CHAPTER 16

ROTARY COMPRESSOR SEALS

James Netzel
Chief Engineer, John Crane Inc.

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16.1 INTRODUCTION
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The selection of a sealing system for a compressor is critical if satisfactory per-
formance and reliability are to be realized. The type of compressor and the method
of lubrication used will determine the type of sealing technology to be applied. For
some compressors a liquid lubrication system is required, while others will require
a gas lubricated system.
Sealing technology is an evolutionary process. Design concepts and improve-
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ments in material of construction are some of the most notable achievements in

this field. Sealing systems can be divided into four classes, based on the type of
lubrication.

1. Contacting
a. Liquid lubricated
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b. Gas lubricated

2. Non-contacting
a. Liquid lubricated
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b. Gas lubricated
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16.1.1 Contacting Liquid Lubricated

Seals, both mechanical face-type seals and lip seals, are cooled and lubricated by
the lubricating oil in the compressor. This system is a condition of mixed lubri-
cation where the load or contact pressure is partly carried by a fluid film and partly
carried by the mechanical contact between the sealing surfaces. This is the most
common sealing system found in industry for all types of rotating equipment.

16.1

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16.2 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

16.1.2 Contacting Gas Lubricated

The contacting surfaces are designed to run dry with very light contact loads.
Cooling and lubrication is achieved from the gas being sealed. This is a condition
of boundary lubrication where the sealing surfaces are in contact, though separated
from hard contact by material transfer films. This sealing concept is only applied

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to very light duty services.

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16.1.3 Non-Contacting Liquid Lubricated

This method of sealing is dependent on a geometry change at the seal interface.

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Spiral grooves or similar features are incorporated into one of the sealing surfaces
to generate hydrodynamic lift to separate the seal faces. This system is generally
used to move a small quantity of liquid lubricant from a low pressure source to a
high pressure side of a seal. This non-contacting concept is applied to specialized
sealing applications to eliminate hazardous and toxic leakage and on those appli-
cations where abrasives are present.

16.1.4
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Non-Contacting Gas Lubricated

This method of sealing an industrial compressor has become very popular over the
years for it has eliminated expensive oil lubrication equipment. This design is also
based on the concept of hydrodynamic lubrication and the incorporation of ge-
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ometry changes to one of the sealing surfaces such as spiral grooves. The only
heat that is developed is that of shearing gas at the seal interface. Therefore, it is
the most energy efficient sealing system available to industry. This type of system
can run on the process fluid being sealed or a neutral barrier fluid like nitrogen,
purified air, or steam. This type of sealing system, which was designed for com-
pressors, is now being applied to all types of difficult sealing applications on ro-
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tating equipment.
To successfully apply any of these sealing concepts, the following information
must be considered.
1. Process gas being compressed
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2. Operating condition
• Pessure
• Tmperature
• Seed
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• Buffer fluid (if required)

3. Space available for the seal
4. Utility reliability
• Steam

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 ROTARY COMPRESSOR SEALS 16.3

• Water
• Electricity—number of sources
• Plant air
5. Disposal of buffer liquids
6. Disposal of gas sealants

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7. Auxiliary equipment

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• Controls, alarms, and trips
• Direct
• Closed loop pneumatic
• Electronic

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• Dedicated mainframe
• Computer
A detailed description of the gas to be compressed is necessary to ensure the
proper selection of the sealing system to be used. This includes such items as
whether or not the gas is hazardous or toxic, the effect on materials of construction,
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and whether contaminants are present. If a buffer fluid is required, then consider-
ation must be given to availability, quality, backup, pressure level and cleanliness.

16.2 TYPES OF SEALS

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16.2.1 Labyrinth Seals

Labyrinth seals represent the simplest method of sealing a rotating shaft. A series
of knife edges are designed into either the housing or shaft. The clearance between
the knife edge and its mating surface is a closely controlled value to limit leakage
from the compressor. There is no limit on speed and labyrinth seals can be used
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at high temperature. The pressure limit is low and typically limited to 5 psi per
knife edge. Leakage from this device is high. When applied to non-hazardous
process gases, leakage can be vented to atmosphere. When the gas being com-
pressed is hazardous to the environment, a buffer gas at higher pressure than the
process gas, is injected between two labyrinth seals as illustrated in Fig. 16.1.
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16.2.2 Carbon Ring Seals

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Carbon ring seals are close clearance sealing devices similar to labyrinth seals.
These types of seals are primarily used for low pressure, low temperature appli-
cations. Seal leakage is lower than a labyrinth seal. To prevent the leakage of
process gas to atmosphere, a buffered gas or steam is injected between sets of
carbon rings. This type of seal may also be used as a pressure breakdown device.
There is no limit on shaft speed. This type of seal is illustrated in Fig. 16.2.

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16.4 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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FIGURE 16.1 Typical labyrinth seal installation.
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16.2.3 Bushing Seals

Bushing seals are always used with a buffered oil system to contain gas within a
compressor. The oil must be maintained at a pressure of at least 0.3 to 1 bar above
the process pressure. The oil is always injected between the inner and outer bush-
ings, creating the seal. The amount of leakage is always dependent on the operating
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FIGURE 16.2 Carbon ring seal.

