After a calculation revealed that 24 service pumps at a Limpopo platinum mine was losing in excess of 252 kilolitres of water per annum, Mechanical Rotating Solutions stepped in and replaced the existing pump gland packing with AESSEAL Single Cartridge Seals ensuring a lasting solutions to undue wastage of South Africa’s most valuable resource. By replacing the conventional stuffing box gland packing of the client’s OEM slurry pumps with AESSEAL® SMSS™ single monolithic stationary seals, Mechanical Rotating Solutions has not only addressed the excessive water loss, but also improved the reliability and efficiency of their client’s plant.
“We installed the first eight AESSEAL® SMSS™ seals just over 3 months ago and upon inspection we can now report that these pump areas are completely dry and that no further water wastage have been reported. Because of its versatility, the client’s slurry pumps offers a wide range of seal and liner configurations which enabled us to tailor a solution to our customer’s specific application. The excessive gland leaking, coupled with a specific gravity (SG) determined the choice of the AESSEAL® SMSS™ single monolithic stationary seals. The specific seal provides maximum face stability in high pressure and high temperature applications, improving seal life whilst reducing damage to faces in stop/start applications.” Says Franscois Steenkamp Managing Director of Mechanical Rotating Solutions.
Due to various factors such as affordability and ease of temporary maintenance, gland packing seals have been the most widely used sealing solution for many years. Over time, however, fluid loss will increase as the gland packing material begins to wear down and may impair regular lubrication or reduce ease-of-replacement that is required to function properly. Mechanical Rotating Solutions has repeatedly demonstrated that their tailor made mechanical seal solutions offers the client greater energy and water savings in the long term coupled with reduced maintenance and greater efficiency. “Mechanical seals are preferred over traditional packing seals in diverse applications during which leakage problems should be avoided. AESSEAL mechanical seals are more durable than gland packing and are designed to take much more punishment. In a water scarce country it is however water saving that is coming to the fore as one of the most important aspects of mining and the granting of mining licences.”
“We installed the first eight AESSEAL® SMSS™ seals just over 3 months ago and upon inspection we can now report that these pump areas are completely dry and that no further water wastage have been reported.”
Working with industry leading pump manufacturers it becomes evident that not all sealing solutions are the same. Equipment reliability improvements can be made by changing the seal environment and/or upgrading the seal design. Mechanical Rotating Solutions can provide affordable seal conversion kits to upgrade non-AES seal designs or change the OEM equipment seal environment in order to dramatically improve seal life. Over the last decade Mechanical Rotating Solutions has worked together with various clients changing their sealing methods, improving the reliability of their pumps and reducing the likelihood of breakdowns and downtime. This in turn has led to a decrease in maintenance costs.
The excessive gland leaking, coupled with a specific gravity (SG) determined the choice of the AESSEAL® SMSS™ single monolithic stationary seals.
Mechanical Rotating Solutions (MRS) is a leading South African supplier of mechanical seals, pumps, integrated pump systems and complementary pump products. Drawing upon some of the most well-known and proven brands worldwide such as AESEAL mechanical seals and support systems, STRAUB pipe couplings, Belzona industrial protective coatings, Labtecta Bearing Isolators, and KSB and HPC pumps amongst others, MRS sets the standard in terms of reliability, innovation and world class customer service. Working within the guidelines of ISO 9001:2000, and ISO 14001:2004 quality and environmental standards as well as the OHSAS 18001:1999 Occupational Health and Safety standards, MRS offers a complete turnkey supply and service of pumps. The company further specialises in complementary pump products including floatation devices, complete pump refurbishment, mobile dewatering solutions and proven water and energy saving solutions.