A Summary of Mechanical Seals and Its Uses

Posted by BMG on December 22nd, 2022

A mechanical seal comprises a rotating seal face with a driving function. It moves at the same speed as the pump shaft. It also has a stationary seal face which attaches to the rotary and is retained using a gland or other such components. The springs or bellows ensure the rotating face stays correctly positioned with the stationary face. Lastly, static sealing gaskets are at the end of the seal assembly.

Usage of these seals

These seals play an essential role in multiple industries today. They are usually used to store gas or fluid with a vessel, pump, or compressor. The shaft seals are used in equipment that needs a rotating shaft to pass through a stationary component. Mechanical face seals are specially used when the leakage needs to be reduced to the form of a vapour. 

Different types of seals

Some of the different varieties of seals include compressor seals, metal bellows seals, hydraulic seals, single springs pump seals, double cartridge seals etc. Depending on their features, they can be used across a wide range of applications including ships, automobiles, industrial pumps, residential pools, industrial pumps, dishwashers, compressors etc. One seal will not work in all applications. It is important to choose the right type of seal for the machinery. 

Multiple Seal Design configurations

 Multiple seal designs can be found for the configuration of   It will usually have configurations like conventional, non-pusher, pusher, cartridge, unbalanced and balanced, single spring, double, and tandem. It is recommended to understand each of them in detail before choosing one of them for your application. 

The function of modern-day seals

The mechanical ones are used to stop visible leakage. This seal will turn the lean to vapour when the fluid film comes in contact with the atmospheric side of the seal faces. It prevents ant visible leakage. Owing to the modern designs, the pump shaft does not get damaged as most seals have springs which reduce the maintenance effort. The seals self-adjust when the faces start to wear.

Advantages of these seals 

These seals have a loaded face which allows them to use lesser power as compared to other forms of compression packing. The contamination of the bearing is lesser as the lubricant does not get washed out due to leakage. Equipment corrosion also reduces largely, if the product is stored inside a pump. Overall, these seals provide optimum performance at reduced costs by reducing product wastage.

Choosing the right type of seals

Seals come in different types. It is very important to identify the temperature and the environment the seal will be used in. This will help to choose the right seal. If the correct seal is applied, it will help in preventing contamination and result in saving time and money. It will ensure that the machine operates at optimum efficiency, and safety and has a long life span.