c a t i o n in API 610 p u m p s , f unc t i ons best
v a l i d a t e the s e a l i n g s y s t e m ; the w h e n t h a t e q u i p m e n t is o p e r a t i n g within speci-
e q u i p m e n t m u s t be up to i n d u s t r y fication limits to API 610 - b u t also if t h e end
s t a n d a r d s ; a n d the e n d u s e r m u s t u s e r takes p r o p e r care in setup, o p e r a t i o n and
use best p r a c t i c e s in selection, set- m a i n t e n a n c e of t h e p u m p .
up, o p e r a t i o n a n d m a i n t e n a n c e o f
the equipment. [i Equipment condition

The c u r r e n t editions of API 682 a nd API 610

The A m e r i c a n P e t r o l e u m I n s t i t u t e ' s (API) stan-
d a r d s for refinery p u m p s and m e c h a n i c a l seals
specify design criteria t h a t t o g e t h e r bring a h o s t
of benefits users are al r ead y capitalizing on:
b e t t e r p u m p and seal reliability, longer service
life, r e d u c e d e m i s s io n s a n d i n cr eased MTBPM.
The e m e r g e n c e of API 610 7th an d 8th ed i t i o n
p u m p s t a n d a r d s a n d API 682 1st ed i t i o n seal
s t a n d a r d s has laid t h e g r o u n d w o r k for several
i m p o r t a n t p u m p and seal design specifications.
Prior to API 610 7th ed i t i o n p u m p s t a n d a r d s ,
seals o p e r a t e d in stuffing b o x e s d e s i g n e d pri-
m a r i l y for packing. Thus, a seal h ad l i m i t ed
radial c l e a r a n c e - s o m e t i m e s as small as 1.7 m m
(0.046 inches) - b e t w e e n its o u t e r d i a m e t e r an d
th e stuffing b o x bore. With t h e l i m i t e d fluid
v o l u m e a n d close clearances, t h e system's h e a t
t r a n s f e r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s were poor. Seal face
t e m p e r a t u r e s were high, r esu l t i n g in u n s t a b l e
seal o p e r a t i o n in s o m e critical applications.
API 610 7th e d it io n h e l p e d u s h e r in today's
specify l i m i t a t i o n s on e q u i p m e n t c o n d i t i o n s t h a t
can affect p e r f o r m a n c e an d service life.
C e n t e r i n g of t h e seal gland m u s t be c o n c e n t r i c
within 125 p m (0.005 inches). This is achieved
with a r e g i s t e r fit b et w een t h e gland a nd seal
chamber. A d a m a g e d surface, w h e t h e r it be t he
inside seal c h a m b e r bore d a m a g e d from erosion
or corrosion, or an o u t e r r a b b i t fit d a m a g e d from
age a n d use, can cause t h e gland to shift off
c e n t e r w i t h t h e shaft. On r o t a t i n g seal heads,
which is t h e s t a n d a r d ' s default selection, this
causes wiping to o ccu r at t h e sealing interface,
r esu l t i n g in i n cr eased l u b r i c a t i o n for t he seal
faces by increasing t h e sealing gap. A l t h o u g h this
e x t e n d s seal life, it also results in g r e a t e r seal
leakage. Potentially, this can lead to excessive
e m i s s i o n s r esu l t i n g in e q u i p m e n t downtime.
A n o t h e r r e q u i r e m e n t of both s t a n d a r d s is
t h a t t h e shaft-to-sleeve c l e a r a n c e be d i m e n -
s i o n e d to t o l e r a n c e g r a d e G 7 / h 6 , n o r m a l l y
r esu l t i n g in a c l e a r a n c e of 25-75 p m (0.001

iq WORLD PUMPS SEPTEMBER 1996 Copyright ~) 1996, Elsevier Science Ltd.

