34

Feature
WORLD PUMPS
April 2009

Sealing technology

Mechanical seal selection for VSDs

Variable-frequency electronic drives are becoming common place for many applications. However, if operating conditions change, these drives can also adversely affect some pump components. A Roddis, B.Eng (Hons), MDip, looks at the changes that might occur and argues that they must be taken into consideration when selecting the right seal.
lectronic variable frequency drives (VFDs, sometimes known as variable speed drives) can be reliable and trouble-free if they are properly selected and installed. Their advantages include high drive eciency, large turndown ratio, ease of installation and low maintenance. Today, plant engineers are increasingly looking to VFDs to save plant energy, something that will be a key driver for cost savings in coming years. VFDs are used in conjunction with industrial centrifugal pumps because they allow varying pump capacity without pinching down on the discharge control valve. Changes to the discharge control valve can alter the pumped head and move the pump away from its best eciency point (BEP). In some cases, operation away from BEP has undesirable consequences beyond mere ineciency. The use of VFDs with motors on pumps is encouraged whenever the system head is dominated by friction in the piping, ttings and valves. In such applications, variable speed devices can have some advantages as they can deliver a broad range of head/capacity gures, so estimates of pump ow do not have to be exact. Furthermore, VFDs can eliminate the need for a throttling valve, doing away with a bypass line, valve leakage and maintenance.
www.worldpumps.com

Probably the most signicant operational benet of a variable speed device is to reduce the heat in the pump, which occurs from throttling a pump discharge. This heat can cause the pumped uid to vaporise or ash, crystallise, change its viscosity and/or convert to coke.

Consequences
Over the next decade, it is highly likely that variable speed devices will be increasingly introduced into industrial pumping applications. However,

understanding the consequences before implementing change is wise as in this case, especially as regards one of the primary elements of a centrifugal pump: the mechanical seal. Mechanical seals represent perhaps the most vulnerable pump component and VFDs may well aect it, as generated heat in a pump can change the uid lm condition between the seal faces and/or change seal face atness. Virtually all mechanical seals have counter-rotating seal faces that must be maintained at. While most of

Figure 1. A conventional rotary mechanical seal.

0262 1762/09 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

WORLD PUMPS

Feature
April 2009

35

The rst is the conguration of the seal. At high shaft speeds, typically greater than 23m/s, it is common practice to select a stationary mechanical seal (where the exing part is not rotating, Figure 2) rather than a rotary mechanical seal (where the rotating component is exing, Figure 1). At elevated shaft speeds, it is generally accepted that the forces required to keep the seal faces closed become so large that they negatively aect seal life, as stated in the premium mechanical seal specication used in the Oil and Gas Industry API-682, 3rd Edition, Section 6.1.1.5.
Figure 2. A dual stationary mechanical seal source: AESSEAL plc (Design: CAPI A1 dual).

Seal water from H.E.

HEAT EXCHANGER

Rotary seals, as per Figure 1, have a greater tendency to experience spring fatigue and/ or elastomer fretting when seal chamber mounting surfaces are not fully perpendicular with the shaft. This is highlighted in API-682, 3rd Edition, Section 6.1.2.13. That said, best practices plants are encouraged to conclude that a stationary seal design is more appropriate for use with a variable speed drive pump; it simply represents more robust sealing technology at higher shaft speeds.

Shell Cooling Water

Seal pumping
The second issue deals with the ability of the seal to circulate barrier or process uid during shaft rotational variations. It should be noted that most dual mechanical seals have an integral pumping ring, which circulates barrier uid between the seal and the seal support system. Figure 2 shows the position of a tapered-vane pumping ring above the outboard rotary seal face (right hand side). Yet, some single mechanical seals also have pumping rings; these are typically used with Plan 23 arrangements, as shown in Figure 3. Again, the purpose of a

Figure 3. A single stationary mechanical seal source: AESSEAL plc (Design SMSS23).

todays mechanical seal installations use contacting seal faces, a certain number use non-contacting seal face technology. This typically uses the hydrodynamic lift eect, which is created by a series of grooves in the seal faces. Depending on the design of the seal, seal face separation occurs at a certain shaft speed. Below this shaft speed, separation is either minimal or does not exist. It is important to know this minimum lift shaft speed value before using noncontacting seal technology in variable speed drive applications. In the main, most engineers understand that non-contacting seals require precise operating conditions to survive. Fluctuations in operating shaft speeds will aect conditions at the seal faces and tend to increase the probability of seal faces touching; perhaps as gas lift grooves clog through process or seal face debris being collected. The opposite is true for contacting mechanical seal technology. It is generally accepted that this is constrained by the PV (Pressure-Velocity) limits of the materials used. Therefore, these designs are more susceptible to conditions prevailing

near the upper speed limits of VFDs. Assuming that the seal faces are selected in accordance with the appropriate seal face material PV limits, PV should not be a limiting factor to deploying contacting seal face technology on variable speed drive applications. However, two further areas of the mechanical seal design should be reviewed.

