che_april-2024 - 13

Newsfront
Innovations in Seals and
Gaskets Boost Reliability
New designs and materials overcome high temperatures, pressures and aggressive media
I
n the chemical process industries
(CPI), standard equipment is
often capable of working universally
across many applications.
However, this same notion does not
apply to the sealing elements used
in chemical processes, where it is
imperative that seals and gaskets
not only suit the application, but can
also safely handle any environmental
variables, such as aggressive
media, high temperatures and pressures
and cleaning regimes. Fortunately,
advanced seals and gaskets
are being developed that overcome
CPI challenges to ensure a proper
seal that encourages the highest reliability
in a variety of traditional and
emerging applications.
" Each industry faces its own
inherent challenges specific to
its processes, but the overarching
challenge across all industries
and applications is to increase the
plant's overall reliability, " says Alan
Evans, global director, product line
management for the mechanical
seal business with A.W. Chesterton
(Groveland, Mass.; www.chesterton.com).
" Reliability touches on
sealing concerns, such as aggressive
temperatures; high pressures
and temperatures; emissions; and
health and safety and impacts the
financial performance of the plant.
Sealing challenges are tied into
plant reliability, but it isn't until there
is a good understanding of what
causes failure that you can begin to
mitigate these challenges. "
Enhanced reliability
The best way to understand and address
these challenges is by realizing
that seals and gaskets are part of the
overall system in which they are contained,
continues Evans. " Nothing
operates in isolation, " he says. For
this reason, sealing device designers
and manufacturers are striving
for a better understanding of the factors
that contribute to failure and are
trying to mitigate the impact on the
sealing device itself to provide better
operating life and reliability.
" Part of our engineering team's
philosophy is to design for reliability, "
notes Evans. He explains that there
are five key features that help mechanical
seals operate more reliably
and that Chesterton is building these
features into new sealing products,
as follows:
* Protected springs to maintain
free motion within the seal between
the rotary and stationary seal faces
* Balanced design to decrease
the amount of pressure applied to
the seal faces from the sealed fluid
to reduce heat generation, minimize
distortion and increase the operating
envelope of the seal
* Non-fretting design so the machine
or internal metal components
of the seal are not damaged in a way
that interrupts the seal's operating
capabilities and to improve the ability
of users to replace wearable parts
and return the seal to operation versus
having to purchase a new seal
* Monolithic seal faces so the seal
face is composed of one homogeneous
material to reduce the effects
of temperature distortion, which will
limit the seal's performance concerning
leakage and lower emissions
performance
* Stationary design so the seal
only makes one adjustment to misalignments
that are inherent to all rotating
equipment
Recently, Chesterton released a
line of high-performance seals that
incorporate these features. Chesterton's
1810 (Figure 1) is a scalable
mechanical sealing solution that can
be used in a variety of pumps to provide
a reliable and economical sealCHEMICAL
ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
APRIL 2024
ing solution. The 1810 mechanical
seal can be configured with several
different face profiles and auxiliary
components for demanding applications.
For example, a hydropad face
option can be applied for use in hot
process media or a line-to-line face
option may provide greater sealing
security in chemical slurries. Meanwhile,
the 2810 is a double seal with
advanced features that provide superior
emissions control, safety and
reliability. Suitable for sealing hazardous
or dangerous process fluids,
the 2810 offers a patented diffuser
sleeve that increases buffer/barrier
fluid
flowrates and disperses
the
cool fluid directly at the seal face interfaces,
collecting and removing the
hotter fluid and transporting it back
to the seal tank system.
Another development aimed at
providing a tighter and more reliable
seal is the ability to accommodate
more complex geometries, says
Tom Rimel, president at Stockwell
Elastomerics (Philadelphia, Pa.;
www.stockwell.com). " Traditionally,
O-rings and circular shapes were
the common offerings, but there are
often intricate patterns that require
cutting materials or using multiple
seals or gaskets around a compliA.W.
Chesterton
FIGURE 1. Chesterton's 1810 mechanical seal
can be configured with several different face
profiles and auxiliary components for demanding
applications, while the 2810 is a double seal with
advanced features that provide superior emissions
control, safety and reliability
13
http://www.stockwell.com http://www.chesterton.com http://www.chesterton.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
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