Catastrophic Mechanical Seal Failure Leading to Loss of Primary Containment (LOPC)

Abstract

Usage of mechanical seal is widely used in rotating equipment especially pump It prevents fluid or product of the pump from leaking to atmosphere Consequence of seal leaking will be more critical if the product itself is hazardous. Generally, mechanical seal for pump used for hazardous product such as hydrocarbon will be classified as safety critical element ( which require specific assurance task to ensure it is always operating within acceptable criteria and condition. This case study will be detailing out situation whereby poor preservation of spare mechanical seal can cause catastrophic failure and subsequently leaving hydrocarbon release to environment. Presence of moisture in the mechanical seal assembly lead to high possibility for slip stick to happen especially at seal faces Subsequently, both stationary and rotating faces tend to rotate together during pump startup and cause significant impact damage when contacted with anti rotation pin slot. Several mitigations best practices were outlined on how to handle mechanical seal storage and preservation with the input from various parties including seal original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Adhere to proper preservation and assurance task will sustain the process safety barrier related to the process containment on rotating equipment