OISD RP 125

Amended edition

FOR RESTRICTED
CIRCULATION

NO.

INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE

OF
MECHANIAL SEALS

OISD RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 125

First Edition, July 1990
Amended edition, August, 1999

Oil Industry Safety Directorate

Government of India
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
 OISD - RP- 125
First Edition, July 1990
Amended edition,
August 1999

FOR RESTRICTED
CIRCULATION

NO.

INSPECTION AND MAINTANANCE

OF
MECHANICAL SEALS

Prepared by

COMMITTEE ON INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE

OF ROTATING EQUIPMENT

OIL INDUSTRY SAFETY DIRECTORATE

2ND FLOOR, “KAILASH”
26, KASTURBA GANDHI MARG
NEW DELHI - 110 001.
 NOTE

OISD publications are prepared for use in the Oil and

Gas industry under Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
These are the property of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
and shall not be reproduced or copied and loaned or exhibited to
others without written consent from OISD.

Though every effort has been made to assure the

accuracy and reliabiliy of data contained in these documents,
OISD hereby expressly disclaims any liability or responsibility for
loss or damage resulting from their use.

These documents are intended only to supplement and

not to replace the prevailing statutory requirements.

Note 1 in superscript indicates the modification/

changes/addition based on the amendments
approved in the 17th Safety Council meeting held
in July, 1999.
 FOREWORD

The Oil Industry in India is 100 years old. Because of

various collaboration agreements, a variety of international
codes, standards and practices have been in vogue.
Standardisation in design philosophies and operating and
maintenance practices at a national level was hardly in
existence. This, coupled with feed back from some serious
accidents that occurred in the recent past in India and abroad,
emphasized the need for the industry to review the existing state
of art in designing, operating and maintaining oil and gas
installations.

With this in view, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural

Gas, in 1986, constituted a Safety Council assisted by Oil
Industry Safety Directorate (OISD), staffed from within the
industry, in formulating and implementing a series of self
regulatory measures aimed at removing obsolescence,
standardising and upgrading the existing standards to ensure
safer operations. Accordingly, OISD constituted a number of
Functional Committees of experts nominated from the industry
to draw up standards and guidelines on various subjects.

The present document on “Inspection and Maintenance

of Mechanical Seals” has been prepared by the Functional
Committee on “Inspection of Rotary Equipment”. This document
is based on the accumulated knowledge and experience of
industry members and the various national and international
codes and practices. This document is meant to be used as a
supplement and not as a replacement for existing codes and
practices. It shall be borne in mind that no standard can be a
substitute for judgment of a responsible qualified maintenance
Engineer. Suggestions are invited from the users, after it is put
into practice, to improve the document further.

Suggestions for amendments to this document should be

addressed to the Co-ordinator, Committee on “Inspection of
Rotating Equipment, Oil Industry Safety Directorate, 2nd Floor,
“Kailash”, 26, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi-110 001.
 FUNCTIONAL COMMITTEE
ON
INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE OF
ROTARY EQUIPMENTS
List of Members
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
Name Designation & Position in
Organisation Committee
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
1. Sh. K. Gopalakrishanan Sr.Maint.Mgr.CRL Leader
2. Sh.B.P. Sinha Chief Project MGR-MRL Member
3. Sh.Chotey Lal Chief Engineer ONGC Member
4. Sh.R.C. Chaudhary Office Engg.MGR BPCL Member
5. Sh.K.M. Bansal Chief Maint. MGR. IOC Member
6. Sh.Ehsanuddin Director OISD Member
7. Sh.R.M.N. Marar Jt.Director OISD Member
Co-ordinator.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
In addition to the above, several other experts from the industry contributed in the
preparation, review and finalisation of this Recommended Practices.
 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANE OF
MECHANICAL SEALS
CONTENTS

