Frost & Sullivan estimates the total North American mechanical seals market revenues at $992.4.0 million in 2008.
Top Seals Articles
How can I apply expansion joints to plastic and fiberglass reinforced piping?
Five performance factors affect the life of a mechanical seal and guide the determination of an optimum replacement cycle for that seal. They also lead to improved seal life and mean time between repair (MTBR), thereby reducing the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of the pump population.
Mechanical sealing systems can be compared in a number of ways. Obviously, one of the more important areas is reliability.
Avoiding seal leakage or failure is a complex task for pump designers and one that must be taken seriously in difficult economic times when reducing downtime is critical. New developments in elastomer materials and seal design techniques mean that pump engineers can avoid seal leakage and ensure optimum performance in demanding operating environments involving high and low pressures and temperatures.
New packings, as well as application methods, are continuously engineered to meet industry's increasing demands for performance and environmental compliance. Packings, fibers and lubricants will continue evolving, and proper packing selection will be an increasingly important task.
ePTFE /Graphite packing tolerates a wide range of service conditions and has the capabilities inherent in PTFE while overcoming limitations of low thermal conductivity. These characteristics of ePTFE enable standardization of packing to simplify operations and improve productivity in many cases.
The FSA is actively participating in the task groups on the fourth edition of the API-682/ISO 21049 and 3A Sanitary Standards for mechanical seals .We also provided input on sealing systems to the ASME EA-2-2009 Energy Assessment for Pumping Systems standard. The API & 3A standards provide the latest technology updates for formidable industry applications, while the ASME Standard addresses the critical issues of energy efficiency and sustainability.
The application of expansion joints to thermoplastic and FRP piping systems requires special attention to design features to ensure optimum long term reliability and safety.
Latest Seals Articles
The focus has been on the main source of the emissions—valve stem packing. Several companies have evaluated current industry standards and have crafted testing protocols specific to their application requirements.
How does FSA’s role in standards development affect the pump and seal industries?
Dry fasteners provide secure attachment without personnel safety and
environmental issues.
Why are mechanical seals still the preferred choice in the process industries?
Many factors must be considered when making this important decision. Third of Six Parts
Proper seal choice is critical for optimal compressor operation.
What should be considered for the selection of expansion joints for pumps?
Power plant slashes maintenance time and labor costs dramatically by switching to split design mechanical shaft seal.
Why don’t my PTFE gaskets seal FRP, plastic and other light load flanges?
Find a reliable dry gas seal system for any application.
First of Six Parts
Industry News
Columns and Blogs
The performance of a centrifugal pump with a trimmed impeller will follow the affinity laws as long as that trim is relatively small.
Standards for repair will begin with a standard for vertical turbine pumps.The pump industry is undergoing renewed interest in the technical aspects and quality of repairs.
Charlie Jackson was unaware of any centrifugal pump manufacturer that knew how to calculate hydraulic axial thrust produced within liquid ends of their pumps.


















