The OFS Type-1 seal replaces stuffing boxes, lip seal housings, hard-face mechanical seals, elastomer-driven seals and unsplit seals. The split seal housing is fitted to your equipment, complete with a split, bearing-grade, synthetic stationary seal face. Typically, the rotary seal face is made from hardened, stainless steel, positioned at a right angle to the shaft and is maintained in contact with the stationary seal face. Sealing along the shaft is accomplished with a static ring of braided packing or a square elastomer, contained within the inner diameter of the rotating seal face. The rotary seal face is turned by drive pins, fixed to a drive collar which is locked to the shaft. External springs & actuators are attached to the drive collar to load the rotary seal face. The seal designer predetermines the spring calibration, based on application parameters.

How is the OFS Type-1 maintained? Although the external parts of the OFS Type-1 split seal are easily viewed for a quick visual inspection, when installed on top of a 30-foot agitator or behind a shroud, they become out-of-sight, out-of-mind and can be forgotten. As such, the seal rarely receives preventative maintenance, but continues performing as intended.

However, to maximize the mean-time-to-repair (MTR), the seal is easily disassembled for inspection and resetting, as well as replacing any exposed O-rings or packing along with a general wipe down to remove any debris. By loosening the spring actuators and drive collar, the parts may be pulled back for inspection and resetting. Reassembly sets the seal face closing force to original values, accounting for any seal face wear and resetting the seal to a slower wear rate, maximizing the MTR.

The OFS Type-1 seal components are designed fully-split and to install within your spatial constraints. They follow MECO’s exacting standards of seamless fit and finish. The design utilizes a stainless steel rotary seal face. The stationary seal face is selected from one of our MECO 3000 series of bearing-grade, PTFE-based blends. We have several polymeric materials to select from to match the needs of your application. Depending on the application, the static seal component in contact with the shaft may be made of a braided packing or an elastomeric material. The drive assembly is made of stainless steel. The housing is either aluminum or stainless steel. MECO seals may be fabricated from a wide variety of suitable materials. This offers great flexibility to meet the demands of your application.

Additional seal features may be considered. In some instances, fitting the stuffing box with a steady bearing or packing can reduce runout. In some applications a barrier ring, mounted into the back of the seal housing, may help to maximize MTR. An optional port, entering in front of the stationary seal face, is a feature requested for some applications. The port provides a way to introduce an inert gas blanket or an air sweep in front of the seal and into the process vessel. Additionally, the port may be used to attach a pressure indicator for monitoring process pressure trends.

MECO offers a few options to consider during your application review. You may have specific details for matching to your profile. O-rings, flat gaskets & bedding compounds are typical static sealing options available between the OFS Type-1 seal housing and the mounting surface on your equipment. Jacking screws are an enhancement that help to mount the OFS Type-1 seal’s housing perpendicular to the shaft and control flatness of the stationary seal face. What does your mounting surface and shafting look like? We’ll offer a few options to consider during your application review.