M1 rights reserved. 0262 1762/96/$15.00
 S PECIAL
FEATURE

0.003 i n c h e s ) . If set screws are used, n o r m a l

i n s t a l l a t i o n p r a c t i c e will c a u s e t h e seal sleeve to
p o s i t i o n itself slightly off-center. Again, seal face
wiping - an d possibly l e a k a g e - will occur.
The r u n o u t of the seal c h a m b e r face to the
p u m p shaft should be p e r p e n d i c u l a r within 10 #m
per 20 m m (0.0005 i n c h / i n c h ) of the seal c h a m b e r
bore. This condition, if excessive, can cause a
rotating seal head to c o m p e n s a t e for the r u n o u t at
each revolution of the shaft. At 3600 rpm, this
translates into over 5000 000 oscillations per day.
This can cause d a m a g e to both the primary ring
drive m e c h a n i s m and the shaft in the form of
fretting if there is any foreign material in the
pumpage. Additionally, leakage can occur. If the
leakage can coke or polymerize upon e x p o s u r e to
the atmosphere, t h e cumulative effects of seal
hang-up and p r o d u c t buildup on the seal faces can
cause p r e m a t u r e seal failure.
When t h e s e l i m i t a t i o n s are t h o r o u g h l y con-
sidered, t h e u s e r will achieve e x t e n d e d seal life.

Seal chamber p r e s s u r e /
temperature

T h r o a t b u s h i n g s are a d e f a u l t r e q u i r e m e n t of
both standards. A properly designed throat
b u s h i n g h el p s to isolate t h e seal c h a m b e r fluid
from p u m p a g e . This is an integral p a r t of m a n y
p i p i n g p l a n s i n t e n d e d to c o n t r o l t h e seal
c h a m b e r e n v i r o n m e n t . It can also be used to
i n c r e a s e seal c h a m b e r p r e s s u r e to p r o v i d e a
w i d e r m a r g i n b e t w e e n t h e p r o c e s s fluid's v a p o r
p r e s s u r e and t h e p r e s s u r e in t h e seal c h a m b e r .
Normal s e a l - g e n e r a t e d h e a t can easily c a u s e a
flashing h y d r o c a r b o n n e a r its v a p o r p o i n t to
c h a n g e p h a s e w i t h i n t h e sealing interface. The
closer t h e fluid is to its v a p o r pressure, t h e
g r e a t e r t h e p e r c e n t a g e of t h e sealing face is
r u n n i n g in a v a p o r state. Such a c o n d i t i o n leads
to h i g h e r face t e m p e r a t u r e s , w h ic h can c a u s e t h e
seal to p o p o p e n if t h e r a t io of closing force to
o p e n i n g force is less t h a n one. Possible r e p e r c u s -
sions i n cl u d e a c c e l e r a t e d face wear, h e a t check-
ing an d high emissions.
While i n c r e a s i n g seal c h a m b e r p r e s s u r e will
w i d e n t h e v a p o r p r e s s u r e m a r g i n , it a l s o
inc re as es seal g e n e r a t e d heat. Therefore, API
682 r e c o m m e n d s cooling t h e p r o c e s s i n s t e a d of
i n c r e a s i n g p r e s s u r e to c r e a t e a l a r g e r m a r g i n for
both single an d dual u n p r e s s u r i z e d seals.
[] Seal s e l e c t i o n
AP1 682 p r o v i d e s r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s for selecting
t h e p r o p e r s e a l t y p e ( p u s h e r or l o w / h i g h
t e m p e r a t u r e m e t a l bellows seals), sealing ar-
Figure 1. John Crane International's Type 1648 Seal is fully tested
and qualified in accordance with the API 682 standard. This seal is
effective in non-hydrocarbon, non-flashing hydrocarbon and
flashing hydrocarbon services.
r a n g e m e n t (single, d u a l u n p r e s s u r i z e d , d u a l
p r e s s u r i z e d ) , flush plans, a n d b u f f e r / b a r r i e r
fluid for p r o c e s s e s w i t h i n refineries. API 682
t ak es a c o n s e r v a t i v e a p p r o a c h in defining flash-
ing h y d r o c a r b o n s as a fluid having a v a p o r
p r e s s u r e at p u m p i n g t e m p e r a t u r e ab o v e at m o -
s p h e r i c pressure. If e x c e p t i o n is t a k e n to this
definition, t h e s t a n d a r d still r e q u i r e s m a i n t a i n -
ing a m i n i m u m m a r g i n of 3.5 b ar (50 psi) or 10%
ab o v e t h e m a x i m u m v a p o r p r e s s u r e at seal
c h a m b e r p r e s s u r e to e n s u r e p r o p e r seal opera-
tion and life.
API 682 also r e c o m m e n d s flush Plan 23
( r e c i r c u l a t i o n from a p u m p i n g ring t h r o u g h a
cooler an d back to seal c h a m b e r ) to m a i n t a i n a
m o r e o p t i m u m seal c h a m b e r e n v i r o n m e n t . While
this a d d s to initial an d o p e r a t i o n a l costs, it aids
seal l u b r i c a t i o n a n d e x t e n d s seal life, r e d u c i n g
life cycle costs.
B u f f e r / b a r r i e r fluid selection is also a p a r t of
t h i s s t a n d a r d . API 682 h a s a n u m b e r o f
recommendations based upon the pumpage's
t e m p e r a t u r e s , m e t h o d s of p r e s s u r i z i n g a c c o r d i n g

