Mechanical seals

a Basic introduction

Presented By :

Muhammad Bilal Munir

Engineer-I Maintenance
 Contents

▪ What is a seal
▪ Types of seals
▪ Mechanical seal
▪ Construction of mechanical seal
▪ Classification of mechanical seals
▪ Materials of construction
▪ Seal flush plans
▪ Seal selection criteria
▪ Seal failure modes
 WHAT is a seal

A device that holds in the fluid and

keeps out dirt, grime and water at the
interface of two surfaces.
 Types of seals

➢ O-rings
➢ U- packing and V- packing
➢ D- rings
➢ Spring loaded lip seals
➢ Cup or flange packing
➢ Cap seals
➢ Metallic seals
➢ Compression packing
➢ Gaskets
➢ Labyrinth seals
➢ Mechanical seals
 Mechanical seal
A Mechanical seal is a device, consisting mainly of flat
stationary/rotary faces and a force element necessary to keep
these faces together, which is used for efficient sealing of service
fluid in high or negative pressure applications.

A mechanical seal is a device which helps join systems or

mechanisms together by preventing leakage containing pressure,
or excluding contamination.

First mechanical seal patent registered in 1913.

Balanced mechanical was patented in 1933

Seals were used in world war II submarines.

Use of mechanical seals in petrochemical plants started in 1950s.

 Construction of mechanical seal

All mechanical seals are made up of three basic

groups of parts.

1.Primary seal
1. Stationary face
2. Rotating face

2.Secondary seal
1. Elastomeric compound
2. One each for both faces

3.Seal Hardware
1. Spring retainer
2. Spring
3. Gland ring or gland plate
 Sealing points

There are four sealing points of a mechanical seal.

I.Seal at the interface of both faces (Primary Seal)

II.Seal between shaft and rotating face (Secondary Seal)
III.Seal between stationary face and seal gland plate (Tertiary Seal)
IV.Seal between seal gland plate and casing(Tertiary Seal)
 Classification
Mechanical seals can be classified on the
following basis

According to arrangement

➢Single Mechanical seals

➢Inside
➢Outside

➢Double Mechanical seals

➢Face to face
➢Back to back
➢Tandem

According to design

➢ Balanced or unbalanced
➢ Single or Multi Spring
➢ Pusher or Non pusher
 Classification
Classification based Classification based
on Design on arrangement

Balanced Single Spring

Unbalanced Multi Spring
Single Multiple
Pusher Type
Non pusher Type Inside
Outside
O-rings
V-rings Back to Back
Wedge Ring Metal Bellow Face to Face
Elastomer Tandem
TFE bellow Staged
 Pusher seal

The characteristic of pusher seal is the dynamic O-ring at rotating seal

face.

Advantages :
Shaft or sleeve misalignment can be accommodated by dynamic O-ring.
Can be used for very high pressures up to 3000psig.

Disadvantages :
Dynamic O-ring can cause shaft fretting failure in corrosive service.
In presence of fluids that can be oxidized, “hang up” of O-ring can be a
problem.
 Non pusher seal

Characteristic feature of non pusher seal is the lack of dynamic O-ring.

Non pusher seal has a static O-ring in the drive collar for rotating face.
Bellows can be of welded metal or elastomeric type.
Metal bellows are made of .005 to .009 in leaflets and have a pressure
limitation of 250psig.
Elastomeric bellows have the same pressure limitations as a single spring
pusher type seal.

Fretting problem is eliminated by this design.

 Unbalanced seal

Have no provisions for reducing the amount of

hydraulic closing force.
Seal faces are always above the balance
diameter.
Inherent closing force causes low weepage.
Are more stable when operating at off-design
operating conditions.
Can only be used for low pressure applications.
 Balanced seal

Have a compensation for higher closing forces.

Seal faces can be below the balance diameter.
A step is mostly required in shaft or sleeve for
pusher type balanced seals.
For non pusher seals no step is required as the
design is inherently balanced.
Can be used for pressure as high as 1500 psig for
a single spring pusher.
 Balanced seal
Balance ratio for a mechanical seal is defined by the
following relation:

Balance Ratio = (OD2 – BD2) / (OD2 – ID2)

Where,
OD = Seal face outside diameter
ID = Seal face inside diameter
BD = Balance diameter of seal

As a rule of thumb seal design uses a balance ratio of

0.75 for water and non flashing hydrocarbons.

For volatile compounds a balance ratio of 0.80 to

0.85 is used.

Unbalanced seals usually have a balance ratio of 1.25

to 1.35
 Single spring seal

Advantages :
Use a single coil spring for mechanical closing force.
Simple in design and easy to install.
Large spring cross section ensures good corrosion resistance.

Disadvantages :
Applied spring force is non uniform and can cause waviness or
distortion of seal faces.
Spring can distort at high speeds.
A single spring can only be used for a single shaft size.
 The balance ratio of a mechanical seal is an area ratio and is related to the seal
face load. Balance ratio is defined as the ratio of the closing area to the opening
area. Seals with a balance ratio > 1 are 'unbalanced'; ratios of < 1 are considered
'balanced'. Seals are balanced to decrease friction and wear, so you will usually
move to a balanced seal at pressures of 250 psid and above (although you can
use them at lower pressures as well). Unbalanced seals will be used up to 250
psid. The theory becomes more complex when you talk about metal bellows
style mechanical seals; in those designs the balance ratio will increase at higher
pressures primarily due to the bellows plate geometry. Visually if you were to
look at the primary face of an unbalanced pusher style seal vs. a balanced
pusher style seal you would notice a 'step' in the face geometry (reducing the
closing area and changing the balance ratio).

