| dc.description.abstract | Dry gas seals are used as low-leakage shaft end seals for many centrifugal compressors and other turbomachines. This short course provides a comprehensive overview of sealing system and dry gas seals in various turbomachinery applications, addressing multiple topics ranging from fundamentals to detailed design considerations for reliable operation. A course attendee can expect a greater understanding of technologies, failure modes, and requirements for components in dry gas seals and seal supply/vent systems, with perspectives from an end user, a seal manufacturer, and a research organization.This short course will give listeners a thorough understanding of dry gas seals, including design, operation, and maintenance. Starting with the background of how dry gas seals were developed as a response to issues with wet seals, the course will then move into a detailed discussion on seal design. The instructors will explain how each component of the seal contributes to its operation and issues that can arise if parts are selected incorrectly. Next, seal selection for various applications (pipeline, process, advanced applications) will be discussed. Methods for seal testing to ensure that design conditions are met will be described, including test rigs studying off-design conditions, such as transients or contaminant injection.The gas conditioning process can be critical to successful seal operation, so seal gas panels and their components will be discussed in great detail. Operation during transients can be particularly challenging, so panel considerations specific to transient operation will be discussed. The recently-released API 692 will be discussed as it pertains to dry gas seal panel design, seal requirements, and seal testing.Understanding common failure modes is an important step to improving dry gas seal reliability. Recent research on dry gas seal failures will be presented, including failure statistics and failure modes. Insight on failure modes specific to heat generation from liquid contamination will be discussed, and recommendations will be provided to reduce failures.Copyright© 2020 by Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment StationThis short course is aimed primarily at end users, but the multifaceted approach (end user, OEM, research) will provide a valuable perspective on dry gas seals to anyone in the rotating equipment industry. By the end of the course, attendees will have a detailed understanding of dry gas seals and their associated systems. | |