WORLD PUMPS SEPTEMBER 1996

 PECIAL
S FEATURE

as c o n d i t i o n s change, or even over e x t e n d e d

Figure 2, John Crane's Type 1648 single cartridge seal (API 682
Type A single seal),
to flush Plan 53 ( e x t e r n a l p r e s s u r i z e d r eser v o i r
p r o v i d i n g b a r r i e r fluid for a dual p r e s s u r i z e d
seal), fluid viscosity a nd boiling p o i n t margins,
to n a m e a few. The use of s y n t h e t i c - b a s e d oils
h a s p r o v e n to be p a r t i c u l a r l y successful on d u a l
seals in a c t u a l a p p l i c a t i o n s w h e r e t h e change-
o u t from s t a n d a r d ISO grades to s y n t h e t i c - b a s e d
oils h a s resolved seal leakage an d t e m p e r a t u r e
p r o b l e m s . Gas e n t r a i n m e n t on h y d r o c a r b o n -
b a s e d b u f f e r / b a r r i e r fluids is a real concern.
This can cause n o t only r e d u c e d l u b r i c a t i o n but
also r e d u c e d flow to t h e o u t e r seal of dual seals
Deg F / psi / PPM Horsepower / Flow (GPM)
350, 6
300t*',~ ...._ .__..........,-'-"- .------..--=- Flow 5 m e t h o d of controlling t h e seal c h a m b e r environ
p e r i o d s of steady state operation.
I m p r o v e m e n t s in e n v i r o n m e n t a l controls is
a d d r e s s e d in both seal design a nd a uxi l i a r y
e q u i p m e n t r e q u i r e m e n t s . In high t e m p e r a t u r e
e n v i r o n m e n t s , s t e a m q u e n c h e s are r e q u i r e d to be
d i r e c t e d b et w een t h e seal i n n e r d i a m e t e r a nd an
anti-coking baffle to p r e v e n t b u i l d u p of coke,
which can over t i m e cau se seal h a n g - u p even on
n o n - p u s h e r seals. Q u e n c h e s also p r e v e n t coke
build-up on sealing faces, which causes counter-
face w e a r an d damage. This damage, if signifi-
cant, can lead to sealing f a c e s e p a r a t i o n and
excessive leakage.
API 682 discusses design r e q u i r e m e n t s of dual
seal r e s e r v o i r s in detail. The n o r m a l liquid
v o l u m e is r e q u i r e d to be a m i n i m u m of 20 liters
(5 gallons). This i n cr eases t h e fluid v o l u m e to
aid in fluid r e t e n t i o n t i m e w i t h i n t he reservoir to
aid in cooling with Plan 52 ( e x t e r n a l v e n t e d
r eser eo i r p r o v i d i n g buffer fluid for dual unpres-
surized seal) an d Plan 53.
The r e q u i r e m e n t also d e c r e a s e s m a i n t e n a n c e
inte~vals, w h er e s m a l l e r reservoirs n e c e s s i t a t e
f r e q u e n t i n s p e c t i o n an d r e p l e n i s h m e n t of t he
fluid d u e to i n n e r an d o u t e r seal leakage.
N u m e r o u s r e q u i r e m e n t s are i n c l u d e d on reser-
voir design, piping, i n s t a l l a t i o n and a l a r m s to aid
in t h e p r o p e r fabrication an d utilization of the
reservoirs. Following t h e s e guidelines will im-
p r o v e t h e o p e r a t i n g c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of o u t b o a r d
seals and e x t e n d t h e entire seal c a r t r i dge life.
P r o p e r care is necessary to e n s u r e t h a t t he
s u p p o r t s t r u c t u r e is a d e q u a t e , t a k i n g i n t o
c o n s i d e r a t i o n b o t h t h e w e i g h t of t h e larger
reservoir and t h e fluid. Using existing s u p p o r t
s t r u c t u r e s f r o m s m a l l e r r e s e r v o i r s m a y be
i n a d e q u a t e . Some m o d i f i c a t i o n s in size may be
necessary should t h e s t a n d a r d ' s r e q u i r e m e n t s
m a n d a t e coding t h e vessel to m e e t local or
regional regulations.
Cyclone s e p a r a t o r s are a p r a c t i c a l a nd useful

