A Condition Monitor For Liquid Lubricated Mechanical Seals

Abstract

A recently developed condition monitor for liquid lubricated mechanical seals utilizes actively generated ultrasonic shear waves to determine conditions at the sealing interface. A shear wave transducer is mounted on the backside of the non-rotating seal face, and generates waves that propagate toward the sealing interface. The amplitude of the reflected waves indicates whether or not face contact occurs and, if there is contact, the severity of contact. Thus, this monitor is suitable for use with both non-contacting and partially contacting seals. Laboratory tests on a commercial, unbalanced seal demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.

Presented at the 56th Annual Meeting Orlando, Florida May 20–24, 2001

KEY WORDS:

• Seals
• Rotary Seals
• Mechanical Seals
• Face Seals
• Condition Monitoring
• Acoustic Diagnostics
• Equipment Monitoring
• Ultrasonic Monitoring
• Diagnostics

Notes

Presented at the 56th Annual Meeting Orlando, Florida May 20–24, 2001