Development Of An Incipient Failure Detection Technique For Mechanical Seals

Abstract

The technique for detecting or predicting mechanical seal failure will guarantee that plants and turbomachinery can be reliably operated and that maintenance expense can be reduced. A technique is discussed for monitoring a mechanical seal through high frequency acoustic emission (AE), which permits an estimation of the state of a mechanical seal and acquisition of information by which a failure is predicted or detected. The characteristics of AE from the mechanical seal and a favorable method for monitoring the state of the mechanical seal are discussed. The test results of years of research obtained by experiments conducted on equipment in petroleum refinery plants and laboratories, with regard to the relation between AE and leakage or seal face damage will be also reported.