:::I-, 4
merit if b o t h t h e f l u i d / a b r a s i v e p a r t i c l e char-
acteristics and installation are properly
considered. If cyclone s e p a r a t o r s are misapplied,

I::L\-- . . . . . . . . Press
3

2
w h er e t h e abrasive density or size are beyond t he
capability of t h e s e p a r a t o r to be effective, t he
abrasive p ar t i cl es are i n t r o d u c e d into t he seal
cavity an d can d a m a g e c a r b o n (versus silicon
carbide) face co m b i n at i o n s.
50[,~ " Temp 1 A n o t h e r m i s a p p l i c a t i o n of cyclone s e p a r a t o r s
is in t h e piping an d p r e s s u r e differential control.
PPM (Leakage)
01 i i
0 A m i s - i n s t a l l a t i o n can e i t h e r stal~ve the flush to
0'.5 1 1.5 2 t h e seal or be ineffective an d d i s c ha r ge abrasives
Time (Hrs.) into t h e seal flush even if t h e abrasive and fluid
d en si t i es s h o u l d p r o v i d e satisfactory separation.
Figure 3. Results of a stability test in propane of John Crane's Type Unless sufficient a t t e n t i o n is given to t he above,
1648 seal (4 inches/100 mm). it is b e t t e r to select a seal face c o m b i n a t i o n to

WORLD PUMPS SEPTEMBER 1996

 S PECIAL
FEATURE

c o n t e n d with a b r a s i v e s t h a n to i m p r o p e r l y Barrier Fluid

Product _ _ / Flush P1 > Po
Po
o p e r a t e a cyclone s e p a r a t o r a n d face s h o r t e n e d
seal life. J

[i Extending MTBPM
i
E x t e n d i n g MTBPM is a c h i e v a b l e u s i n g best
practices on installation, o p e r a t i o n a n d m a i n -
t e n a n c e of t h e e q u i p m e n t . When u p g r a d i n g
sealing systems, initial costs should not be the
d e t e r m i n i n g factor; rather, reduced life cycle
costs should be the goal. Likewise, the m o s t
expensive seal design is n o t necessarily the
o p t i m u m sealing package. The i n t e r a c t i o n of
the seal design to the seal c h a m b e r design a n d
p i p i n g p l a n s have to be viewed as a whole. Figure 4. John Crane's Type 3648 dual pressurized seal (API 682
Inxesting more u p f r o n t can save t h o u s a n d s of Type A dual pressurised seal).
dollars in reducing downtime, where m a i n t e -
n a n c e costs, e q u i p m e n t r e p a i r / r e p l a c e m e n t a n d
lost p r o d u c t i o n can greatly exceed the cost of the
initial setup. Slough, UK; a n d Courbevoie, F r a n c e ) , J o h n
Crane performs e x t e n d e d life testing, stability
t e s t i n g a n d v a l i d a t i o n of p u b l i s h e d limits in
steady state a n d t r a n s i e n t conditions.
[~ Added assurance
A l t h o u g h API 682's r e q u i r e m e n t s for steady
s t a t e t e s t i n g is 100 h o u r s m i n i m u m , J o h n
As long as the e q u i p m e n t is o p e r a t i n g w i t h i n Crane's Type 2648 dual seals (API 682's Type A
specification limits per API 610 a n d the user has seals) have u n d e r g o n e 500-hour tests to verify
e n s u r e d p r o p e r setup, o p e r a t i o n a n d m a i n t e - seal life r e q u i r e m e n t s . The c o m p a n y tested these
n a n c e of the p u m p , m a x i m u m seal p e r f o r m a n c e seals for 500 h o u r s at seal design limits. Analysis
is achievable. A t h i r d i m p o r t a n t i n g r e d i e n t is a of the test d a t a provided evidence t h a t seal life
properly designed a n d tested sealing system. in excess of three years is realistic.
Testing beyond the scope of API 682 provides J o h n C r a n e is also p e r f o r m i n g e x t e n d e d life
a d d e d a s s u r a n c e t h a t the seal will perform u p to t e s t i n g on its API 682 seal designs installed on
the s t a n d a r d ' s r e q u i r e m e n t s . API 610 7th edition test cell circulation p u m p s .
Seal design r e q u i r e m e n t s w i t h i n API 682 a n d The seals in these p u m p s u n d e r g o all of the
API 610 are based u p o n best practices t h a t have
been field-tested a n d proven over the years. New
t e s t i n g r e q u i r e m e n t s e n s u r e design integrity.
Overall design is v a l i d a t e d t h r o u g h d y n a m i c
tes|ing, a n d i n d i v i d u a l integrity is v a l i d a t e d
600
t h r o u g h static testing (see t a b l e ) . Barrier . . . , ~ ~
The d y n a m i c seal t e s t i n g should assist in Pressur=e.~J - - 7
500
ensuring, w i t h i n reason, the ability of the sealing
a r r a n g e m e n t s a n d m a t e r i a l s to provide satisfac- 400
tory p e r f o r m a n c e a n d service life. API 682 has set 0,,
1
O.
a new s t a n d a r d for seal m a n u f a c t u r e r s to live u p ~' 300 JI 4==
to. While no concrete pass/fail criteria has been O)
established, the t r u e m e a s u r e of a sealing system "~ 200 3 ~O
to pass the test is t h a t the seal, after going
t h r o u g h steady state a n d cyclic t e s t i n g is able to 100 / i,~kag e 2
m a i n t a i n pre-test l e a k a g e / e m i s s i o n levels with 1
m i n i m a l wear. "' --m
In a d d i t i o n to m e e t i n g the r e q u i r e m e n t s of
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.2
the s t a n d a r d , J o h n C r a n e I n t e r n a t i o n a l has
c o n d u c t e d a d d i t i o n a l t e s t i n g to verify design
Time (Hrs)
integrity. At the c o m p a n y ' s three world class Figure 5. Results of a high barrier pressure start-up test of John
t e s t i n g centers (Morton Grove, Illinois, USA; Crane's Type 3648 dual pressurized seal (4.5 inches/120 mm).

