MECHANICAL SEALS

( FACE SEALS)
 INTRODUCTION
• A mechanical seal/face seal is one in
which there are two mating parts used to
prevent leakages past rotating shafts
during static & dynamic conditions.
• There purpose is to seal rotating shafts
against process fluids.
• They are used mostly in pumps in place of
gland packing to establish zero leaks.
• Out of the two parts of a mechanical seal, one is stationary &
the other is rotating with the shaft in dynamic condition.
• The sealing is established in the area where the two faces of
rings are in mutual contact.
• The rotating ring will be attached to the shaft by some
mechanical means & it rotates with the shaft.
• The seal faces are at right angles to the centerline of shaft.
• Axial force is given to the rotating ring mostly by spring force
to keep the sealing faces in contact at all times.
• The sealing is established by the formation of a liquid film at
the interface of the sealing faces.
• The film is so thin of the order of a few microns which acts as a
cushioning agent for the mating faces thereby preventing
wear/scoring of seal faces.
 Advantages of Mechanical seals
• Low leak rates thereby:
a. Saving fluid loss
b. Lowering pumping power loss
c. Keeping the surroundings clean
d. Avoiding contamination of fluid
• Prevents rubbing of shaft/sleeve as observed in conventional packing
thereby:
a. no replacements of shaft/sleeve
b. less frictional losses & less maintenance
• Can handle corrosive fluids
• Can operate under high temperature/pressure/high speeds with zero
leaks.
• No process interruptions.
• Less sensitive to vibrations.
• Cost of replacements in terms of time is much less than those of
conventional packing.
 Disadvantages of Mechanical seals

• Very High cost.

• Needs to be handled carefully.
• Requires precision equipments for undertaking
seal repairs.
• Seal leaks can be repaired only after equipment
shutdown.
 General Description
• The rotating rings are also called as seal rings & stationary rings called as
mating rings. Static seals are required between rotating ring & shaft as well
as between stationary ring & gland housing. The seal rings are located by a
locating plate which is fixed on to the shaft. If a shaft sleeve is present, an
additional static seal has to be provided between shaft & sleeve. Hence a seal
head assembly requires flexibility, shaft sealing, face loading & a positive
drive. The spring or magnetic force takes care of seal wear. The static seals
are usually made of elastomers which are flexible enough to keep the rings
absolutely parallel. Springs can be either single spring/multi spring.
• The advantage of single spring is that it has greater cross
section & hence effect of corrosion attack on coil wire is less
compared to multi spring. But the dis-advantages of single
spring are:
1. Possible un-even loading of seal faces.
2. Occupies more axial space.
3. Un-winding tendencies due to centrifugal force of
rotating shafts.
• The advantages of multi-springs are:
1. Uniform loading on seal faces
2. Occupies less axial space.
3. Face loading can be increased/decreased by
increasing/decreasing the number of springs.
4. Offers more resistance to un-winding due to
centrifugal forces.
5. Spring sizes are independent in regard to seal sizes.
• The dis-advantages of multi springs are:
1. More expensive & chances of clogging due to dirty
fluid.
2. More sensitive to corrosive fluids.
 Static Seals
• Most commonly used static seals are ‘O’ rings, ‘V’ rings,’U’
cup, wedge, bellows etc.
• ‘O’ rings are extensively used as they are readily available
for shaft sealing/sealing the housing.
• Static seal for shaft sealing are of two types:
1. Pusher Type: in which sealing action is either due to
squeezing of sealing element, as in case of ‘O’ rings & spring
actions as in case of ‘V’ rings, ‘U’ cup etc. Here hydraulic
pressure of fluid pushes the sealing element.
2. Bellow type: in which sealing in the axial direction taken
up by bellow flexure. Synthetic material & metals are used as
bellows.
• Mechanical seals are of the rotating head type
(rotating seal) or of the rotating seat
type(stationary seal). In the rotating head type, the
seal head with spring assembly rotates with the
shaft & seat is fixed in the housing. Whereas in
the rotating seat type, the spring assembly along
with sealing head is fixed in the housing & sealing
seat rotates with shaft. This type is used in high
speed applications as it requires only less critical
dynamic balancing. The housings are easily locked
by set screw, friction fit or by any other means.
Another advantage of rotating seat type is that it
has greater tendency to free itself from
contaminants as it is more flexible than rotating
head type mechanical seals.
 Types of mechanical seals
(Based on arrangement)

