The Consideration of Seal Requirements in Equipment Design

Abstract

Most often a design engineer comes to the seal manufacturer with a set of blueprints in one hand and the environmental constraints in the other hand with a desire for a suitable seal. When a general service environment, less than 250°F, less than 5000 psi and no corrosive fluids is involved, generally speaking, a seal or seals can be furnished off the shelf or designed from standard materials with little difficulty. However, when environmental conditions vary in excess of what is considered general service, standard materials are generally not suitable. If the sealing requirements of the equipment are not taken into consideration during the initial design stages, severe limiting constraints may be placed on the seal manufacturer such that a satisfactory seal may not be available or be much more costly. This paper will discuss the parameters which will enhance the enhances of a suitable seal being available for a given application, as well as discuss the options available in seal materials and designs of construction.