SECTION
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Scope
3.0 Types of Mechanical Seals
3.1 Single Balanced Type
3.2 Double Mechanical Seal
4.0 Installation of Mechanical Seal
4.1 Lateral or Axial Movement of Shaft
4.2 Radial Movement of Shaft
4.3 Shaft Run Out
4.4 Stuffing Box Squareness
4.5 Concentricity of Stuffing Box

5.0 Inspection of Seal Components Prior to Installation

6.0 Fixing of Mechanical Seal

7.0 Maintenance of Mechanical Seal
7.1 General
7.2 Preventive Maintenance
7.3 Shutdown Maintenance
7.4 Breakdown Maintenance
7.4.1 Analysing Procedure for Seal Failures

8.0 References
Appendix I
Selection of Mechanical Seals
INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE OF MECHANICAL SEALS
1.0 INTRODUCTION:
Mechanical seals have been a constant source
of failure of pumps in the oil industry.
Breakdown of seals has even led to major fires.
These comprehensive guidelines for inspection
and maintenance of mechanical seals have
been drawn up in the context of the above.
2.0 SCOPE
This section covers the inspection and
maintenance requirements for safe working of
mechanical seals installed in various types of
pumps in oil industry.
3.0 TYPES OF MECHANICAL
SEALS
These are the recommended type of
mechanical seals for use in oil industries.
3.1 SINGLE BALANCED TYPE
This type of seal essentially consists of a
satisfactory face with its insert packing and the
rotary unit. This type of seal is normally
internally mounted. Flushing arrangements
used vary from seal to seal and can be
selected from Appendix I depending upon the
requirement.
3.2 DOUBLE MECHANICAL SEAL
Double mechanical seal arrangement should be
used where a buffer zone is required between
pumpage and atmosphere. Liquids in this
category are mainly toxic, volatile, hazardous
and abrasive fluids. Double mechanical seals
can be arranged in tandem or back to back.
a) Tandem Arrangement
When two seals are arranged facing in the
same direction then the mechanical seal
arrangement is called tandem seal
arrangement. In tandem mechanical seal the
outer seal is flushed with a compatible fluid at
lower pressure than the stuffing box pressure.
Inner mechanical seal always takes high
pressure, but the outer mechanical seal must
also be able to withstand full pressure in the
event of inner mechanical seal failure.
b) Back to Back Arrangement
Double mechanical seals are arranged back to
back and a barrier of buffer fluid is used at a
pressure of 1kg/sq. cm. above stuffing
pressure.
Seal flushing plans for single seals, double
seals and tandem seals should be as per plans
shown in Table 1.
4.0 INSTALLATION OF
MECHANICAL SEALS
The following checks should be carried out on
the equipment prior to seal installation.
4.1 LATERAL OR AXIAL MOVEMENT
OF SHAFT
The total indicated axial movement of shaft
should be held between .001” & .004”. A
mechanical seal cannot function satisfactorily
with a great amount of endplay and can cause
sealing problems due to the following reasons:
a) Excessive end play resulting in the shaft
floating can cause pitting, fretting or wear
at the point of contact between the shaft
packing in the mechanical seal and the
shaft or sleeve O.D.
b) As the mechanical seal driving element is
locked to the shaft or sleeve, any
excessive end play or lateral movement will
result in overloading or underloading the
springs, causing excessive wear and seal
leakage.
c) A floating shaft can cause chattering, which
results in chipping of the seal faces,
especially the carbon element.
d) Ideal mechanical seal performance
requires a minimum of wear pattern and
the maintenance of a liquid film between
the mating contact faces. Excessive end
play reduces seal life and performance by
disturbing both the established wear
pattern and lubricating film between the
contact faces.
4.2 RADIAL MOVEMENT OF SHAFT
(Whip or Deflection)
The radial movement of the shaft (Whip or
deflection) should be measured keeping the
dial indicator as close to the radial bearing as
possible. The reading should be less than .
003”.
Excessive radial movement can cause wear,
fretting or pitting of the shaft packing or
secondary sealing element at the point of
contact between the shaft packing and sleeve
OD.
Excessive wear at the mating contact faces will