 In theory, the lower the balance ratio, the lower the fluid film temperature, the
longer the seal life. In practice, leakage control can sometimes be sacrificed and
the faces may become unstable depending on if the fluid is volatile (vaporizing),
or if any other face distortions occur. In general, review of the application with
your seal vendor is always recommended. If you are adhering to API 682; then
balanced seals are your only options due to the nature of the services. The
attached is a very rough representation of what I just said. It depicts a single set
of seal faces pressurized from the OD: the balance ratio calculations will
become more complicated when you discuss OD vs. ID pressurizations
particularly in dual pressurized seals.

7/29/2023
 Multi spring seals

Use a series of small coil springs spaced

circumferentially around the seal face.
Provide uniform closing force.
No distortion occurs at high speeds.
Same spring can be used with a number
of seals.
 Outside mechanical seal

Only seal faces and secondary seals are exposed to the fluid.
Always used with a balanced design.
Are useful on equipment with a limited seal chamber area.
Are preferred when economy is the governing factor.
For corrosive applications, to prevent need of expansive metallurgy.
Outside seals are preferred with corrosive services.
Since it is exposed, seal is vulnerable to damage from impact.
Are limited to moderate pressure applications only.
 Inside mechanical seal

It is so far the most common type of mechanical seals.

Seal faces as well as seal internals are in contact with process
fluid.
A suitable stuffing box or housing is required for containing
seal internals.
Seal faces are always lubricated by the fluid being sealed.
It is very effective in holding emissions of volatile compounds
to below 500ppm.
Not very good for corrosive services.
 Double mechanical seal

Contains two seals placed side by side.

The two seals have barrier or buffer fluid between them.
Primary purpose of a double seal is to isolate the sealed fluid
from atmosphere and create an environment in which a
mechanical seal can survive.
Can exist in back to back, face to face or tandem
arrangements.

Double seals are required when:

➢ There are chances of leakage of costly product.
➢ Dangerous product can leak to the atmosphere.
➢ Product being handled is toxic, corrosive or
hazardous.
 Double mechanical seal
Back to back arrangement

The two seals (Primary and Secondary) are arranged

such that their rotary faces are inward i.e. opposite to
each other. HSSH
A barrier fluid is supplied in space between two seals
and provides lubrication to both sets of faces.

None of the seal’s metallic parts is exposed to service

fluid which makes it an ideal arrangement for highly
corrosive services.
This arrangement can not take pressure reversal.
In case supply of barrier fluid is lost, inboard seal is
 Double mechanical seal
face to face arrangement

Primary and Secondary seals are arranged

such that their rotary faces are outward i.e.
facing each other.SHHS
Barrier fluid is provided between both seals.
One of the faces is being lubricated by barrier
fluid and the other by the product being
sealed.
It can accommodate pressure reversals.
Since the primary seal must operate in
service fluid, so its use in highly corrosive
 Double mechanical seal
Tandem arrangement

Tandem seals also consist of two seals in series but it

differs from double mechanical seal mainly because it
contains non-pressurized barrier fluid contrary to
pressurized barrier fluid in double mechanical seal.

The primary seal functions just like a single seal,

contains all the pressure and is lubricated by the
service fluid, while secondary seal serves as back up
for the primary seal and is lubricated by the non-
pressurized barrier fluid.

If primary seal fails, the secondary seal can

accommodate the pressurized service fluid, until a
controlled shutdown of the machine is arranged.
 Seal materials
A perfect seal face material would have hardness of
diamond, strength of alloy steel, heat transfer abilities of
superconductors and self lubrication properties of Teflon.

Seal Component Commonly used materials

Stationary face Sic, Tungsten carbide, Ni resist material, Carbon graphite,

Stainless steel,

Rotary face Carbon Graphite, Silicon carbide

Secondary seal PTFE, EPR, EPDM, BUNA/NBR, KALREZ,

Spring SS316, SS304 , S304L, Hastelloy

Seal Hardware SS316, SS304 , S304L, Hastelloy

 Seal flush
According to API 682,

Seal flush is a small amount of fluid which is

introduced into the seal chamber on the process
fluid side in close proximity to the sealing faces
and usually used for cooling and lubricating the
seal faces.

Seal Quench is a neutral fluid, usually water or

steam, that is introduced in the atmospheric
side of seal to retard formation of solids that
may interfere with seal movement.
API flush plan 1
API flush plan 11
API flush plan 13
Api flush plan 14
API flush plan 32
Api flush plan 52
 Mechanical seal selection
criteria

The selection of a mechanical seal for

the right application depends on many
factors that are critical in the selection.

1.Fluid corrosiveness
2.Fluid temperature

3.Fluid specific gravity

4.Fluid vapor pressure and boiling point

5.Fluid viscosity

6.Fluid abrasiveness

7.Stuffing box pressure

 Seal failure

Following factors can contribute towards the

failure of mechanical seals:
1.Overall chemical attack

2.Fretting corrosion

3.O-ring chemical attack

4.Leaching

5.Face distortion
 Thank you!!

Any Questions?