barrier fluid for mechanical seal brands

Barrier Fluid FDA is a pure, non-reactive, synthetic fluid that provides superior lubrication and cooling for double and tandem mechanical seals. Barrier Fluid FDA provides very stable seal performance over an extremely wide temperature range, satisfying most seal service requirements. Barrier Fluid FDA is extremely clean and has excellent low temperature fluidity and heat transfer properties. Barrier Fluid FDA is sanctioned under the FDA CFR Title 21 Sections 178.3620(a)(b); 172.878; 175.105; 176.200 and 210; 177.2260, 2600 and 2800; 178.3570 and 3910. It is NSF Certified for H1 service. Barrier Fluid FDA is essentially inert, allowing it to be used with most hydrocarbon gases and aqueous acids and bases. Barrier Fluid FDA is an undyed product.

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Tegra Synthetic Barrier Fluid is designed to meet the needs of a barrier fluid for dual mechanical seals per API Standard 682, Shaft Sealing Systems for Centrifugal and Rotary Pumps. Dual mechanical seals are used to control emissions of volatile air pollutants from industrial equipment. Leading seal manufacturers recommend the use of low viscosity synthetic fluids for extended seal life of API Standard 682 dual mechanical seals.

Tegra Synthetic Barrier Fluid 17 cSt has a low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) level, so that the barrier fluid itself will not be the source of volatile air pollutants in higher temperature applications.

Petro-Canada Lubricants’ PURITY FG Synthetic Barrier Fluids are advanced food grade barrier fluids formulated to deliver exceptional performance, by resisting degradation and deposit formation, and are also suitable for service in non-food grade industrial applications. These barrier fluids start clean and remain clean in the most demanding conditions.

PURITY FG Synthetic Barrier Fluid is a PAO based product formulated with specific additives to deliver exceptional protection against oxidation, corrosion, and wear. This NSF H1 registered product is designed to provide lubrication and cooling for mechanical seals to help maximize seal life.

Manufacturer of high-performance lubricants and industrial fluids. Products include gear, bearing, hydraulic, rust preventative, gun, and chain saw oils and lubricants. Also offers defoaming agents, rig wash, rock drill oil, parts cleaner, pickle lubricants, cutting oils, aluminum mill coolants, wire drawing, concrete and asphalt release agents, and dust control suppressants. Biodegradable lubricants are available. Custom products can be formulated. Also offers chemical and lubricant analysis and testing services. Serves the oil and gas, defense, metalworking, construction, and manufacturing industries.

STABYLAN BARRIER FLUID Series are formulated with premium polyalphaolefin (PAO) base oils to obtain fluidity at low temperatures and oxidative stability at high temperatures. These barrier fluids will lubricate and cool the seal face of double and tandem mechanical seals. The STABYLAN BARRIER FLUID Series does not contain additives or impurities that may poison or negatively affect process fluids or catalysts. These barrier fluids are not for use with EPDM or EPR elastomers. They are compatible with most other commonly used seal materials

Water is readily available. It is environmentally acceptable and has no health and safety restrictions. It also has a high specific gravity and specific heat which aids in heat transfer. For all of its favorable properties however, water has severe limitations as a barrier fluid. Pure water is a poor lubricant. At ambient conditions, water has viscosity that is suitable for lubricating seals with carbon vs hard face combinations. The viscosity decreases rapidly as the temperature increases. By 71°C (160°F), the viscosity is low enough that the fluid film in a standard seal fails to support the face often resulting in higher wear rates. The low viscosity of water can also create problems for Plan 54 systems.

This article is an excerpt from a paper, "Barrier and buffer fluid selection and considerations for mechanical seals" by Michael Huebner of Flowserve Corporation at the 2016 Turbomachinery & Pump Symposium.

Many Plan 54 systems are designed as an open system and use a positive displacement pump to create pressure and circulate the barrier fluid through the system. Many of these positive displacement pumps are designed with rubbing or sliding pump components that are designed to operate on a lubricating fluid. Operating these pumps on water can greatly reduce the reliability of the Plan 54.

