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Product category: Couplings, Seals, Gaskets
News Release from: James Walker and Co | Subject: Custom-designed cartridge seals
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial Team on 15 January 2007

Custom-designed cartridge seals give 12
years use

Six cartridge seals with floating glands, custom-designed by James Walker, have now operated problem-free for over 12 years at a major UK refinery

Six cartridge seals with floating glands, custom-designed by James Walker, have now operated problem-free for over 12 years at a major UK refinery The task was to develop a new sealing system to control fugitive emissions of volatile solvents from six rotary de-waxer filters on a lubrication oil plant

The original system had glands that needed repacking every few months, whereas the customer wanted seals to run for four or six years between turnarounds at the site.

The James Walker answer was a special cartridge unit with floating gland housing containing four rings of 20mm square section Aquagraf compression packing.

This hard-wearing and resilient packing is compatible with a wide range of media used in chemical and petrochemical processes.

The floating gland housing accommodates misalignment created by differential thermal movement during the process cycle, plus bearing and shaft wear of up to 2mm, while the 627mm diameter shaft rotates at 3 rpm.

"This is just one example of our custom designed cartridge units that have run efficiently and reliably for many years, to solve fluid sealing problems for plant manufacturers and operators," said James Walker product manager Tim Smith.

Custom-designed cartridge seals are used for a variety of reasons.

For example, plant manufacturers often want to concentrate on their core businesses - such as gearbox, pump or bearing production - and leave the highly specialised area of fluid sealing technology to an acknowledged expert such as James Walker.

The bolt-on cartridge units are supplied as complete assemblies ready for installation, relieving the plant manufacturer of the responsibility for sealing system design, specification and seal housing manufacture.

This is backed by a full refurbishment service for customers.

Plant operators, however, usually need their rotary sealing systems upgraded to reduce product losses and meet new production demands, or to improve health and safety regimes and comply with new environmental legislation.

In such cases, a fully-split cartridge is the best solution, as this can be installed without stripping down shafts and housings to gain access.

With older plant that has a worn shaft caused by decades of sealing abrasion, a bolt-on cartridge unit can be supplied that relocates the sealing elements over an unworn section of the shaft.

This extends the life of the plant and overcomes the need to shut down for time-consuming shaft reconditioning or the other option, costly shaft replacement. Request a free brochure from James Walker and Co ...

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