spring energized seal
- September 29, 2023
V-Packing / Chevron Packing
V-Packings, also called V-Stacks or chevron packings, have been around for decades, and represent one of the earliest advanced sealing designs. While existing long before PTFE spring-energized seals came into being, they are still used in a variety of industries today.
Our partners at Eclipse Engineering design and manufacture their fair share of custom V-packings out of various materials every year. V-Packings offer a simple yet effective design principle.
A series of nested “V’s” are arranged in a gland where the points of the V’s serve as the sealing contact points in the hardware. They are designed in such a way that if the stack is compressed axially, the V behind will expand the radial cross-sectional width of the V in front of it. This will provide the needed energy to force the contacting sealing points into the hardware surfaces.
Compression force is usually provided by a packing nut in the hardware. The more the stack is compressed,
- September 07, 2023
Seals are small components that have a big function. At their most essential purpose, they keep fluid in and debris out. Failure to do this can lead to costly machine destruction, and even endanger the lives of people working around these machines. Preventing seal failure is very important on many different levels.
What Seals Are Up Against
Many factors can cause a seal failure. Being aware of these factors will help you in preventing an avoidable failure. Seals are under constant pressure because of the liquid or gas being contained. Typically, the seals in pipes or machinery have some type of matter within transferred at high velocities. This is a huge part of what they were designed to do, but too much or too little pressure could wear down the seals.
In addition, extreme temperatures can cause the seal to become brittle. A mixture of extreme temperatures and pressure is a recipe for cracking and leaking. Also, debris can contaminate the integrity of the seal. Even
- May 09, 2023
Contamination With Seals
Neglecting routine maintenance can cost you in seal performance or, in some cases, end with catastrophic failure. Prolonged downtime will incur losses that exceed the temporary cost of preventative maintenance.
It’s important to identify seal contaminants and their sources before they turn into larger issues. Here are some tips on what to look for and how to deal with them.
Common contaminants
Here are some typical contaminants you’ll come across:
- From original manufacture: debris, casting sand, paint, pipe sealant, cleaning rag fibers and weld spatters
- Pre-existing particle matter in system fluid before being entered into the system (through lack of pre-filtering)
- Ingressed contamination through rod/piston seals, component seals or poorly fitted covers, such as dirt, mud, water, dust and oil
- Ingressed particles that attract or generate larger particles causing abrasion, corrosion, cavitation, erosion
- June 07, 2022
Being commodity items, U-Cups are readily available in a number of materials and can be found on the shelf from multiple distributors and manufacturers in many standard sizes.
Named for the shape of their cross-section, a U-Cup’s design will be pressure energized increasing sealing effectiveness when compared to a standard O-Ring.
This means as pressure increases, the sealing lips are continually forced into the mating hardware surface, ensuring good contact at all times.
The simple and easily moldable design is an effective sealing solution to many systems in both hydraulic and pneumatic applications. Modifications in lip thickness and inclusion of an O-Ring Energizer can tailor sealing loads and wear life to specific situations.
A key advantage to an elastomeric U-Cup is the relatively small and simple hardware space needed.
- January 26, 2022
The oil and gas industry poses some of the most challenging seal applications for any seal designer. This is largely due to the varying chemical compatibility of fluids, and extremely high temperatures. The fluids often contain solids, which tend to be extremely abrasive. And applications are usually at high rotary speeds with extreme pressures.
This combination creates PV values (pressure x velocity) often reaching the limits of the seal materials. On top of these extremes, as seal designers we are also faced with containing fugitive emissions from valves and rotary equipment, in a very hostile environment like the oil field.
That’s where the rising stem valve has provided numerous solutions in the oil and gas industry.
- January 12, 2022
This new case study from Gallagher Fluid Seals outlines the benefits of using a PTFE spring energized seal in high friction applications.
Our customer is a manufacturer of power transmission products with a focus on magnetic force. Their product line includes magnetic capping heads, shaft couplings, current-controlled brakes, and clutches.
CUSTOMER PROBLEM:
The customer's magnetic clutch and was having design problems with high friction and break-away force, ultimately causing delayed production schedules.
- December 01, 2021
Spring Energized Polymer Seals and O-Rings are very different products, yet they can ultimately accomplish the same goal of sealing a system.
The humble O-Ring is, in simplest terms, a ring of rubber. A Spring Energized Seal consists of an engineered plastic jacket, usually a PTFE blend or UHMW-PE, and a metallic spring element. One is made in quantities of tens of thousands and then stocked on a shelf, one is machined and assembled per individual order.
While both are seals, their commonality in design, intent, and functionality is limited. The applications where each is successfully employed can be very different.
- September 15, 2021
With the marijuana and cannabis industry expected to take in nearly $24 billion by the end of in 2021, and more than $40 billion by 2025, the market is primed for innovation in production volume and technology.
The growth in popularity of vaporizers, infused edibles, and topical cannabis products means the demand for cannabis oil extraction is a fast multiplying industry.
The two primary means for oil extraction is via petroleum based solvents such as butane or propane, or by supercritical fluid extraction (most often carbon dioxide, or CO2).
Increased Longevity and Durability
Supercritical fluid extraction has been around for decades, and has been used in a wide variety of industries, including decaffeinating coffee and extracting essential oils. But the explosive growth and demand of the cannabis industry has raised the need for increased volume and reduced cycle time to new heights.
Our partners at Eclipse have been approached by multiple
- May 11, 2021
Here we’ll discuss the basic functionality and design principles of spring energized seals and discover why one might be the perfect sealing solution in your application. This article was written by GFS supplier/partner Eclipse Engineering.
Spring energized PTFE seals perform reliably in a variety of applications where conventional elastomeric seals fail due to chemical attack, extreme heat or cold, friction, extrusion or compression set.
- April 01, 2021
Rod Seals are the most important seal within any hydraulic sealing system. Rod Seals prevent leakage of hydraulic fluid to the outside. Additionally, Rod Seals help contribute, in combination with a Wiper Seal, to preventing contamination of the environment. GFS Rod Seal profiles are available as single acting (pressure from one side) or double acting (pressure from both sides).
This blog article will discuss the different profile, their recommended applications, and operating parameters.