Water at low temperatures can introduce different concerns. At 0°C (32°F), water freezes. This can have a severe impact on the condition of the seals and the auxiliary components. When a pump is in operation, the water barrier fluid may be heated by the process or the seal generated heat. In standby service though, the barrier fluid may reach ambient temperature conditions. Water is relatively non-corrosive but it will rust wrought and cast carbon steels. Normal seal piping plans will use stainless for most components but may use carbon steel for the reservoir to reduce cost.

Water barrier or buffer fluid systems must be designed with non-rusting materials. Not all water supply systems have clean, pure water. Contamination in the systems (e.g. rust or dirt) as well as water treatment chemicals (e.g. descalers, rust inhibitors, biocides, etc.) may affect chemical compatibility of the seal components or the lubricating properties between the seal faces. Users must ensure that the water supply is clean and suitable as barrier fluid.

One of the primary reasons why water is selected as a barrier fluid is for compatibility with the process fluids. In normal operation, small amounts of barrier fluid will leak into the process. In some processes, pure water introduced into the system would not be considered as a contaminant in the process. Water, specifically condensate, is the most common barrier fluid in the food processing, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries.

Many of the shortcomings of water can be addressed by mixing the water barrier fluid with other chemicals. The most common mixtures are water with either Ethylene Glycol (EG) or Propylene Glycol (PG). The addition of a glycol to the water depresses the freezing point and elevates the boiling point. It also increases the viscosity of the mixture which can provide better lubrication to the seal faces. It does this while still maintaining the high specific gravity and specific heat required for effective heat transfer. The improved properties made this buffer fluid an industry standard in refineries in light hydrocarbons services for many years.

Ethylene glycol is commonly used as a heat transfer fluid in industrial applications and automobile cooling systems. Automotive anti-freeze is most commonly a mixture of EG and other chemical additives. These other additives provide useful properties to automotive applications including preventing rust and corrosion, descaling metal surfaces, and stopping leaks in the cooling system. While these additives enhance the performance in automotive applications, they can cause high wear on the seal faces and reduce the reliability of the seal. For this reason, automotive anti-freeze should not be used in barrier or buffer fluid systems. Only pure EG or PG should be used. While ethylene glycol improves the properties of the barrier fluid, it has the drawback of being mildly toxic. Casual exposure to the skin is not considered a significant hazard but it must not be ingested and leakage into the environment may be regulated. For these reasons, many users have switched to propylene glycol/water mixtures. The properties of PG/water and EG/water are comparable and they will provide similar performance in most applications.

Propylene glycol is considered non-toxic and is safe for human exposure. Food grade PG is available and can be used in many food handling processes. Propylene glycol should be the first choice for glycol/water barrier and buffer fluids in most applications.

DuraClear Crystal 7 Seal Lubricant is a premium barrier fluid for use on equipment handling high purity, high value or highly reactive product fluids such as strong acids and bases. It has been specifically formulated for the lubrication needs of dual mechanical seals. When chemical compatibility is critical, this environmentally friendly and nonreactive barrier fluid extends the life of dual mechanical seals for increased process yield and throughput.

CTFE fluids may react violently with K, Na, amine, hydrazine, liquid fluorine, liquid chlorine trifluoride, Aluminum, Aluminum Chloride (AlCl3) and Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3)

One of the many reasons mechanical seals may need extra lubrication, include the high viscosity in certain fluids  These pumps and mechanical seals may require the circulation of a clean fluid from an external seal flush. This process lubricates the inner and outer seal faces which separates the pumped fluid from entering the stationary housing where the shaft passes through from the motor. A properly lubricated seal can reduce down-time due to maintenance while keeping pumps up and running at maximum efficiency.

This pressurized Plan 53 reservoir tank circulates royal Purple barrier fluid that lubricates the mechanical seal faces in a custom Anderson Process engineered pump system. Consisting of a Griswold 6×4-13 pump with a 50hp motor that will be pumping an aggressive oil that not only varies in temperature but varies widely in viscosity. To monitor seal health, a pressure and level switch that would be dealing with fluid running from ambient to 450F.

