Gas Compressor Sealing

Type 28AT

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Typical Seal Arrangement

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Type 28AT Design Features
Shrouded drive ring to contain Mating ring positively driven
rotating mating ring on outside diameter

Distortion free Retainer with profile milled drive lugs.

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Type 28AT Design Features
Shrouded drive ring to contain Mating ring positively driven
rotating mating ring by two pins

Distortion free Retainer with profile milled drive lugs.

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Type 28AT Design Features
Mating ring positively driven
by two pins

Distortion free Retainer with profile milled drive lugs.

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Typical Silicon Carbide M/Ring

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Typical Milled Retainer

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 Type 28AT Seal Design Features
Large diameter
multiple springs
prevent buckling

Elastomer o-rings
Controlled contact

Tolerance strip to centralise mating ring on support sleeve

accommodating thermal, pressure and centrifugal effects.
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Type 28AT Seal Design Features
Compliant balanced stationary carbon Logarithmic spiral
primary ring design providing or bi-directional
maximum flexibility design.

Tungsten carbide or silicone

carbide rotating mating ring
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Spiral Groove Principles

„ The spiral grooves are the heart of the

non-contacting design
„ Precision depth grooves generate lift
„ No wear or frictional heat generation
„ Grooved component usually rotates
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 Sealing Interface

Approx. 0.003mm

Closing Force Opening Force

Compression

Expansion
Spring Load
and Hydrostatics

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 Sealing Interface

Approx. 0.003mm
Increased
Closing Force Opening Force

Spring Load
and Hydrostatics

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 Sealing Interface

Approx. 0.003mm

Balanced Opening
Closing Force Force Restored

Spring Load
and Hydrostatics

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 Sealing Interface

Approx. 0.003mm
Reduced
Closing Force Opening Force

Spring Load
and Hydrostatics

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 Sealing Interface

Approx. 0.003mm

Balanced Opening
Closing Force Force Restored

Spring Load
and Hydrostatics

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Spiral Groove Pattern
The Spiral Groove pattern is uni-directional only

Direction of Rotation

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Bi-Directional Groove Pattern

Type 28BD Pattern

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 Type 28AT Single Seal

Bearings Process Gas

Maximum
Dynamic
Pressure:
82 bar g

Single seal configuration is used mainly with non-hazardous

gases such as air, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
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Type 28AT Single Seal

Q Often external labyrinth

³ mainly to prevent ingress of bearing oil

³ process gas is non-toxic

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 Type 28AT Tandem Seal
Secondary Primary Vent Filtered Process
Vent Gas

Bearings Process
Gas

Tolerance Strips

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Tolerance Strips

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Type 28AT Tandem Seal

Q Flammable gases

Q Hazardous gases

Q Low toxicity gases

Q 90 - 95% applications use tandem seals

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Outboard Custom Fit O-Rings

Q Must custom fit outboard seal o-rings

³ Hang-up / blow-by – process into bearings
³ Into bearing oil supply tank

³ Explosion hazard especially if Methane or

similar process gas

Q Differential pressure is normally low

³ O-ring will not self-activate if too little contact

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Type 28AT Tandem Seal
Example: 100 mm seal; 20 bar g; 10,000 rpm
Q Typical leakage over inboard seal
³ 20 nlitres/minute
Q Typical leakage over outboard seal
³ 2.5 nlitres/minute
Q Outboard seal
³ contains primary leakage
³ acts as back-up - controlled shutdown
Size, Pressure and Speed affect leakage rates
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Type 28AT Tandem Seal

Q Outboard seal
³ Little pressure differential across O/B seal
³ “Custom fitting” of balance diameter o-ring
is essential
³ Must seal to enable inboard seal
monitoring
³ Must not hang-up to enable inboard seal
monitoring

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 Type 28AT Tandem Seal

N2 Purge Secondary Vent Primary Vent Filtered Process Gas

Bearings Process
Gas

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Type 28AT Tandem + Type 82

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Type 82 Barrier Seal
N2 at 0.4 bar differential

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Type 82 Barrier Seal

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Tandem with Labyrinth
Nitrogen N2 & Process Process Gas

Nitrogen

Tandem seal with intermediate Labyrinth configuration is

used with toxic, flammable and hazardous gases.
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Tandem with Labyrinth

Q N2 across intermediate labyrinth

³ prevents process gas getting across

outboard seal

³ flow across labyrinth needs to be 3 m/s

X approx 20 nlitres/min depending on size
and clearance. Approx 2 nlitres/min of this
will go across outboard seal face

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Labyrinth Flow Rates - Nitrogen

Approximate flow rates to achieve 3 m/s

Multiply by Flare Pressure (bar a) to get actual flow required
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Labyrinth

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 Tandem Type 28AT with Intermediate Labyrinth

N2 Purge Secondary N2 Purge Primary Vent Filtered

Vent Process Gas

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 Type 28AT - Double Seal

Bearings Process
Gas

Used for highly toxic or abrasive process gases

and compressors with very low suction pressures

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 Type 28AT Double Cartridge

N2 Buffer (+ 1 to 2 bar
N2 Purge Vent above process)

Bearings Process
Gas

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Type 28XP Seal Design with O-rings

Close clearance - two materials

This clearance is very
accurately controlled,
with matched sets.
Do not mix up
Close clearance - similar materials
Beware - explosive decompression
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Decompression of Fluorocarbon
Examples only - See IOM for full details

Q John Crane Special Fluorocarbon

³ up to 82 bar; 205 °C; decompress 20 bar/min
³ over 124 bar; 205 °C; decompress 4 bar/min

Q John Crane Standard Fluorocarbon

³ decompress at <4 bar/min regardless of
conditions.

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Standard and High Pressure Designs

Type 28AT Type 28XP

Up to 82 bar g dynamic Up to 170 bar g dynamic

Type 28 EXP to 350 bar dynamic

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Keyed-In Design *

Q Glass Filled PTFE

Q Tungsten Carbide coated carrier
Q Decompression rate is 100 bar/min
* Patent Pending

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Type 28XP

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Polymer Seals

Q Advantages

³ explosive decompression eliminated

³ improved resistance to chemical attack

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Tandem Type 28XP with Intermediate Labyrinth

Nitrogen Primary Clean Gas

Buffer Vent Injection

Highest Tandem Seal Largest Diameter:

Pressure:
Q Dynamic 218 bar Q 330mm shaft
Q Static 251 bar
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Sealing Interface

Q Inboard seal faces will separate statically

above about 7 – 10 bar g
Q Outboard seal will lift off at 0.6 m/sec
³ (1.2 m/sec for Type 28BD)
³ runs with virtually no pressure

³ if inboard seal fails, better cooling due to

increased gas density/flow/J-T effect
Q Reverse pressure
³ 0.2 - 0.27 bar static only, preferably zero
³ 28XP can tolerate approx 10 bar, static only

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Sealing Interface

Q Recommended minimum speeds

³ Type 28AT = 2.3 m/s

³ Type 28BD = 3.5 m/s

³ Type 28EXP = 1000 rpm (say 8 m/s for 150mm)

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New tolerance strip design
Q Attributes
³ Elastic range: 0 to 0.3 mm
³ Seat bore loading reduced
10 fold
³ Interchangeable with
existing design
³ Linear load/compression
³ No hysteresis

Primary application - SiC m/ring mounting - adopted Q3/99

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Installation, Operation & Maint.

Q Before re-fitting a seal, always replace old

tolerance strips in the bore of the main

seal sleeve

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