Mechanical Seal Support Systems for API 682 Applications
Swagelok® Mechanical Seal Support Systems are designed to help improve pump reliability while simplifying installation, maintenance, and operation. Built on API Standard 682 best practices, these systems go beyond industry requirements by incorporating design features that make maintenance tasks safer and more efficient. With innovations such as block-and-bleed manifolds for in-place gauge calibration, panelized Plan 32 systems, and seal pot refill options that can be serviced from ground level, Swagelok focuses on reducing downtime and improving maintainability. Configurable designs allow systems to be adapted to site-specific requirements, while local engineering and service support help customers respond quickly to operational challenges. Backed by more than 70 years of fluid system expertise, Swagelok mechanical seal support systems are engineered to reduce leak points, enhance reliability, and help lower the total cost of ownership for critical pump operations.
Video Transcript
Swagelok is a fluid system company. We don’t make pumps, and we don’t make mechanical seals, but what we are experts in is fluid systems themselves. We have more than 70 years of experience in fluid systems, and we’re bringing that expertise to a new area.
If customers have a seal that goes down and their pump has to be shut down, for example, that can shut down their whole process, which is obviously a really, really huge cost to the customer. We’re solving a problem that the customer is having.
Swagelok seal support system designs start by incorporating all the best practices for API 682. From there, we take our designs one step further. We incorporate design principles that make our systems easy to maintain and easy to install.
When we were designing the seal support system, we wanted to keep a number of things in mind. At the top of that list was maintainability. We wanted to make sure that if and when a component needed to be maintained or replaced, it would be easy for the maintenance crew to do so. For example, all of the gauges include single block-and-bleed manifolds, which allow those gauges to be removed or calibrated in place while the system is still operating.
The Plan 32 system, which is traditionally piped up in the field using components, has been constructed into a panel assembly. That allows for easier assembly and easier maintenance in the field later on. We also offer a unique option for our seal pot systems, which is a fill tube that allows the seal pot to be refilled from ground level. This eliminates the use of ladders and lifts that can be a safety hazard when refilling at elevation.
A lot of sites have specifications for particular things they want to use, and we adapt to that.
One of the tools that we have developed is configurable CAD files. These files allow us to configure any standardized system very, very quickly and use that as the basis for any configuration our customers might need.
Being local is really crucial because the problems that poor seal support systems inflict on a plant are immediate and severe. There are pumps that are not operational, and being local allows us to respond to these issues as quickly as possible.
Having critical experience locally is really important because it helps us react to the customer’s needs instantly, instead of having the lag time of parts being shipped in.
Reliability is very important in a facility where a pump is a large moneymaker or a large time sink when it’s not making money.