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 ROTARY COMPRESSOR SEALS 16.5

conditions of the compressor and the shaft size of the unit. Leakage of oil to the
process gas can be 40 to 75 liters (10 to 20 gallons) per day. This leakage can be
degassified and returned to the oil reservoir. Leakage to atmosphere is returned to
the reservoir. Shaft speed for this seal is limited to less than 115 m/s (375 ft/sec).
This type of seal may be used to a pressure of 3000 psig. A bushing type seal is
illustrated in Fig. 16.3.

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16.2.4 Pump Bushing Seal

This type of seal must also be used with a buffer liquid. The buffer liquid may be
oil or water. Special designs may allow this sealing device to be used to pressure

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as high as 5000 psig. Speeds are limited to 115 m/s (375 ft/sec).
Buffer pressure is normally 0.3 to 1 bar greater than the process gas. Leakage
is dependent on the operating conditions of the compressor and the shaft size of
the unit. Static leakage can be high until the shaft begins to rotate. Oil leakage to
the trap can be 4 to 20 liters (1 to 5 gallons) per day. Leakage is degassified and
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returned to a reservoir. A typical pump bushing seal is shown in Fig. 16.4.

16.2.5 Circumferential Seals

This type of sealing device uses segmented carbon rings held together with a spring.
There may be one or multiple rings within the seal. Each ring is normally capable
of pressure to 100 psig. This seal may operate directly in sealing the process gas
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FIGURE 16.3 Bushing seal with oil buffer.

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16.6 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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FIGURE 16.4 Pump bushing seal.

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or a buffer gas supply. Leakage range is 2.8 to 29 l/min (0.1 to 1.03 SCFM), and
the shaft speed is limited to 190 m/s (600 ft/sec). This type of seal is illustrated
in Fig. 16.5.

16.2.6 Contacting Seal

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Many small oil flooded compressors use conventional contacting seals to contain
the oil and the gas being compressed. Refrigeration compressors typically use bel-
lows seals and occasionally, o-ring seals. A bellows seal may take the form of an
elastomeric bellows or a metal bellows as illustrated in Fig. 16.6 and Fig. 16.7
respectively. Most contacting seals of this type are used at speeds to 3600 rpm and
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pressures of 250 psig. As speeds increase on small oil flooded machines, the seal
is held stationary to the unit as illustrated in Fig. 16.7.
On some larger centrifugal compressors a contacting face that requires an oil
buffer is used to seal the compressor. This seal is shown in Fig. 16.8. Here, clean
oil is injected over the rotating mating ring for cooling and lubrication. Oil leakage
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past the seal face is captured at an internal drain and separated from the gas. A
labyrinth may be used to break down the pressure at the inboard side of the seal.
The oil buffer pressure must be higher than the gas pressure. Leakage of oil can
be as high as 8 gallons per day, and the speed is limited to 115 m/s (375 ft/sec).
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16.2.7 Dry Running Non-Contacting Face Seals

Dry running non-contacting seals, as shown in Fig. 16.9, have been used to seal
large industrial compressors since the early 1980’s. This type of seal has become

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 ROTARY COMPRESSOR SEALS 16.7

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the most popular way to seal a rotary gas compressor. The success of this seal
depends on the development of a fluid film at the faces. The non-contacting feature
and film development is accomplished by incorporating a lift mechanism into the
seal faces. Spiral grooves, Fig. 16.10, have proven to be the most efficient and
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stable way to achieve a non-contacting seal design. As the shaft begins to rotate,
gas is compressed within the seal faces and then allowed to expand across the
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FIGURE 16.6 Elastomeric bellows seal (John Crane Inc.).

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16.8 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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FIGURE 16.7 Stationary metal bellows seal (John Crane Inc.).
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sealing dam. This generates enough opening force to separate the seal faces by a
few nanometers during operation. Since there is no frictional contact, wear is elim-
inated and seal life is essentially infinite. A dry running non-contacting seal is
designed to leak. The small amount of flow helps to remove the heat developed
from constantly shearing the gas at the seal faces. The amount of leakage is sig-
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nificantly smaller than other types of seals. The effect of seal size and speed on
leakage is shown in Fig. 16.11. Pressure and temperature also have an effect on
leakage, as illustrated in Fig. 16.12. Leakage from the seal is vented to a vapor
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FIGURE 16.8 Mechanical contact seal with oil buffer.

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 ROTARY COMPRESSOR SEALS 16.9

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FIGURE 16.9 Typical tandem dry running non-contacting seal (John
Crane Inc.).
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disposal system when the gas is hazardous or toxic. Seal arrangement is an im-
portant part of any dry running non-contacting seal installation. Operating condi-
tions such as the type of gas sealed, pressure, temperature, and speed, as well as
abrasive contaminants, are considered in the selection of the seal arrangement.
Typically when the process fluid is inert or non-toxic, a single seal is selected, Fig.
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16.13. When the process gas contains abrasives, a steam flush may be used to
provide a clean environment for the seal. Single seals are limited to 400 psi, 260⬚C,
and 152 m/s.
Tandem seals, as shown in Fig. 16.9, are being used on hydrocarbon mixtures.
These types of applications are found on pipeline, chemical, and refinery applica-
tions. Typically, operating conditions are limited to 1200 psig, 2600C, and 152
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FIGURE 16.10 Spiral groove seal face.