occur when excessive shaft whip or deflection
is present, due to defective radial bearings or
bearing fits. The contact area of the mating
faces will be increased resulting in increased
wear and the elimination or reduction of the
lubricating film between the faces further
reducing seal life.
This should be measured in the following
manner:
Install the dial indicator so that the stem
touches against the shaft as close to the radial
bearing (back pull out type) as possible. Lift
the shaft or exert light pressure at the impeller
end. Reading on dial indicator gives the radial
shaft movement. It should be less than 0.003”.
4.3 SHAFT RUN OUT (BENT SHAFT)
Check the run out of the shaft at the impeller
mounting area, sleeve bearing area, bearing
mounting area and coupling end. The run out
should not exceed 0.003”.
A bent shaft can lead to many seal failures and
poor sealing performance due to vibration and
reduced life or bearings.
4.4 STUFFING BOX SQUARENESS
After installing the suffering box cover in place
in the pump the run out should be measured
with a dial indicator clamped to the shaft with
the stem against the stuffing box.
The total run out measured in the above
mentioned way should not exceed 0.003”.
When the face of the stuffing box is out of the
square, or not perpendicular to the shaft axis,
the result can be serious malfunction of a
mechanical seal as outlined below:
a) The Stationary gland plate, which holds in
position the stationary insert, or seat is
bolted to the face of the stuffing box.
Misalignment at this point will result in seal
wobble, that is, operating in an elliptical
plane. This condition is a major factor in
causing fretting pitting and wear of the
mechanical seal shaft packing at the point
of contact with the shaft or sleeve.
b) A seal that is wobbling on the shaft can
also cause wear of the drive pins. Erratic
face contact causes poor seal performance
and life.
4.5 CONCENTRICITY OF STUFFING
BOX
The concentricity of the stuffing box should be
checked since the eccentricity alters the
hydraulic loading of seal faces, reducing seal
life and performance.
Using the same dial indicator set up for
checking stuffing box face squareness, place
the indicator stem well into the bore of the
stuffing box. The stuffing box should be
concentric to the shaft axis to within a .005”
total indicator reading.
5.0 INSPECTION OF SEAL
COMPONENTS PRIOR TO
INSTALLATION
a) It should be ensured that all parts are kept
clean, especially the running faces of the
seal ring and insert.
b) The seal rotary unit should be checked to
ensure that the drive pins and/or spring
pins are free in the holes or slots.
c) The set screws in the rotary unit collar
should be checked to ensure that they are
free in the threads.
d) The thickness of all gaskets should be
checked against the dimensions shown on
the assemble drawing. Improper gasket
thickness will affect the seal setting and the
spring load imposed on the seal.
e) The fit of the gland ring to the equipment
should be checked to ensure that the gland
ring pilot enters the bore with a reasonable
guiding fit for proper seal alignment. It
should be ensured that there is no
interference or binding on the studs or bolts
or other obstructions.
f) It should be ensured that all rotary unit
parts of the seal fit over the shaft. ‘V’ ring
should be placed on the shaft individually,
and never be installed on the shaft while
they are seated in the seal ring or rotating
assembly.
g) Both running faces of the seal should be
checked to ensure that there are no nicks
or scratches. Imperfections of any kind on
either of these faces will cause seal
leakage.
 7.1 GENERAL
6.0 FIXING OF MECHANICAL
When a Mechanical seal is to be maintained,
SEAL the following factors should be taken into
account:
a) The complete seal assembly drawings and
instructions should be carefully studied a) Liquid pumped
before starting installation. b) Criticality of the pump
c) Pressure being sealed by the seal
b) All burrs and sharp edges should be d) Temperature in seal area.
removed from the shaft or shaft sleeve e) Speed at which pump is running.
including sharp edges on key-ways and
threads. Worn shaft or sleeves should be Considering all the above points, maintenance
replaced. of mechanical seals can be classified as:

c) The stuffing’s box bore and stuffing box - Preventive Maintenance

face should be checked to ensure that they - Shutdown Maintenance
are clean and free of burrs. - Breakdown Maintenance

d) The shaft or shaft sleeve should be marked 7.2 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

with various reference marks required for
installation of seal as per assembly
drawings.
e) The shaft or sleeve should be oiled lightly
prior to seal assembly to allow the seal
parts to move freely over it.
f) The rotary units should be installed on the
shaft or sleeve in proper sequence.
g) The back of the collar should be set at the
proper distance from the original reference
mark on the shaft or sleeve. Tighten all set
screws firmly and evenly.
h) The seal faces should be wiped clean and
a thin oil film applied prior to completing the
equipment assembly.
i) The Gland ring should be inserted with
insert over the shaft carefully. Complete
the equipment assembly taking care when
compressing the seal into the stuffing box.
No actual preventive maintenance of the seal
can be carried out since there is no access to
the seal but for the satisfactory working of the
seal, its auxiliary system, i.e. circulation and
quenching system has to be maintained
properly. Auxiliary system will have
instruments and accessories like pressure
gauge, temperature gauge, orifice, cyclone
separator or filter, flow meter and cooler. For
proper functioning of these periodical checking
and calibration should be carried out. A
periodic check of the circulation/flushing, flow
rate and inlet temperature to seal is very
important as failure/wide fluctuation of these
may result in seal failure.
Monitoring of parameters and auxiliary
equipment used for different seal flushing plans
(as per API610) should be followed as given in
the table below:

