Efficient Plant April 2020 - 26

feature | solution focus
This SEPCO air seal eliminated the conventional packed
seal and plays a major role in preventing pulper leakage.

that was essentially full of pulp slurry.
The ongoing damage from the leakage eventually resulted in the need to
replace the gearbox. Because of the
equipment's size and orientation, this
was a major operation that required
a crane to lift and position the
components. Clearly, a solution was
needed.

SOLUTIONS
The mill team replaced all sealing
technology, instead of one item at a time.
To seal the pulp process, packing was replaced
and two solutions installed in the pulper stuffing
box. First, a tight-tolerance, split-cylinder bushing made of
bearing-grade PPS was installed to stabilize the shaft. This provided
support, especially when paper stock was dumped into the bowl.
The team then installed a SEPCO, Alabaster, AL (sepco.com),
noncontact air seal in place of the packing follower. The seal uses air
to create a pressure differential between the product and the environment. It completely contained the pulper with zero leakage. The

seal also withstood some shaft movement,
adding to the protection during stock
dumping.
In addition to this seal technology combination, a true noncontact, compound
labyrinth bearing isolator was used to
replace the existing oil seal in the gearbox.
The isolator has a vertical orientation that
provides lubrication protection during static
and dynamic conditions.
The goal with the bearing isolator was to stem
the contamination that caused the failure and ultimate
replacement of the former gearbox. It succeeded because of the
redundant system of expellers and vertically oriented expulsion
chambers backed by static coalescing O-rings that further break
down contamination. The configuration formed an effective seal to
protect the lubricant and the bearings. EP
For more information, visit sepco.com.

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APRIL 2020

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Efficient Plant April 2020

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