30

SEALS AND PACKING

Failure modes that affect shaft seals normally are limited to excessive leakage and
premature failure of the mechanical seal or packing. Table 30-1 lists the common fail-
ure modes for both mechanical seals and packed boxes. As the table indicates, most of
these failure modes can be attributed directly to misapplication, improper installation,
or poor maintenance practices.

MECHANICAL
SEALS
By design, mechanical seals are the weakest link in a machine train. If there is any
misalignment or eccentric shaft rotation, the probability of a mechanical seal failure is
extremely high. Most seal tolerances are limited to no more than 0.002 in. of total
shaft deflection or misalignment. Any deviation outside this limited range will cause
catastrophic seal failure.

Misalignment
Physical misalignment of a shaft will either cause seal damage and permit some leak-
age through the seal or it will result in total seal failure. Therefore, it is imperative that
good alignment practices be followed for all shafts that have an installed mechanical
seal.

Process- and machine-induced shaft instability also creates seal problems. Primary
causes for this failure mode include aerodynamic or hydraulic instability, critical
speeds, mechanical imbalance, process load changes, or radical speed changes.
These can cause the shaft to deviate from its true centerline enough to result in seal
damage.

282
 Seals and Packing 283

Table 30-1 Common Failure Modes of Packing and Mechanical Seals

THE PI

Source: Integrated Systems, Inc.

Chemical Attack

Chemical attack (i.e., corrosion or chemical reaction with the liquid being sealed) is
another primary source of mechanical seal problems. Generally, two primary factors
cause chemical attack: misapplication or improper flushing of the seal.
284 Root Cause Failure Analysis

Misapplication
Little attention generally is given to the selection of mechanical seals. Most plants
rely on the vendor to provide a seal that is compatible with the application. Too often
there is a serious breakdown in communications between the end user and the vendor
on this subject. Either the procurement specification does not provide the vendor with
appropriate information or the vendor does not offer the option of custom ordering the
seals. Regardless of the reason, mechanical seals often are improperly selected and
used in inappropriate applications.

Seal Flushing
When installed in corrosive chemical applications, mechanical seals must have a
clear-water flush system to prevent chemical attack. The flushing system must provide
a positive flow of clean liquid to the seal and also an enclosed drain line that removes
the flushing liquid. The flow rate and pressure of the flushing liquid will vary, depend-
ing on the specific type of seal, but must be enough to assure complete, continuous
flushing.

BOXES
PACKED
Packing is used to seal shafts in a variety of applications. In equipment where the
shaft is not continuously rotating (e.g., valves), packed boxes can be used successfully
with no leakage around the shaft. In rotating applications, such as pump shafts, the
application must be able to tolerate some leakage around the shaft.

Nonrotating Applications
In nonrotating applications, packing can be installed tight enough to prevent leakage
around the shaft. As long as the packing is properly installed and the stuffing-box
gland is properly tightened, there is very little probability of seal failure. This type of
application requires periodic maintenance to ensure that the stuffing-box gland is
properly tightened or that the packing is replaced when required.

Rotating Applications
In applications where a shaft continuously rotates, packing cannot be tight enough to
prevent leakage. In fact, some leakage is required to provide both flushing and cooling
of the packing. Properly installed and maintained packed boxes should not fail or con-
tribute to equipment reliability problems. Proper installation is relatively easy and
routine maintenance is limited to periodic tightening of the stuffing-box gland.