Protection in extreme conditions — The barrier fluid’s inhibition against rust and corrosion, foaming and oil oxidation provides excellent protection in extreme conditions.

Tegra Synthetic Barrier Fluid is formulated to perform as a barrier fluid in dual mechanical seals. Manufactured from the highest quality polyalphaolefin base fluids, it helps provide protection against wear, oxidation, rust and corrosion, and foaming.

It has a low viscosity and excellent friction reducing ability. The fluid provides excellent low temperature fluidity and high temperature stability for performance over a wide temperature range. Its light viscosity, high viscosity index, and friction reducing ability helps minimize high face wear and high operating face temperatures that can lead to blistering of carbon seal faces.

Tegra Synthetic Barrier Fluid’s excellent oxidation stability, rust protection and foam inhibition helps provide protection to the seal under extreme conditions or in corrosive environments.

Flexaseal offers replacement seals for a full array of compressors, mixers, pumps, and other rotating equipment. Direct replacements are available in standard inch and metric sizes and materials for major brands, including

With four (4) configuration options all incorporating additional engineered features such as reverse pressure capability, non-clogging multi-springs, rugged seal drive operation, and hydraulically balanced faces, the RKCS single and RKCD dual seals successfully contend with the industry’s toughest slurry challenges.

Flexaseal provides component seals for a wide range of challenging applications where cartridge seals are impractical or incompatible with current rotating equipment. This may be due to equipment not having a seal chamber or the seal need to be installed on the wet side of a pump. We offer a sturdy single spring component seals, externally mounted mechanical seals for extremely corrosive applications, and stationary seats (mating rings).

There is no one universal seal for all mixer applications. Every mixer, agitator, and reactor model is distinctive and engineered for a specific application. Many of these applications require seals to perform in environments that would destroy common seals due to extreme drag and shear forces, abrasive materials, or other challenges. That means successful sealing requires clearly defining the type of equipment, the product, and the sealing conditions. Flexaseal’s design and engineer team are capable of providing innovative solutions for your toughest challenges.

The mechanical seal style GFR/GFL offers a number of benefits over liquid lubricated dual seal for API plans 53 and 54. These include lower maintenance costs for the seal and support system since there is no barrier fluid to fill and the ability to retain 100% product purity through the use of nitrogen as a lubricant.

The resultant gas film pressure provides an opening force slightly greater than the net closing forces, which cause the faces to separate and not contact.

Simple support system – utilizes API 682 Plan 74 instead of more complex Plans 53 or 54, lowering the cost of operation and maintenance of the seal support system

Viscous substances such as syrups, tars, thick oils, resins, and glues prove to be challenging for most mechanical seals. Lip seal designs have been the go-to option for these processes that have centipoise values well above the normal range for seal face operation. The MLC3 cartridge seal achieves optimum pumping rates at lower speeds with fewer sealing issues than products currently in the field and requires virtually no seal support system.

Machined lip seals with deflected lip geometry ensures reliable sealing while producing a smaller footprint compared to competitor designs. This smaller footprint reduces parasitic torque and heat generation.

Single Lip Seal with anti-rotation ring and integrated back up ring: Energized front lip prevents leakage when transitioning between high viscosity and high fluidity processes. Anti-rotation rings statically seal even under normal temperature cycling. The integral back up ring provides added lip support under higher pressures and potential pressure spikes.

Double Lip Seal with anti-rotation ring: The PTFE-ML compound is formulated with a lower coefficient of friction, which coupled with the enhanced heat dissipation leads to lower under-lip temperatures. Lower temps = lower seal and sleeve surface wear.

Lantern Ring: Multifunctional PTFE ring provides additional bearing support as well as even dispersion of lubricant or barrier/buffer fluid around the lip seals.

Energized O-ring front lip tolerates lower speeds and higher shaft runout. This design increases sealing viability with certain emulsifiers and fluid viscosity transitioning such as CIP applications.