INSIDE MOUNTED OUTSIDE MOUNTED

• INSIDE MOUNTED: Here the whole
assembly is mounted inside the housing.
The centrifugal force opposes entry of
contaminants coming to the mating
surfaces of sealing rings.
• OUTSIDE MOUNTED: Here seal is
mounted outside the housing. Inspection &
replacements are easy compared to inside
mounted seals. Metallic bellow type
mechanical seals are outside mounted
seals. The main function of bellows are to
replace static seal elements.
 MULTIPLE SEALS
• DOUBLE SEAL: Here two seals are incorporated back-to-back
& clean fluid is circulated between the two mechanical seals.
This arrangement is used in case of contaminated fluids. Clean
fluid is used for lubricating & cooling of sealing surfaces as the
contaminants may damage the sealing surfaces. These seals are
used for extremely corrosive applications and are very costly.
• TANDEM SEAL: Here more than one seal is used for sealing.
They are incorporated in series thereby reducing the differential
pressure loading on each seal. This type of arrangement is used
in PHT pumps of Indian nuclear power plants. These seals are
used for:
1. For high degree of safety
2. For cryogenic & toxic fluids
3. Very high pressure fluids by incresing the barrier fluid
pressure.
 SEAL FACE MATERIALS
(Properties)
1 Mechanical High modulus of elasticity, high tensile
strength, low coefficient Of friction,
excellent wear characteristics, self
lubricating properties for dry operation.
2 Thermal Low coefficient of expansion, high thermal
conductivity, resistance to thermal shock.
3 Chemical Inert & corrosive resistance, good
wetability & adhesive characteristics.
4 Radiation Good resistance to radiation damage

5 Additional Dimensional stability, good machinability,

availability at reasonable price.
• Best seal performance is obtained when one seal face is hard &
the mating face is relatively soft. The hard materials selected for
seal faces are Tungsten Carbide, Stellite, SS, Ceramic, Nickel,
CI, Bronze etc. & the soft materials are Carbon graphite,
Bronze, Teflon etc.
• Tungsten Carbide has superior hardness & are unaffected by
heat, chemically inert & excellent anti-frictional properties.
They have high elasticity & very less distortion under high
pressures.
• Ceramic is one of the hardest face materials available with
excellent wear resistant properties but are sensitive to thermal
shock loads.
• Stellite is prone to heat cracking in a less lubricant
environment. Its use is limited under high pressure & high
temperature applications.
• Carbon graphite is chemically inert, self lubricating, high
thermal conductivity, resistant to shock & hence used as a soft
seal.
 SEAL SELECTION
(FACTORS)
• Selection of seal depends on :
1. Shaft Size.
2. Peripheral Speed.
3. Face materials.
4. Fluids handled.
5. Pressure & temperature of fluids.
The following table gives PV limits of different
combination of Face materials.
 SEAL FACE MATING FACE MAX. PV
P-PRESSURE IN psig
V-VELOCITY IN ft/min.
STAINLESS STEEL 150000
STELLITE 700000
CHROME OXIDE COATING 450000
TUNG. CARBIDE COATING 800000
CARBON
TUNGSTEN CARBIDE 1000000
SEALIDE 5000000
CERAMIC 500000
LEAD BRONZE 7000000
NICKEL 850000
TUNGSTEN TUNGSTEN CARBIDE 150000
CARBIDE SEALIDE 500000
SEALIDE SEALIDE 250000
 OPERATING PRECAUTIONS
• NEVER ALLOW SEAL FACES TO RUN DRY.
• ALWAYS VENT SEAL CHAMBER FOR GAS LOCKS.
• PRIME PUMP & ENSURE SEAL CHAMBER FILLED WITH LIQUID
PRIOR TO STARTING OF PUMP.
• AVOID DRY OPERATION OF PUMP.
• ENSURE HANDLING OF CLEAN FLUIDS.
• ENSURE SHAFTS ARE PROPERLY ALIGNED.
• RUNOUT OF SHAFTS & BEARING TO BE LESS THAN 0.005 INCHES
FOR SAFE OPERATION OF MECHANICAL SEAL.
• AVOID PUMP CAVITATION & VIBRATIONS IN PUMP.
• OPERATE PUMP AT RATED CAPACITY ENSURING ATLEAST
MINIMUM REQUIRED FLOW.
• CHECK FREQUENTLY THE O/L TEMP. OF SEAL COOLING SUPPLY.
• ALLOW REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO MECH. SEAL FOR
SELF ADJUSTMENT OF LEAKS IF PREVAILING DURING
SSTARTING OF A PUMP.
 THANK YOU
• Any questions?