Slurry pump gland seal wear

Gland sealing research since the 1950s by BHRA and others has aimed at improving seal (leakage) performance. The principal focus has been on uniform packing compression to more closely match the packing pressure distribution with the fluid (medium) pressure thereby reducing leakage over time. Published research on shaft sleeve/packing wear and seal reliability has typically focussed on a slurry free environment. Should a gland seal process environment deviate from ideal then the system must be more robust to tolerate the ingress of slurry particles.It is postulated that non uniform packing compression is not the sole contributor to gland seal life cycle cost and reliability. An improved scientific understanding of the tribological wear process is required for existing designs. This will lead to lower life cycle cost and improved reliability for end users.In slurry service particle size distribution, shape, and relative hardness with the shaft sleeve are expected to influence the useful life of the shaft sleeve and packing. In this work findings from experimental testing are discussed and a new wear model is proposed.