API682 States API-682 states 1.5mm 1.5mm (0.060 (0.060") ) minimum clearance clearance minimum

Figure 4. The radial clearance requirement between the mechanical seal rotor and stator, as outlined by API-682 Section 8.6.2.3.

www.worldpumps.com

36

Feature
WORLD PUMPS
April 2009

Figure 5. Left: view of a typical tapered vane pumping ring; right: typical position of a bi-directional tapered pumping vane device within the dual seal barrier/buer cavity of a pump source: AESSEAL plc.

pumping ring is to circulate barrier or process uid around a closed loop system, typically to cool the seal faces and to extend seal life. Speed variations will have a direct eect on the ow rate and head produced by the mechanical seal pumping ring. Evidently then, at low shaft speeds, the seal pumping ring action may not be enough to overcome the seal support system resistance of the barrier/process circuit, leading to overheating of the seal faces and reduced seal life. Clearly, the more ecient the seal pumping ring is at circulating uid, the greater the degree of tolerance it will have to circulate uid when used in conjunction with a VFD motor and pump arrangement. It is therefore important to remember that not all pumping rings are the same some pump more than others. Some have very close radial clearances between the stator and rotor that may touch, or even seize, when using a VFD. Returning to the latest best practice reference source on seal pumping rings, API-682 3rd Edition/ Section 8.6.2.3, we nd the stipulation that radial clearances between stator and rotor should be 1.5 mm, as shown in Figure 4.

sense. After all, equipment shafts are known to deect. Pumps operating away from BEP, and single volute pumps, are certainly undergoing a measure of shaft deection. If, then, the dual seal radial clearance is less than the centrifugal pump bushing clearance, which is going to touch rst? The tapered vane pumping ring of Figure 5 consistently delivers more ow and head compared with all other pumping ring designs found marketed today and recently benchmark tested. This tapered vane pumping ring design has been installed on over 20,000 dual mechanical seals since the year 2000, and it fully conforms to Section 8.6.2.3 of API-682, 3rd Edition. A technical paper further describes an innovative development of the taper vane design; the swan-neck seal pumping ring that is applied by one specic seal manufacturer to all of its CAPI (Cartridge API) range of mechanical seals up to 60 mm specically to promote greater barrier/ process uid ow in small shaft sized applications. The reader will therefore note that this seal pumping ring technology is best practice, not only from the ow it delivers, but also from the API-682 specication it conforms to. This is specically advantageous for VFD applications, to ensure that the mechanical seal pumping ring continues to circulate uid throughout the operational speed envelope of the pump.

As we experience change and desire plant flexibility, it is increasingly difficult to predict where a VFD pump will be applied within a plant. Its duty and operating points may vary, and the speed conditions it will experience may change with time and service. It is therefore very appropriate for plant operators to consider suitable types of mechanical seals; they should be robust enough to suit a considerable variation in application range and speeds. Such a mechanical seal should have certain key attributes that measure up to this expectation. These expectations, attributes and capabilities may include the need to use: t
Contact seal face technology, as this is better suited for a wide range of shaft speed applications compared with non-contacting seal face technology. t
Stationary mechanical seals, which have their springs in the stator part of the seal rather than the rotating part of the seal, as these are better suited to high shaft speed applications, as often found on VFD duties. t
Mechanical seal pumping rings that comply with the best practice standards of the API-682 specication and deliver the highest amount of uid ow/head, as these are more suitable for VFD applications. For references, please contact the author.

Radial clearance
Unduly close radial clearances between counter-rotating surfaces can lead to component contact and galling. If, as an example, a stainless steel rotary component contacts a stainless steel stationary component, galling will occur. Nevertheless, some dual seals applied in industry are designed with radial clearances in the order of 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm. This is in clear contradiction to bestpractice guidelines and technical common
www.worldpumps.com

Summary
In summary, VFDs will become increasingly popular as plant engineers strive to reduce energy consumption and make process improvements. The mechanical seals used in such applications need to be selected based on the often considerable range of operating conditions encountered over the entire equipment life.

Contact
A. Roddis Engineering Director AESSEAL plc Tel: +44 (0) 1709 514054 Email: alan.roddis@aesseal.co.uk Web: www.aesseal.co.uk