Tips to prevent Mechanical Seal Leakage in a Centrifugal Pump
Mechanical seals play a critical role in the centrifugal pump. However, at times, they cause problems due to leakage. Though it is a rare occurrence, the eventualities are critical if it happens. Experts say that several types of damages can occur.
Shaft or sleeve wear
In the event of mechanical seal failure, it spins to the shaft sleeve or shaft. It causes damage to the metal and replacement of shaft or sleeve becomes compulsory. In any case, worn out sleeves shouldn’t be reused.
Dents and scratches on the shaft
When the seal face shatters due to some catastrophic failure, there could be a scratch or dent in the sleeve or shaft due to small pieces of silica carbide or tungsten.
Don’t insert a new seal without replacing the shaft. The new seal would again get damaged.
Leaking seal causes corrosion to the shaft
When the mechanical seal leakage continues for a long time, then the shaft corrodes and weakens due to the dripping and leaking.
Etching or flashing
When the mechanical seal leakage happens,and the fluid is boiling hot (like it happens in boiler feed applications), there could be flashing or etching.
Fretting
When the seal gets damaged due to improper installation, fretting happens because of a great deal of movement.
Responding to the leakage in mechanical seals
What could be the best way of maintaining mechanical seals? Yes, you should offload the task to professionals.
Since the mechanical tools have great wear and tear in a manufacturing environment, it is not possible to keep them in good health. These are the things that should be considered:
- Check the symptoms of seal leakage. When there is a spray outside the seal or a continuous drip; certainly, it is leaking. Do not overlook it in any case. Call the maintenance engineer immediately.
- When the collar screws aren’t locked properly while adjusting the displacement of the shaft axial, it increases the possibility of seal leakage. It happens because the seal faces get damaged due to the exposure.
- When the ports on the gland plug are not plugged while connecting it to the external seal piping, there is always a possibility of leakage in the mechanical seals. It is important to check it during the maintenance work.
- When hydraulic cylinders are not used while detaching and attaching the parts, the alignment gets disturbed. As a result, the mechanical seal leaks.
Avoid all these reasons and keep mechanical seals healthy for a long time.
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