Is it necessary to activate the seal oil when starting the hot oil pump?
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As the title suggests: Is it necessary to activate the seal oil when starting a hot oil pump?
Should the seal oil be applied only after it has been running for a while?
Our factory’s hot oil pump doesn’t have any seal oil at all
First of all, the hot oil pump was originally equipped with preheating. The oil seal has been on all along. Kaifeng oil is used to protect equipment and enable it to operate for longer periods of time. It’s fine if you don’t invest; it’s just not very good for the equipment. It’s fine for a short period of time after startup
Reply to 3# Beyond Limits: Which factory is so amazing? Aren’t they worried about leaks causing fires? ;P
In the catalysis workshop, I asked one of the foremen in charge of the fitters, and he said it wasn’t a big issue. If sealing oil were used, the cost associated with using it in catalytic processes would be too high, making it uneconomical; that’s why it hasn’t been used until now
Firstly, whether to apply an oil seal depends on several factors: 1. The structure of the mechanical seal itself, whether it has self-flushing capability, and whether the medium is clean. Now, most companies avoid using sealants mainly due to high energy consumption. There is no need to add seal oil before starting the pump; once it starts running smoothly, seal oil should be added.
We haven’t used it either. For some factory-use flushing oils, if there is a large leak and the back pressure drops, fire can still occur. For flushing oils used in high-temperature oil pumps, it is necessary to use oils (liquids) of stable quality and high cleanliness ； For the back cooling of mechanical seals, demineralized water or steam with a pressure not exceeding 0.3 MPa should be used; the use of circulating water or fresh water is strictly prohibited. During pump maintenance, it is required to clean the flushing oil lines and the pump’s water jacket to ensure proper functioning of the sealing and cooling systems.
All the hot oil pumps in our factory are equipped with seal oil, which is generally introduced after the pump is started up. The seal oil serves primarily as a sealing mechanism; in addition to this function, it also helps to cool, flush, and lubricate the mechanical surfaces of the pump. Currently, some factories use this seal oil only on slurry pumps, while it isn’t used on other hot oil pumps either, and it has little impact on those pumps. This also saves on investment costs.
Reply to 6# Beyond Limits: That only shows that your unit is operating well, the quality of the oil is stable, and it contains few impurities. In our atmospheric and vacuum distillation units, would you dare not use seal oil for testing?
The function of the seal oil is cooling, flushing, and lubrication; most importantly, it serves a sealing purpose. When a hot oil pump is in standby mode, the seal oil should be kept on, and its flow rate should be increased after the pump starts operating. After the pump is started, it’s of course safer to open the oil first compared to starting the pump before opening the oil. By ensuring the seal oil pressure, it is possible to stabilize the operation of the pump to a large extent and reduce the likelihood of seal leakage.