(
WORLD PUMPS SEPTEMBER 1996
 PECIAL
S FEATURE

All in all, t h e v a l i d a t i o n of seal d e s i g n

Testing Requirements
Testing
I of t h r e e years. There is a i n t e r d e p e n d e n c y on
I I
Tyle Testing individual Seal Testing
I I
I I
Qualification Component Seal OEM
Integrity Integrity
I I
Fluids Hydrostatic testing Air test Pump
Sizes - Seal chambers - Single Performance
Steady State/Cyclic - Gland plates - Dual Test
Seal types - Reservoirs (each chamber)
Seal arrangements - Heat exchangers
F i g u r e 6. O v e r v i e w of A P I 682 d e s i g n a n d integrity test
requirements.
u p s e t s q u a l i f i c a t i o n test seals go t h r o u g h , plus
synthesized misuse during system shutdown
w h e n p r e s s u r e s in e x c e s s of 500 psi are used to
e v a c u a t e t h e p r o p a n e from t h e system loop.
T h e Type 1648 Seals h a v e also e n d u r e d
stability t e s t in g p e r f o r m e d after t h e API 682
q u a l i f i c a t i o n tests. The stability t e s t i n g e x p o s e d
t h e s e a l s to a d i f f e r e n t set of s t e a d y - s t a t e
o p e r a t i n g p r e s s u r e s to v a l i d a t e t h a t t h e seal
w o u ld be stable a n d n ot leak excessively af t er a
face w e a r p a t t e r n h a d been previously estab-
lished (see Figure 3).
Dual p r e s s u r i z e d seals u n d e r n o r m a l condi-
ti o n s have a n e a r c o n s t a n t low p r e s s u r e differ-
ential across t h e i n b o a r d seal. In a n o r m a l plan
53 a r r a n g e m e n t , t h e p r e s s u r e of t h e b a r r i e r fluid
will r e m a i n at a set limit, w h e t h e r t h e p u m p is in
o p e r a t i o n or not. It t h e n b e c o m e s a r e q u i r e m e n t
t h a t t h e seal be s t a r t e d up with full b a r r i e r
p r e s s u r e a n d little or no p r o cess p r e s s u r e on t h e
i n b o a r d seal.
Testing on 120 m m (4.5 inches) J o h n Crane
Type 3648 dual p r e s s u r i z e d seals (API 682 Type
A d u a l seal) was c o n d u c t e d with c o n s t a n t low
p r e s s u r e p r o p a n e on t h e i n b o a r d seal a n d
i n c r e m e n t a l p r e s s u r e s on t h e k e r o s e n e b a r r i e r
fluid. The seals were s t a r t e d at one set of
c o n d i t i o n s a n d r u n for a m i n i m u m of five
m i n u t e s a n d t h e n p u t into a static mode. The
b a r r i e r p r e s s u r e was i n c r e a s e d r o u g h l y 3.5 b ar
(50 psi) a n d t h e s e a l w a s r e s t a r t e d ( s e e
Figure 5).
Testing c o n t i n u e d up to a differential of 450
psi ( i n n e r d i a m e t e r to o u t e r d i a m e t e r ) on t h e
i n b o a r d seal and 600 psi on t h e o u t b o a r d seal
w i t h o u t incident. The s a m e design was also
t e s t e d w i t h a c o n s t a n t 400 psi d i f f e r e n t i a l
( b a r r i e r fluid to p r o c e s s fluid) for 100 h o u r s