j) The gland ring and gland ring gasket

should be seated to the faces of the
stuffing box by tightening the nuts or bolts
evenly and firmly enough to effect a seal
at the gland ring gasket. Usually finger Table 1
tight and 1/2 to 3/4 turn with a wrench.
Excessive tightening of the gland ring nut S.No. Flushing Preventive Monitoring
or bolt will cause distortion that will be 1. 02 1 Monitor outlet
transmitted to the running face, resulting in temperature of cooling
leakage. water in jacket to
ensure proper cooling
7.0 MAINTENANCE OF of stuffing box.
MECHANICAL SEALS 2. 11 1 Monitor flow
2 Stuffing box pressure
for high pressure
 pumps if tapping is 14. 54 1 Fluid Flow
taken from high 2 Pressure at outlet from
pressure area. seal
3. 13 1 Monitor flow 3 Temperature
2 Strainer to be checked 15. 62 1 Fluid flow
periodically for 2 Pressure at outlet from
chocking. seal
4. 13 1 Monitor flow 3 Temperature
2 Stuffing box for volatile
fluids
5. 21 1 Monitor flow 7.3 SHUTDOWN MAINTENANCE
2 Inlet temperature to
seal Shutdown maintenance means maintenance of
3 Check flows through mechanical seals when the pump is taken out
cooler. for scheduled maintenance even though the
6. 22 1 Monitor flow seal is not leaking.
2 Strainer to be checked
periodically for The following procedure should be followed
chocking while carrying out maintenance:
7. 23 1 Monitor flow
2 Check flows through The seal should be removed from the pump
cooler and all parts cleaned. If face or faces are not
3 Inlet temperature to excessively worn out as per manufacturer's
seal recommendation Note 1, the same should be
4 Outlet temperature of lapped. If faces are excessively worn out or
liquid from pumping ring damaged then replace them with new faces.
8. 31 1 Cyclone separator and All elastomers should be replaced. The seal
return line checking should then be assembled back in the pump.
2 Stuffing box pressure
for high discharge 7.4 BREAKDOWN MAINTENANCE
pressure pumps if
tapping is taken from If a seal failure causes shutdown of pump then
high pressure area. it is called break down maintenance. Before
9. 32 1 Fluid flow re-installing, the cause of seal failure should be
2 Inlet pressure to diagnosed and rectified. The following
stuffing box procedure should be followed for trouble
3 Inlet temperature to shooting
stuffing box.
4 Chocking of strainer 7.4.1 Analysing Procedure for Seal
10. 41 1 Cyclone separator and failures
return line chocking
2 Inlet temperature to The stationary part, rotating part, gaskets, O
seal rings or other secondary seals, the shaft sleeve
3 Check flows through and the inside of stuffing box should be closely
cooler inspected.
11. 51 1 Liquid Level
2 Pressure The inspection procedure includes:
3 Inlet temperature to
seal - Examination of wear track
4 Flow - Examination of faces
12. 52 1 Liquid Level - Inspection of seal drives
2 Pressure - Checking of springs
3 Inlet temperature to - Checking the elastormers
seal - Checking for accidental rubbing.
4 Flow
13. 53 1 Liquid level a) Examination of wear track:
2 Pressure
3 Inlet temperature to i) Widened wear track:
seal
4 Flow
A widened wear track indicates that there is a
serious misalignment of the pump. This can be
caused by bad bearings, shaft deflection, a
bent shaft or severe vibration from a cavitating
pump. This can also be due to a stationary
seal ring which is tilted.
ii) Proper size wear track :
This size indicates that the pump is in good
alignment and the face leakage is not the
cause of seal leakage in a clogged metal
bellow seal this particular clue indicates that the
seal has leaked along the static secondary
seal.
iii) Narrow wear track :
When the wear track is narrower than the
thinnest face, this means that the seal has
been over-pressurised and has bowed away
from the seat. This bowing caused the seal to
seal only on a portion of the face width. This is
due to improper design and the seal must be
changed to a higher pressure more rugged
design.
iv) No wear track :
No apparent wear on the faces of the seal after
they have been in operation for some time.
This can occur if the seal is a rubber bellow
type and the faces might have been pressed
together with shaft rotating under the rubber.
In this case spring remains stationary and rubs
against some rotary part of the pump and gets
worn out. This is caused by using the wrong
lubricant on the rubber during installation and
could also be due to an under size shaft.
v) No wear track-shiny spots on the
face:
This is caused by a warping of the face with the
spots. Warping is caused by too much
pressure, improper bolting or clamping or a bad
face on the pump where the face is clamped.
This can happen easily on two bolt glands that
are not thick enough. It can also happen when
the face is severely out of flat before it has
been installed. The above problems can be
overcome by checking the hard face for
flatness prior to installation, facing off the pump
so that it is a clean smooth surface, using four
bolt glands or glands that are strong enough to
spread the bolt force evenly and tightening the
bolts evenly.
b) Examining the faces:
i) Chipped edges on either or both
faces:
Chipping is caused by a large separation of the
faces and consequent breaking when they slam
back into each other. It is often associated with
flashing and pumps subjected to severe
cavitation. Flashing is common in hot water
systems or in fluids that may have water
content in them or fluids operating at or near
their boiling points Note 1.
Solution to flashing is to reduce the face heat.
This is done by using carbon vs tungsten
carbide or other cool running face combination
by using pressure balanced seals, by cooling
the stuffing box fluid area, by using a double
seal, or an outside quenching fluid to keep the
faces running in a cooling fluid so that it cannot
occur.
ii) Flabing or pealing of a hard facing :
Hard facings of stellite, ceramic and a variety
of other materials are often used in seal design
with a rotary hard face. Flabing or peeling is
generally a sign of either a defective coating or
a chemical attack at the bond. The attack is
caused by the intense heat that is often found
at the face of a seal. This type of problem is
solved by using solid face materials.
iii) Pitting , blistering, corrosion of the
carbon face:
This occurs when wrong carbon is used for a
particular service. Most seal carbons use an
impregnated face and this is not obtainable
when a carbon is machined from tube stock.
Hot oil service carbon should be formulated
especially to prevent blistering and pitting.
Corrosive attack of carbon can be stopped by
selecting carbons which are relatively binder
free.
iv) Broken ceramic:
This usually occurs when ceramics are
subjected to heat shock or cold shock. This
most often occurs when the ceramic is heated
unevenly and then subjected to a rapid change
in temperature.
Further breakage also depends on the
following:

