Experts say that poor reliability and significant leakage are the two biggest concerns in turbines and hydropower applications.
In the conventional system, various types of primary shaft sealing are used; polymer radial seals, segmented radial seals, segmented axial seals, and so on.
When multiple sump pumps are used, they add to the operations and maintenance costs.
Split seals play a phenomena role in reducing annual expenses. They, in a true sense, revolutionize the operations.
Split seals are critical components that ensure reliable operations. There have been several studies that prove the effectiveness of split seals for main shaft sealing.
It is easy to install split seals
Installation of a split seal doesn’t take much time. In fact, it can be done in a few hours. There is no need to dismantle the turbine. The components can be easily fitted the shaft.
Since the maintenance need is minimal and no packing readjustments are required, people find split seals very much convenient.
What makes split seals effective?
As compared to the standard non-split design, it is a significant challenge to design mechanical split seals. However, it is worth putting efforts into it because of the incredible benefits.
The seal faces are square and flat. They are manufactured as the normal non-split face and then lapped to achieve flatness of their faces.
Once they are checked for flatness, the face is split into two halves. These halves fit together perfectly.
Thus, there is no need to create a seal ring to match the segments.
Engineers make sure that the profile of the ring is made so carefully that the mating seal faces are always in contact with each other. Even if there are pressure and temperature fluctuations, the faces remain unaffected with it.
The reliability of the split seal is very high.
Role of filtration in determining the seal reliability
It is mandatory to filter the flush water so that physical impurities or abrasive material doesn’t enter the shaft seal.
The flush water has to be filtered to under the size of 10 microns.
Since the filtration system is supposed to filter millions of liters of water, the filtration system has to be 100% reliable and dependable.
The filtration system delivers the flush water in the required quantity to the seal while the filtration cleaning system is deployed.
Always check the filtration needs and flush leakage system before installing the filtration device.
Appropriate design features need to be taken care for better performance.
Leak-Pack is ISO 9001:2008 certified company and one of the best mechanical seals suppliers in India, providing solutions to all types of leakages by manufacturing Mechanical Seals and Sealing Components as per customer’s drawings, samples or requirements. To know more about Mechanical Seal call on +91-(2739) 271592 or email at info@leakpack.com.
Also Read:
Basic Rules – Mechanical Seals & Equipment Conditions
An Introduction to the Five Key Features of Good Mechanical Seal Design