In a water scarce country, it is water saving that is coming to the fore as one of the most important aspects of mining and the granting of mining licences. As a single pump can spill up to 8820 kilolitres of water per annum (7 litres/minute) it is critical to ensure that the chosen sealing solution is the right one for the pump application. Mechanical seals are preferred over traditional packing seals in diverse applications during which leakage problems should be avoided. For over a decade Mechanical Rotating Solutions has relied on the AESSEAL® SMSS™ single monolithic stationary seal and AESSEAL CDPH Heavy Duty Slurry Seal range in successfully addressing its clients water loss issues as well as prolonging pump life.
The SMSS™ is part of the AESSEAL® modular sealing system range distributed by Mechanical Rotating Solutions. This, combined with extensive inventory levels, ensures that any standard seal in any size or material combination is available for immediate despatch. The AESSEAL® range of single cartridge mechanical seals has been specifically designed to eliminate some of the main causes of premature mechanical seal failure. All seal faces are of monolithic, one piece, construction and therefore are less likely to distort in high and low temperature applications.
In a recent project it was calculated 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 solution to the 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 not only addressed the excessive water loss, but also improved the reliability and efficiency of their client’s plant.
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 has been providing affordable seal conversion kits to upgrade non-AES seal designs or change the OEM equipment seal environment in order to dramatically improve seal life.
Fitted to a KSB pump by Mechanical Rotating Solutions, the AESSEAL CSSN™ range of cartridge mechanical seals has been designed as high-performance sealing solutions for general/flush applications.
When sealing a centrifugal pump, the challenge is to allow a rotating shaft to enter the ‘wet’ area of the pump, without allowing large volumes of pressurized fluid to escape. Comparing two WARMAN AH Centrifugal Slurry Pumps, side-by-side that has been in operation since 2017 Mechanical Rotating Solutions demonstrated the enormous benefits of choosing the right mechanical seal for the intended pump use. By replacing the conventional expeller seal on a WARMAN AH Centrifugal Slurry Pump with an AESSEAL® SMSS™ single monolithic stationary seal, Mechanical Rotating Solutions has not only improved the reliability and efficiency of their client’s coal processing plant’s high pressure pump but also eliminated some of the main causes of premature seal failure.
A WARMAN AH Centrifugal Slurry Pump on the left showing excessive leakage compared to a similar pump on the right fitted with an AESSEAL® SMSS™ single monolithic stationary seal. Seal reliability is greatly affected by the seal design and the operating environment.
Mechanical Rotating Solutions were asked to supply and install Double Acting Mechanical Seals on two filter feed Slurry Pumps for a colliery in Mpumalanga which today, after years, are still running smoothly. The Slurry pumps installed for the purpose of coal tailings disposal are still delivering the same discharge head and flow as when they were installed Five years earlier. The system incorporates an AESSEAL CDPH Heavy Duty Slurry Seal supported by the AESSEAL SW2 Water Management System.
The installation of the double mechanical seals coupled with the fluid management systems installed by MRS has ensured that pump life has reached Five years minimising the possibility of downtime.
In choosing the most suitable seal for the coal tailings disposal MRS chose the AESSEAL CDPH™ double mechanical seal designed to meet the arduous requirements of slurry applications. With design elements that include metal to metal fits, as well as robust drive mechanisms, the CDPH™ double mechanical seal ensures improved alignment and seal performance as well as reduced possibility of seal face damage.
The installation of the double mechanical seals coupled with the fluid management systems installed by Mechanical Rotating Solutions has ensured that pump life has increased to 18 months minimising the possibility of downtime. Extensive studies by AESSEAL has shown that the environmentally friendly SW Range have significantly contributed to the global drive for water conservation. AESSEAL® Water Management Technology can save 6.3 Million litres of water per pump per year! The Water Management Range starts with the SW2™, which is a self-regulating system that can both refill and re-pressurise itself upon any mechanical seal upsets. The SW3™ is piped in the same way as the SW2™ and has the addition of finned tubing to deal with high heat applications.