Mechanical Seals for Preventing Leakage of your Pump

In the present day world, mechanical seals are the most ideal accessories on all your fluid pumps and are the most feasible substitute to the lip seals and packed glands. A mechanical seal helps to prevent leakage, control pressure and prevent contamination in plumbing setups, especially your pumps, by joining the mechanisms together. How good a mechanical seal is, depends on the capacity of adhesion for sealants and the compression power in case of gaskets. Mechanical seals come in various forms and nomenclatures. 

Single Spring Mechanical Seals

These seals are the basic kind of seals for the rotating face of your pump. They can solve most of your sealing requirements and can withstand shaft velocities up to 3600 rpm and high temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Single and Double Cartridge Seals

The Single and Double Cartridge Seals come in complete sets that include seal faces, set screws, o – rings, gaskets, flush ports and a gland. These seals provide additional safety for your pump if it is already troubling you.

Metal Bellows Seals

Metal Bellows Seals can tolerate very high temperatures going up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Packings are provided with Static Grafoil and not with heat sensitive o – rings. Each and every part of these mechanical seals is specially designed to adjust to such high temperatures without any hassles. The seals allow a lot of pressure as they are hydraulically balanced. They come with the added advantage of self cleaning by using the centrifugal force.

Multi – Spring Seals

This seal makes use of the latest technology and uses a static o – ring, which provides it with extra durability. They work quite effectively in almost all types of rotating shaft equipments. A set screw provided with the seal makes sure of a connection between the shaft and the seal. The seals come in highly durable stainless steel bodies.

Split Cartridge Seals

The Split Cartridge Seals for pumps facilitate the installation of a new seal into a vertical or a large – sized pump. 

Mixer Seals for Pumps

These seals work within a range of -40 degrees F to 550 degrees F, depending on the selection of the elastomer. The seal allows easy installation mechanism with isolated springs to prevent clogging.

 Advantages of Mechanical Seals 

The mechanical seals come with the unique features of a greater longevity, much lesser power loss and friction, minimized wearing of the shafts and sleeves, sufficient flexibility for accommodating shaft deflections and no hassles of maintenance whatsoever.

PTFE gasket material – an introduction to its types, properties and applications

 
Gasket is a material sheet inserted to seal the interfacing area of two or more joints in a mechanical system with the objective of preventing leakage to and from the joints under compressive circumstances. This is realistically possible due to the material used in making these gaskets so that the irregular surfaces of the mechanical joint are smoothened or filled with it when fitted properly. Gasket types vary with usage requirements. PTFE gasket material is advantageous in withstanding extreme chemical environments, like oxidizing effect. (PTFE stands for Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene)

Other than being resistant to majority of chemicals, PFTE gasket material is also considered to be a food grade material. Thus it also advised for usage in the medical, food and beverages production units.

PTFE gasket material is classified into three types:

1.      Virgin PTFE

2.      Filled PTFE

3.      Expanded PTFE

Virgin PTFE gasket is fitted where it is less prone to extreme adverse circumstances. Price economy makes it very popular for general usage. Filled PTFE gasket, in fact, is a modified form of Virgin PTFE gasket. A material with suitable properties, to enhance the sealing capacity of the gasket, is filled into the Virgin PTFE gasket material to form the filled gasket. This enhances the compressibility and strength along with its resistance to severe chemical environments.

Expanded PTFE is another modification of the virgin gasket wherein the material is manufacture to enhance stress resistance. It also has the property of uniform contraction and expansion when encountered with adverse circumstances. This is also ideally suited for chemical resistance.

Industrial use is the sole largest area for usage of gaskets. The most diligent gasket for such applicability is the expanded PTFE gasket type. These gaskets can withstand temperature range from -450 degree Fahrenheit to 600 degree Fahrenheit. It is also resistant to chemicals in the entire pH range. This provides error free sealing performance for steel piping and equipment, FRP piping in chemical process, large equipment flanges, etc.

PTFE gasket material is small but mandatory integral part of the industrial fitting which ensures that production is not unduly hampered from machinery breakdown caused by leakage. This in turn makes it important from the business perspective. Adequate thought process is worth its time before one incorporates a suitable gasket in the machinery, fitting or pipeline. A slight negligence of ignoring this aspect could have an adverse impact to the entire production time and financials.