A gas seal suitable for light hydrocarbons

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 344 KB
• Volume: 1999
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1350-4789
• DOI: 10.1016/s1350-4789(00)80164-6

✦ Synopsis

A. gas seal suitable for light hydrocarbons

A recent survey of US petrochemical plants found that approximately 10% of all light hydrocarbon pumps had an inadequate temperature or pressure differential to enable the stable performance of liquid-lubricated seals. Furthermore, the failure of these seals was identified as a major cause of short mean time between repair (MTBR) in this service. In this article, Mark Cooper from Equistar, and Joe Parker from the fluid sealing division of Flowserve Corporation, explain how dual non-pressurised gas technology was adapted to a low vapour margin, light hydrocarbon service to significantly improve the reliability of a critical methane recycle process pump.

Equistar Chemicals, a joint venture between Lyondell Chemical Company, Millennium Chemicals and Occidental Petroleum Corporation, is a global producer of ethylene and ethylene derivatives. However, its plant based in LaPorte, Texas, was experiencing MTBR problems with dual non-pressurised mechanical seals installed on a single stage centrifugal pump for methane recycling.