Case Ref
CS0031
Country
United Kingdom
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A major manufacturer in the UK was having reliability issues with the seal on a critical Labour chemical pump used to pump caustic solution.

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Q and A

By Kristian Herman

How did the contact with the company originate?

It came about because they were having major problems with a labour chemical pump being used to pump caustic solution. It was fitted with a single mechanical seal connected to a quench to drain system. This was meant to ensure that the caustic product did not crystallize inside the seal causing it to fail. But the set-up was very unreliable. Seal quench water was being isolated during maintenance periods, and the seal was clogging up. This meant that it was failing on average every six months and to make matters worse the leakage of product was a potential environmental hazard. So they came to us to see if we could supply them with a more reliable product.

What did you recommend?

We recommended replacing the single seal with a CDSA dual mechanical seal with a closed loop water support system. This stops hazardous product from escaping in the event of inner seal failure and it improves reliability because the seal faces are being lubricated by a clean and cool barrier fluid. The company liked the fact that the system is self-regulating and doesn’t have to be isolated during maintenance.

Did AESSEAL® offer the company a back-up after-sales service?

We provided training so that their on-site technicians can carry out regular inspections. Once they had understood that they didn’t need to isolate the water source, everything worked perfectly. We installed the new system in March 2020 and now, more than four years later, it is still running trouble-free. The closed loop water management system means that they use a lot less water, and the fact that the dual seal is so reliable has removed the risk that hazardous product will leak into the environment.

Has the success of the installation led to any new business with the company?

Yes. The company was so pleased with the result that they intend to upgrade the standby pump in the same way in the coming year. They’ve also decided to roll out the concept on labour pumps on caustic duty at their other sites in the region.