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16.10 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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FIGURE 16.11 Dry running non-contacting seal performance: effect
of seal size and speed on leakage.
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FIGURE 16.12 Dry running non-contacting seal performance: effect

of pressure and temperature on leakage.

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 ROTARY COMPRESSOR SEALS 16.11

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Inc.).
Single dry running non-contacting seal (John Crane

m/s. Here, two seals are facing in the same direction in the seal chamber. Leakage
from the seal is vented to a vapor disposal system. A typical control system for a
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tandem seal is shown in Fig. 16.14.

Triple tandem seals have been used to seal hydrogen recycle compressors in
refinery service, with pressures to 2000 psi and temperature of 71⬚C. Shaft size
and speed are 92 mm in diameter and 10,250 rpm, respectively. This unit was
operated continuously for 24 months and the user estimates a 1.7 million dollars
per year savings.
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In some cases when a vapor disposal system or vapor recovery system cannot
be used, a hazardous or toxic application may require a double seal arrangement,
as shown in Fig. 16.15. Here an inert gas is used between the seals. Typically,
plant nitrogen may be used. Nitrogen will leak to the process through the inboard
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and outboard seals. Leakage rates are normally less than 0.028 m3 /min. Double
seals are normally used on services with pressures to 250 psig and temperatures
from ⫺60⬚C to 260⬚C, and speeds to 152 m/s.
Dry running non-contacting seals offer the user considerable savings over other
types of sealing systems.
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Sealing technology continues to evolve in solving complex problems defined by

industry. The demands for higher operating pressures required the solution of ex-
plosive decompression of O-rings, the solution of secondary seal friction, and the
deflection of seal face materials. The result is a high pressure non-contacting gas
seal for pressures to 3000 psig and speeds to 180 m/s, as shown in Fig. 16.16.
Here, spring energized polymer seals used with the supporting seal structure to
control seal deflection, achieved the intended results.

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16.12 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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FIGURE 16.14 Typical emissions control system.

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FIGURE 16.15 Typical double seal arrangement (John Crane Inc.).

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 ROTARY COMPRESSOR SEALS 16.13

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FIGURE 16.16 Tandem dry running non-contacting high pressure seal (John Crane Inc.).

In certain applications, there is a recognized need for the seal to work in the
reverse rotation for an extended period. There are two specific circumstances that
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can cause a compressor to run in the reverse direction after shutdown.

• A leaky or ‘‘stuck open’’ discharge valve
• A large volume of gas between the compressor and its discharge valve
This has resulted in optimized bi-directional groove profile shown in Fig. 16.17.
Even though this design has optimized bi-directional seal performance, the spiral
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groove design still provides a superior level of performance across the operating
envelope.
Dry running non-contacting seals offer the user considerable savings over other
types of sealing systems through increased mean time between maintenance and
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improved equipment reliability.

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FIGURE 16.17 Bi-direc-

tional grooved seal face (John
Crane Inc.).

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16.14 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

16.3 FURTHER READING

1. Netzel, J. P., High Performance Gas Compressor Seals, 11th Internationa Conference on
Fluid Sealing, BHRA Cranfield Bedford, UK (1987).
2. Shah, P, Dry Gas Compressor Seals, 17th Turbomachinery Symposim, Turbomachinery
Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Sta-

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tion, Texas, November 1988.

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3. Carter, D. R., Application of Dry Gas Seals on a High Pressure Hydrogen Recycle Com-
pressor, 17th Turbomachinery Symposium, Turbomachinery Laboratory, Department of
Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, November 1988.
4. Atkins, K. E., and R. X. Perez, Influence of Gas Seals on Rotor Stability of a High Speed

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Hydrogen Recycle Compressor, 17th Turbomachinery Symposiu, Turbomachinery Labo-
ratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station,
Texas, November 1988.
5. Pecht, G. G., and D. Carter, System Design and Performance of a Spiral Groove Gas
Seal for Hydrogen Service, 44th Annual Meeting, Society of Tribologists and Lubrication
Engineers, Atlanta, Georgia, May 1989.
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6. Dugar Jr., J. R., B. X. Tran, and J. F. Southcott, Adaptation of a Propylene Refrigeration
Compressor with Dry Gas Seals, 20th Turbomachinery Laboratory, Department of Me-
chanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, September 1991.
7. Morris, J. R., C. G. Stroh, J. F. Southcott, Retrofit of a Steam Turbine with Dry Gas
Seals, 22nd Turbomachinery Symposium, Turbomachinery Laboratory, Department of
Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, September
1993.
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8. Mayeaux, P. T. and P. L. Feltman Jr., Design Improvements Enhance Dry Gas Seal’s
Ability to Handle Reverse Pressurization, 25th Turbomachinery Laboratory, Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, September
1996.
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