You can make your mechanical seals last longer by following some tips and best practices. Mechanical seals are essential for pumps, compressors, and other machines with rotating shafts that must work at their best. These seals rarely break down when a proper inspection and maintenance plan is followed. But if the equipment and its seals aren’t maintained regularly, leaks can be seen. This will cause many downtimes and, in some cases, hurt employees. To avoid this, you can make your mechanical seals and the whole system last longer by following some best practices and working closely with mechanical seal suppliers in UAE who understand their functionality.
Importance of Mechanical Seals Design
It’s essential to understand how mechanical seals are made. Gland packing is one method that is still used a lot.
All good mechanical seals have a few basic things in common.
- Protected springs
- Balanced design
- Non-fretting design
- Stationery design
How to make industrial pumps and mechanical seals last longer
Unplanned downtime in production can be a nightmare for operations managers, which is why the maintenance team is essential when making seals last longer. The plan should include a full industrial pump service that focuses on more than just specialized equipment. We suggest getting in touch with the Mechanical seal supplier in Dubai to plan the whole system. Pipes, valves, and other parts of the manufacturing plant are just as crucial to how it works.
Best Practices for Pump and Seal Maintenance to Make Your Mechanical Seals Last Longer
Several best practices should be followed to make sure things work right.
Don’t Let the Seal Run Dry.
The most important thing to remember to avoid fixing a mechanical seal more than once is never to let it dry out. When there is no liquid between the seal faces to cool them, heat builds up, causing the seals to dry out. If this isn’t kept an eye on and the seals dry out completely, they can crack and cause the seal to fail terribly. Installing a dry run monitor with an alarm or notification setting is one way to ensure your seals don’t dry out. This monitor will tell workers when a seal doesn’t have enough oil to work correctly.
Avoid Excessive Vibration
If a pump system works outside its Best Efficiency Point (BEP), recirculation and cavitation can cause vibrations to move through the impeller, the pump shaft, and the mechanical seal. Vibration can also be caused by wear and tear on the system, leading to an imbalance: pumps and industrial gearboxes used outside of how they were designed to constitute a significant cause of inequality.
Correct Lubrication
For a seal to work right, there must be a thin film of cooling fluid between the seal faces. This fluid reduces wear and friction, ensuring the pump works well and stays within its BEP. If the wrong kind of lubricant is used, the temperature in the seal chambers will rise, which could cause the fluid to evaporate or cause other damage.
The best way to ensure your seals last a long time is to lubricate them with cool, clean, and stable fluids. However, because they are dynamic, they are the first thing to stop working if something else in the system fails. The seal can fail because of vibration, running the pump dry, not using it right, or putting it in the wrong. Working with the mechanical seal suppliers in Dubai will also help you maintain the life of your mechanical seals.