Design and Development of a Test Setup for Online Wear Monitoring of Mechanical Face Seals Using a Torque Sensor

Abstract

Online condition monitoring technique helps to detect the root cause of failure of any machine. The present article describes a design of the online failure monitoring facility for mechanical face seals. The experimental test facility is to operate the seal (i.e., carbon-graphite) in real conditions of fluid pressure, temperature, and misalignment, which occur in an industrial environment. The developed test setup consists of two proximity displacement sensors (accuracy 2 μm), one fiber-optic sensor (accuracy 10 μm), one accelerometer (3.97 mV/ms^-2), and one non-contact torque sensor (accuracy 0.05 N.m). To validate the test facility, a typical conical carbon graphite (C = 59.195%, O = 4.625%, and Sb = 36.18%.) mechanical face seal (outer dia = 82 mm and inner dia = 63 mm) for a rotary joint used in steam/hot water was selected. The root cause of failure of such seals has been identified. Finally, recommendations have been made that provide some assistance to design the mechanical face seal.

KEY WORDS:

• Conical Face Seal
• Dry Lubrication of Stainless
• Seal Misalignment
• Carbon Graphite Seals

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors wish to express their appreciation to Forbes Marshall Company for supporting this work through a research grant.

Review led by Jim Netzel