Mechanical seals were basically developed to prevent leakage in rotating equipments like water pumps, compressors and blowers. These devices work as running seals between one stationary and one rotating part. They are highly useful as they minimize the leakage and help to meet the environmental standards of emission regulating agencies. While conventional packing involved high maintenance costs mechanical seals are ideal for latest equipment designs and moreover reduce maintenance costs considerably. For lubrication of the faces of seals, rotating and stationary, compatible liquid, a boundary layer of gas or clean water is used. Sources of lubrication, internal or external, depend on the requirements of the system.
For configuration of mechanical seals a variety of designs are available which can be chosen for specific applications, on the basis of their working. Pusher seals are inexpensive devices whereas in comparison to them Cartridge seals are too costly. Non-pusher seals, more commonly known as Bellow seals, are considered more useful because they can handle metal bellows i.e. high and low temperature applications. The cost of these metal bellows seals is quite high but due to their advantageous special features they are highly preferred and used for water applications most commonly. Manufacturers offer a comprehensive range of Mechanical Bellow seals, beginning from Stainless steel bellow seals and Long bellow seals to Teflon Bellow Mechanical Seals. They are reliable and are widely used in chemical industry, gas compression and even in extremely corrosive services. However, these seals must be fabricated in strict compliance with international quality standards-and this stringently applies to all kinds of seals.
For pharmaceutical applications, food and brewery industries, Wave Spring Seals provide high quality solutions. These are compact in design, meet hygienic requirements and their applications are for high viscosity liquids. Their extensive use in food processing and dairy industries is due to their bi-directional feature and short working length. Various types, configurations and designs of robust Wave Spring Seals are available in the market-specifically designed for particular industries and operations.
Noticeably, proper selection of mechanical seals should only be done after knowing the operational conditions. To furnish most demanding of the industrial applications, only seals that are efficient, reliable and have balanced configuration should be chosen. Therefore collecting complete information about the products and their available range is extremely important. Installation of seals too is a critical aspect and must be dealt properly with the help of expert engineers. Properly applying pumps can be a complex process and it must be remembered that seals have an imperative role to play in their smooth functioning.
