New Split Seal Design Eases Maintenance

New Split Seal Design Eases Maintenance Flowserve Corporation, a global provider of fluid motion and control products and services, has released the PSS III split seal, designed for pumps and mixers, for use in paper mills, wastewater treatment facilities, soda ash processing and light chemical plants. 'The release of the PSS III seal demonstrates the Flowserve philosophy of continuous improvement in split-sealing solutions,' says Mark Fallek, vice president, marketing, Flow Solutions division: 'Since the 1960s, the Flowserve line of PSS split seals has been consistently upgraded to meet the newest customer requirements in the process industries'. Compared to competing split seals, replacement of the PSS III is fast and easy in difficult-to-service equipment applications.All fasteners and gaskets are captured in four major components, simplifying installation and greatly improving the likelihood of first-time installation success.The pump and primary driver on the PSS III do not need to be completely dismantled during seal maintenance because the seal installs around the shaft and outside the seal chamber. Installation tools are included with the seal, and only one wrench is required for the gland bolts, further simplifying maintenance.Because PSS III seal faces are pre-assembled into the drive and gland halves, there is no need to handle the individual faces - reducing the risk of face damage.The PSS III is designed with an industry-leading pressure capability for split seals - vacuum to 300 psig (21 bar) in normal operating conditions - and successfully operates after experiencing excursions up to 450 psig (31 bar). The allowable temperature range of the PSS III is 0 to 250F (-18 to 121C).Custom engineered designs of the PSS III meet even more rigorous demands.Other enhancements to the PSS III include an improved seal drive and gland ring, which provide a greater axial holding power and result in the high-pressure rating of the seal.A 0.060-inch (1.5 mm) TIR radial shaft run out capability enables the PSS III to accommodate the most demanding mixer characteristics. During the PSS III development, Flowserve product managers received a record number of field trials requests.More than 200 field trials were conducted, in applications ranging from white water to screens in paper mills to high-concentration stock pumps above 3 percent stock.The PSS III has already proven its performance in a variety of trial applications. At a plant in Wyoming, PSS III seals were installed in soda ash pumps and agitators with a low mean time between failure (MTBF).The PSS III design upgrades and higher pressure capabilities helped increase MTBF by more than 50%.For additional technical information, contact Thomas Bennett, product manager, at Flowserve Flow Solutions US offices, or your local sales office.