Parametric study on balance ratio of mechanical face seal in steam environment

An experimental study on friction and wear of carbon-graphite mechanical face seal, used in rotary joints of paper industries, has been presented. Experimental setup has been designed and developed to simulate the actual industrial environment faced by mechanical seal. Actual mechanical face seals (same material, surface roughness and dimensions) have been used to explore the effect of operating environments, steam pressures, speeds and balance ratios on the wear rates and friction losses. An experimental parametric study on four balance ratio conditions with constant speed and variable steam pressures has been performed, which has shown that a substantial reduction in frictional torques and wear rates is achievable with low balance ratios. The photomicrographs of seal wear and list of weight loss data have been reported in the present paper. The measured frictional torque data are also plotted against the balance ratios and finally the required balance ratio condition, to achieve an approximately 2 year's service life of mechanical seal, has been proposed.