FILE NO.: 43.

15
DATE: Sept. 28, 2010
SUPERSEDES: 43.15
DATE: Apr. 28, 2004

SEAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACCESSORIES

General
Mechanical seals in markets served by Armstrong generally rotate a ‘soft’ material ring, such as Carbon, against a
‘hard’ material ring, such as Ceramic, Tungsten Carbide or Silicon Carbide, at 30 or 60 revolutions per second. At
these speeds the need for generous cooling and lubrication between the faces is obvious. Typically the liquid being
pumped supplies the necessary cooling and lubrication. In a Vertical In-Line (VIL) pump design the mechanical seal is
uppermost in the pump housing, so care must be taken to ensure that the seal is well-lubricated and maintained in the
best possible environment.

Series 4300 VIL

This excellent product design includes a throttle bushing installed at the bottom of the mechanical seal chamber. The
mechanical seal chamber is virtually isolated from the pump hydraulic chamber by the throttle bushing and is flushed
from the pump discharge. The throttle bushing ensures the seal has sufficient lubrication by throttling the flush return
to the pump. A manual vent supplied at the high point of the flush line is used to ensure that all air is positively vented
prior to pump operation. An important benefit of an isolated seal chamber is that only the flush liquid need be cleaned-
up, if necessary, for the mechanical seal to operate in the best environment possible. Seal environmental accessories
are available for flush lines, including 50-micron filters and maintenance-free sediment separators.

Added Value
The flushing liquid returns to the pump in a controlled manner through the throttle bushing. The throttle bushing is a
‘lemon journal’ design, with two grooves machined the length of the bushing at 180 degrees. An end view of the inside
bore of the bushing appear lemon-shaped. Lemon journals have been used for many years to ensure even
distribution of grease on rotating shafts within the journals. Similarly, the two grooves on the Armstrong Series 4300
throttle bushing ensure even distribution of water around the pump shaft, resulting in very smooth running pumps.

Seal Environmental Accessories

Seal environmental accessories are generally not necessary for pumps operating in relatively ‘clean’ systems, such as
closed heating, cooling and refrigeration systems with normal levels of water treatment chemicals. Generally seal
environmental accessories are recommended by Armstrong for ‘open’ systems similar to condenser cooling loops
utilizing cooling towers and retrofit systems where debris from the older piping that has been disturbed by the work on
the new section can circulate within the system.

It should however be noted that most pumps used in open systems in the HVAC industry are installed without any
accessories. This typically results from either “first-cost economy” reasoning or from the fact that many pumps
installed in these systems are end suction or horizontal split-case (HSC) types that cannot derive full benefits from
seal environmental accessories as the seal chambers are not isolated from the general system liquid within the pump.
Isolated seal chambers, which can take advantage of clean seal flush liquid to extend mechanical seal life, are a
design feature only of split-coupled vertical in-line pumps and some HSC designs. The use of seal environmental
accessories is a customer/operator decision.

Sight Flow Indicator

The Armstrong supplied seal flush line has a minimum 3/8” (9.5 mm) tubing diameter, which is a generous size for flush
lines and will not typically become restricted by water borne debris. To ensure that the flush-line flow is kept at the
optimum level an optional ‘sight flow indicator’ (SFI) may be installed in the flush line. The SFI contains flow indication,
typically a floating ball that must be forced to the top of the fitting by the flush line flow. If the ball is not forced to the top
of the fitting it is an indication that the flush line flow is decreasing and the flush line should be cleaned.

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 In-line Filters
The most cost-effective and popular way to protect the
mechanical seal environment in a system with liquid borne
particulate is to filter the flush liquid. Such systems in the
HVAC market would include ‘open’ systems similar to
condenser cooling loops utilizing cooling towers and
retrofit systems where debris from the older piping that
has been disturbed by the work on the new section
circulates within the system.

Armstrong’s filter option installs a 50-micron cartridge

style filter and a sight-flow-indicator (SFI), with isolating
valves, in the seal flush line. The 50-micron filter has been
found to be very effective at the task of keeping the seal in a suitable environment and providing long seal life.

Maintenance personnel will view the SFI when passing the pumping unit and ensure that sufficient flow is being
provided to the seal. Should the SFI indicate insufficient flow, the filter cartridge would be replaced with a new one.

Maintenance-Free Sediment Separators

Should maintenance personnel not be available to the
pumping unit for monitoring of the SFI, another option is to
use a ‘Cyclone’ sediment separator.

The Cyclone separator is placed in the seal flush line, similar

to the filter. However in this case the particulate-laden flush
line water enters the separator tangentially, causing the liquid
to circulate within the conical fitting. The heavier particulate-
laden water is driven to the exterior and downwards and is
piped off to the low-pressure pump suction area. The lighter
clean liquid collects in the center of the fitting and is available
to flush the mechanical seal. Because a reasonable differential pressure is required to drive the vortex or ‘cyclone’
needed for effective sediment separation a minimum pump head of 30 psig (2 bars) or 70 ft. (21 m) is required.

Flush Line Heat Exchanger

As detailed in the ‘General’ section on page 1, mechanical seals need a film of liquid between the rotating seal faces
to ensure long life. As the rotating seal also adds rotational heat to the liquid between the faces maintaining this liquid
film becomes a concern as the pumped liquid temperature approaches 212F (100C). Depending on the system
pressure the liquid in the pump may not be approaching boiling point, however there is atmospheric pressure outside
the mechanical seal, so water at those temperatures will vaporize as it approaches the outside portion of the seal. As
pressures and temperatures elevate even higher, the liquid will begin to vaporize earlier within the seal causing the
seal to operate in a liquid/vapor mixture. Mechanical seals operating in this environment will not provide the life
expectancy of seals running with a cooling and lubricating water film between the faces.

To help extend the life of mechanical seals operating in liquid temperatures above 200F (93C) Armstrong offers an
optional Heat Exchanger installed in the seal flush line. An external cold water source is required for the service side
of the heat exchanger.

S. A. Armstrong Limited Armstrong Pumps Inc. Armstrong Integrated Limited

23 Bertrand Avenue 93 East Avenue Wenlock Way
Toronto, Ontario North Tonawanda, New York Manchester
Canada, M1L 2P3 U.S.A. 14120-6594 United Kingdom, M12 5JL
T: 416-755-2291 T: 716-693-8813 T: +44 (0) 8444 145 145
F: 416-759-9101 F: 716-693-8970 F: +44 (0) 8444 145 146 © S.A. Armstrong Limited 2010

For Armstrong locations worldwide, please visit www.armstrongintegrated.com

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