u n d e r steady s ta te c o n d i t i o n s at 3600 r p m to
v a l i d a t e seal design integrity.
integrity in a d d i t i o n to t h e API qualification test
r e q u i r e m e n t s provides a good i n d i c a t i o n t h a t the
seals will p e r f o r m well in service ibr a m i n i m u m
e q u i p m e n t set-up and operation, but t he t e s t i ng
has shown t h a t t h e seals are c a p a b l e of weath-
ering " n o r m a l " o p e r a t i o n a l upsets.
Open communication
Within each of t h e s t a n d a r d s , API p r o v i d e s
d a t a s h e e t s , w h i ch are in essence forms t he user
an d p u m p and seal m a n u f a c t u r e r s fill out in
o r d e r to clarify t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s of a given
application. The a d v a n t a g e of t he d a t a s h e e t s is
t h a t they est ab l i sh a c o m m u n i c a t i o n link for
d i s s e m i n a t i n g key information. This e n s u r e s t h a t
p r o p e r sealing system selections can be made.
The d i s a d v a n t a g e of t h e d a t a s h e e t s is that, at
first glance, t h e s h e e r v o l u m e of d a t a is unwieldy,
which m ay cause misuse.
W h e t h e r or n o t t h e d a t a s h e e t s are used as
r e c o m m e n d e d , t h e m a i n objective should be
o p e n c o m m u n i c a t i o n a m o n g t h e u s e r a nd t he
seal an d p u m p m a n u f a c t u r e r s . This will ensure
t h a t key p o i n t s are covered, and t h a t t he m o s t
effective system is selected.
An API 682-qualified seal i n st a l l e d on a p u m p
t h a t is o p e r a t i n g w i t h i n specification limits pe r
API 610 can achieve its goal of a m i n i m u m of a
t h r e e year seal life and c o m p l i a n c e with emission
regulations. The two s t a n d a r d s working t o g e t h e r
u l t i m a t e l y e n s u r e t h a t t h e m o s t effective inter-
face of p u m p and seal are available to t he user.
For m a x i m u m performance, the user must then
p r o p e r l y select, set up, o p e r a t e and m a i n t a i n t he
pump.
Ultimately, if t h e user, t h e p u m p manufac-
t u r e r an d t h e seal m a n u f a c t u r e r all p e r f o r m t h e i r
p r o p e r f u n c t i o n an d have o p e n c o m m u n i c a t i o n ,
e x t e n d e d MTBPM is easily achievable. •
[] A b o u t the A u t h o r
Ralph Gabriel is t h e D i r e c t o r of P r oduc t
E n g i n e e r i n g for J o h n Crane International,
Morton Grove, Illinois, USA, w he r e he is
r e s p o n s i b l e for design and a p p l i c a t i o n of
m e c h a n i c a l seals and is also t h e t e c hni c a l
m a n a g e r for API 682 products. With over 23
years of m e c h a n i c a l seal ex p er i e nc e , he hold
a B.S. degree in Mechanical E n g i n e e r i n g from
S o u t h e r n Illinois University.

iq WORLD PUMPS SEPTEMBER 1996