Sleeve: Sintered Silicon Carbide sleeve for durable wear and sealing surface. Inboard and outboard sleeve O-rings dampen vibration and aid in easy removal and repair.

A petrochem refinery is a complex place. There can be an ever-changing variety of operating modes that send different intermediate feedstocks through the units. As some crude stocks have changed and gotten heavier, especially in California Bay Area refineries, not all seal systems have kept up. All of this can add up to a variety of problems with your pumps and their mechanical seal support systems.

When you go to upgrade or replace these systems, you’ll find a dizzying array of different API seal plans and barrier fluids that can be intimidating. Pair that with a variety of systems having very different problems, it is tough to know where to start.

Even more, selecting the right mechanical seal support barrier fluid isn’t the only consideration that should be on your mind. If your current barrier solution no longer functions optimally to maintain pump reliability, perhaps it’s also time to check in on the seal support system. Let me walk you through this.

Fortunately, all seal systems have some similar characteristics. So while gas, liquid, and hot or cold sealing systems have different qualities, there are some common themes when selecting a barrier fluid. The bottom-line: It depends on the current process fluid and operating conditions.

A barrier fluid must be compatible with the process fluid and conditions it will contact. Incompatibility can result in flashing, coking, or changes in the physical properties of the process fluid.

The barrier fluid must not flash, degrade, solidify, or coke during operation. If any of these changes occur, your seal fluid isn’t providing enough lubrication and heat removal.

The right barrier fluid keeps the hydrocarbon in the pipes and prevents environmental issues. Leakage is simply not an option for a refinery, especially those located in the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Availability and cost-effectiveness are always top-of-mind. But too many facilities have continued using a process fluid or water in their seals when there are now many very effective low-cost barrier fluids available. The cheapest solution now may not be the most cost-effective over time for maintaining rotating equipment reliability.

Clearly, a lot of information needs to be gathered before choosing a mechanical seal support barrier type. And that’s just the beginning. It’s often not enough to simply make an improvement in the mechanical barrier seal system. For best results, and to avoid equipment downtime, the change should be supported by an upgraded seal support system as well.

It’s mission-critical to regulate the environment that the mechanical seal operates in to maintain smooth processing. While barrier fluid helps control the contact pressure between seal faces, an appropriate seal support system protects the mechanical seal from receiving process fluid at the wrong pressure and temperature as well. If you’ve noted problems with any pumps, you need to take a look at whether you have the right barrier fluid—and seal support system—for the application.

That’s why you need a seal system vendor with knowledgeable engineers who can help you walk through all of these considerations. Start getting in touch with an expert seal support system vendor who understands local Bay Area process requirements. You’ll want to ensure that they can deliver tested systems quickly when you need them. The vendor also should stand behind their work—even if the assembly sits in the warehouse until there is a turnaround opportunity to install it.

Swagelok can help select, design, and assemble a seal support system that goes with the barrier fluid necessary for any Northern California refinery’s specific application. Nearby in the Bay Area, we have a top-tier team of certified engineers ready to help you with all of your seal system selection, design, and assembly needs.

We can fabricate your seal support system to the highest ISO 900 quality standards. When you are ready to install it, Swagelok Northern California will be standing behind our work with a Lifetime Warranty—the best in the industry. From barrier fluid to seal support system selection, let us be your solution.

Let Swagelok Northern California be your first-choice partner for seal troubleshooting,seal selection, design, and fabrication needs. Contact our team today by calling 510-933-6200.

Paul holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University. Before joining Swagelok Northern California, he was the West Coast Regional Sales Manager for an organization based in Illinois involved in pneumatic and hydraulic applications where he supervised product distribution throughout the western United States, Canada, and Mexico. While in this role, he was able to help provide technical and application-specific expertise to customers and distribution to drive specifications.

DRYDENE SYTHETIC BARRIER FLUID A5 is designed to cool and lubricate the seal face of double and tandem mechanical seals. It may be also be used in certain food processing machinery applications where incidental contact with food may be considered safe (see FDA CFR 178.3570).