- The more pure and smaller gain size
ceramics are less likely to break.
- The more the corners and sharp
edges, the chances of breakage are
more.
- Depending on the temperature gradient
across the face, i.e. the face is hot but
the back is cool, the more likely it is to
break.
- Another cause is from mechanical
shock or tension. Ceramics are strong
in compression but when put into
tension by clamping them against an
even surface they often shatter.
v) Worn spot in the stationary ring:
When the stationary ring is carbon and the
recirculation from the pump discharge impinges
on it, erosion can occur. In order to avoid this,
the flush line should be directed not directly at
the seal, but tangential to it, that is, the flush
should come in at an angle causing the fluid in
the stuffing box to circulate.
vi) Deep wear in the hard face:
This often occurs seals in misaligned pumps
and seals in severe abrasive service. It is
caused by face separation of large particles
between faces. These particles then embed in
the carbon face and grind the hard face. This
problem gets compounded by reuse of the
carbon face because it shows little wear.
When lapping compounds are used to lap
carbon the same problem can occur. The
compounds get embedded and then grind the
hard face.
c) Inspection of seal drive
Seal designs all use the same method to
transmit torque from the shaft to the rotary
face. Normally is achieved with pins, set
screws and lugs and in some cases with single
spring. The drive should be inspected for signs
of wear at the pins, drive lug, dent or spring.
Worn drive lugs and worn drive slots normally
happen due to the sticking up of the faces
together.
d) Checking of springs and bellows
Springs and bellows should be inspected for
any breakage. They should be also inspected
for any clogging. A metal bellow seal will only
clog up and fail if the fluid hardens or particles
became stuck at the inside of the bellows. This
occurs when there is excessive leakage past
the face or past the static shaft seal. The
normal leakage from a seal installed and
operating properly will not cause clogging for
years.
e) Checking of the elastomer
i) Elastomers should be checked for swelling,
sticking or disintegration. These are signs
of chemical incompatibility. It can be solved
by using a different material.
ii) Hardening of the elastomer should be
checked.
iii) The elastomers should be checked for
charring, cracking and burned appearance
of the elastomer and changed shape i.e.
deformed Note 1 from ‘O’ ring to square.
The above mentioned points are all signs of
excessive heat. Usually, the source of heat is
the face or a; metal to metal contact of two
parts
8.0 REFERENCES
The following codes, standards and
publications have either been referred to or
used in the preparation of this document and
the same shall be read in conjunction with this
document.
i) Centrifugal Pumps for General Refinery
Service
ii) Manufacturer’s Manuals on Mechanical
seals.
 Appendix-1

SELECTION OF MECHANICAL SEALS

1.1 General lubrication film between seal faces and keeps
the faces cool.
The following points should be taken into
account while selecting the mechanical seals: 1.5 PV Factor

a) Media (Corrosive, abrasive/crystallising, PV Factor is an arbitrary mathematical

hazardous) relationship used to evaluate the severity of an
b) pressure application. It is the product of pressure
c) Speed expressed in bars and the velocity expressed in
m/sec. This enables the selection of material
d) P.V. Factor
for combination of pairs of rubbing faces.
e) Temperature Table 1.1 gives PV limits for various
f) Deleted Note 1 combinations.

