How to identify internal leakage in mechanical seals?

Thread Content

Two situations have been discovered recently. The pH of the water tank for the mechanical seal is strongly alkaline, while the pressure of the pump used for the mechanical seal is only 0.9 kilograms; considering that the tower’s own circulation pump has a pressure of around 4 kilograms. Will this cause the alkaline medium inside the tower to be pushed into the machine seal water? What is not entirely clear to me is whether the mechanical seal is used to prevent the medium inside the tower from leaking out From what I remember, the moving and stationary rings seem to be the mechanical seal, with cooling water used to cool the contact surface between these rings; if there is a leak, it depends on which side has higher pressure. Recently, the liquid level in the steam-water separator of our water ring pump compressor has been abnormally high. At first, I thought it was due to a leak in the make-up water valve; however, the level remained high even after that valve was closed. Moreover, the level became even higher when the inlet valve was opened, which led me to conclude that there might be an internal leak in the mechanical seal. But how do I look for it! How many years is the lifespan of a mechanical seal approximately? Thank you