1.2 Media Table 1.1

The fluid being pumped or handled by the _____________________________________

pump has the most influence on the selection Sealface Mating face Maximum PV
of material of construction of a mechanical bar m/sec.
seal. Corrosion is one of the most vital factors _____________________________________
to be considered for seal selection.
Carbon Stainless Steel 50
Carbon, which is compatible with many fluids Carbon Stellite 240
and has excellent wearing properties, is Carbon Chrome Oxide 150
universally used as one of the sealing faces. Coating
For fluids containing abrasives, tungsten Carbon Tungsten Carbide 280
carbide, or silicon carbide is used. For highly Coating
corrosive fluids, where carbon cannot be used Carbon Tungsten Carbide 350
filled PTFE is used as face material. Carbon Silicon Carbide 1750
Carbon Ceramic 170
Springs used should be of alloy 20 or 316 Carbon Lead Bronze 245
stainless steel and other metal parts should be Carbon Ni resist 300
of 316 stainless steel or any other corrosion- Tungsten Tungsten Carbide 50
resistant material suitable for the service. Carbon Silicon Carbide 170
Carbon Silicon Carbide 90
1.3 Pressure Carbon Silicon Carbide 140
_____________________________________
Mechanical seals can be classified as a)
Unbalanced for low pressures & b) Balanced-
for high pressure. Unbalanced mechanical
seals are generally used for pressures upto 10 1.6 Temperature
bar and balanced mechanical seals for
pressures above 10 bar. However, it is 1. Temperature at the sealing faces is a
recommended that only balanced seals be controlling factor of mechanical seal life.
used for all applications. Standard metallic Temperature of fluid in the stuffing box must
bellows mechanical seals is constructed from be evaluated at the sealing faces when rubbing
single ply welded metallic bellows. But for high against each other generate heat. In such
pressures two ply or multiply metallic bellows case if no cooling is provided the fluid can flash
should be used. and loose lubricity, the mechanical seal faces
may run dry and damage the sealing faces.
1.4 Speed
In case of mechanical seals using elastometric
As the speed increases, the chances of a secondary elements, cool fluid should be
mechanical seal running dry increases. This provided to the mechanical seal by one of the
will give rise to high instantaneous following methods:
temperatures due to physical contact and also
high speed deformation due to temperature and a) Recirculation from discharge to mechanical
centrifugal force. To avoid this, a positive flush seal through heat exchanger.
should be provided which allows a thin stable
b) Recirculation from seal with pumping ring over stainless steel but
through heat exchanger and back to marginal with sulphur
mechanical seal. duties of raw materials
and expensive heat
c) Injection to mechanical seal from external treatment.
source of clean fluid. Hastelloy -80 to Best corrosion
+2500C resistance. Non-heat
2. Maximum temperature limits for seal treated. Limited
gaskets should be as specified in Table pressure capability.
1.2. Good strength. Higher
raw material cost than
inconel.
Table 1.2 (Note 1)
_____________________________________
Gasket Material Pumping Temperature
_____________________________________

TFE 5000F/2600C
Nitrile (Buna-N) 2500F/1210C
Neoprene 2000F/930C
Flucao elastomer 4000F/2040C
FFKN elastomer 5000F/2600C
Graphite Foil 7500F/3990C
_____________________________________

3. In metallic bellows mechanical seals

elastomeric packings are eliminated for use of
high temperatures. Secondary and mating
rings packings are grafoil. Shaft sealing is
done by metallic gasket and mating ring by
means of flexitallic gasket or grafoil packing.
Table given below gives temperature limits to
which various metal bellows can be used.

Table 1.3

Material Temp. Description

AM 350 -40 to Materensite stainless
+4500C toughest and most
commonly used
material. Very high
strength after heat
treatment.
300 -250 to Austenitic stainless
series +6500C steel Non-heat (AISI-
347) treated. Can be
used for
Cryogenic but weak at
high temperatures. Has
tendency to take
permanent set, so
undesirable when spring
rate is important. Useful
as bellows device in
corrosive conditions
Inconel -250 to Good strength at high
+6500C temperature Improved
corrosion resistance