Flow Solutions Division

Crude Oil Pipeline Pumps

Mechanical Seal Application Guide

Introduction Characteristics of the Service

This guide addresses the application of me- • Crude oil may contain sand, salt, pipe scale,
chanical seals in crude oil pipeline pumps. or other erosive agents
Mainline crude oil pipeline pumps are mostly of
the between bearing, double suction single • Suction pressure can range from low to
stage and multi-stage design, however, there are >1500 psig (10,350 kPa)
numerous vertical in-line booster pumps, vertical
turbine loading pumps as well as overhung • Pump speeds are normally two pole motor
process pumps employed at pipeline terminals speed (3000 or 3600 rpm) but can be much
and tank farms. higher

• Intermittent or continuous service

Between Bearing
Single Stage Pump • Temperature is usually ambient

• Crude oil viscosity can be high

• Crude oil may contain hydrogen sulfide and

other contaminants

Application Considerations

Crude Oil Pumpage

Crude oil transported through pipeline systems
may contain dirt, pipe scale and other erosive
agents. Mechanical seals installed in crude oil
Between Bearing
pipeline pumps must be designed to operate in
Multi-Stage
these abrasive conditions. The use of cyclone
Pump
separators to remove sand and other solid
particles from dirty crude oil has been practiced
for many years. They are especially effective
during start up situations or when a pig is sent
through the system to clean the pipeline. In
these instances, when there is a higher concen-
tration of abrasives passing through the pipeline,

© 1998 Flowserve Corporation

1 of 6
cyclone separators can provide a cleaner flush seal component parts and shaft sleeves can be
for the mechanical seal. There are, however, slotted to further enhance circulation. This
concerns with the use of cyclone separators. reduces the potential for contaminants accumu-
Together with a crude oil’s high viscosity, the lating around the dynamic seal parts resulting in
cyclone separator can reduce the seal flush rate seal leakage or failure. Additionally, a hard
because of the increased friction losses. Cy- surface can be applied to the shaft sleeve to
clone separators, with their small diameter help prevent fret corrosion caused by the motion
passages, can even become plugged with large of the dynamic secondary seal in the presence
particles whereby reducing or cutting off the seal of contaminants.
flush entirely. A cyclone separator’s efficiency is
related to the size and density of the abrasives
in the crude oil. Smaller, suspended solids will
not separate as well and may pass through the
separator to the seal chamber. Additionally, the
constant erosive action within the cyclone
separator can eventually wear out the cyclone
body resulting in crude oil leakage.

The use of two hard seal faces is another

method promoted for handling the abrasives
common to crude oil pipeline applications. High
Type UC Seal - Large, Single Spring Design
quality, hard seal faces have been proven in
many abrasive sealing environments. Silicon
carbide run against silicon carbide is the optimal
seal face combination while tungsten carbide When stationary mechanical seals are required,
versus silicon carbide would be another good the use of a large, single coil spring seal is
combination. These face materials also offer an typically not possible because of seal chamber
advantage for sealing higher pressure services. space constraints. Here, the use of large diam-
The strength of these materials makes them eter, multiple springs located in the seal flange
less likely to deform in these conditions allowing away from the crude oil flush or behind the seal
the faces to remain flat without closing off the faces has proven to be a very successful de-
lubricating film between them. sign.

The use of multiple spring pusher type mechani-

cal seals for sealing a wide range of fluids is well
known. However, because they employ small
diameter, pocket springs within a compact
spring holder, they may be prone to packing up
with solid particles and other contaminants when
directly exposed in the crude oil flush stream.
This increases the likelihood of these contami-
nants accumulating around the dynamic seal
components. If the motion of the dynamic seal
face is inhibited, leakage and or seal failure will
occur. In comparison, a large, single coil spring
has been shown to perform well under the same
conditions. Using a larger, single spring with
large slotted openings in the spring holder Type UHTW Seal - Multiple Spring, Stationary Design
allows the crude oil and any contaminants to
circulate through the dynamic seal parts. The

2 of 6
Pump Pressures and Speeds If axial space outside the seal chamber permits,
Mechanical seals selected for crude oil pipeline a two piece, split ring drive arrangement en-
pumps must be capable of handling the full gaged into a groove machined in the shaft or a
range of system pressures. For mainline pumps shrink disc assembly can be used.
operating in parallel, the seal chamber pressure
will equal the suction pressure. However,
standby pumps in parallel operation can be
subject to full pipeline pressure if they are not
blocked in. Mainline pumps piped in series will
have seal chamber pressures equal to the
discharge pressure of the preceding pump.
Variable speed drives and flow control devices
can also increase or decrease pipeline pres-
sures. With these pressure characteristics, a
clear understanding of the pipeline operation is
required. Split Ring Drive Collar Shrink Disk Drive Collar

With the high seal chamber pressures typical of Any one of the above drive arrangements will be
pipeline services, cartridge mechanical seals necessary for high seal chamber pressures and
must be positively locked to the pump shaft to this requirement must be communicated to the
ensure that they are not forced out of the seal pump manufacturer or owner. If modifications
chamber due to the hydraulic forces exerted on are required to the shaft, the pump manufacturer
them. There are several methods utilized to or owner should be consulted as to the most
accomplish this including the use of double row desirable design.
set screw drive collars. Another method would
be to use larger diameter set screws that are Seal face surface speed is another consider-
capable of higher axial loads. For either case, ation in the selection of mechanical seals for
the set screws must be hardened to engage into crude oil pipeline pumps. With large shaft
the pump shaft. Additionally, the shaft can be diameters and pumps operating at maximum
spot drilled underneath the drive collar set speeds, the surface speed of the seal faces may
screws. The set screws can then engage into be beyond the limits set for rotating, flexible
the shaft guaranteeing a fixed location for the element mechanical seals. A high seal face
cartridge seal. speed, coupled with a high seal chamber pres-
sure, also necessitates the use of heavy duty
drive keys and pins. Drive keys and pins should
be large and constructed from a non-galling
material to ensure a positive drive without the
potential for hanging-up the dynamic seal face.

Double Row Set Screw Spot Drilled Drive Collar

Drive Collar

Heavy Duty Drive Pin

3 of 6
Seal Flushing
The seal chamber pressure on single stage,
between bearing pumps will generally be the
same as the suction pressure. For multistage
pumps, one seal chamber will be at suction
pressure with the other equal to the pressure of
the crossover. However, with a pump throttle
bushing and a bleed off line piped back to
suction, the pressure in both seal chambers
should equalize near the suction pressure.

Tangentially Drilled Flush Inlets

Seal Recommendations

Type BX Seal
The Type BX seal is an inherently balanced,
welded, metal bellows seal suitable for lower
pressure applications. The design of the Type
BX seal, with no dynamic secondary seals,
eliminates the potential for seal face hang up
Discharge Seal Flush Piping - and fretting of the shaft sleeve. The self cleaning
Typical for Multi-Stage Pumps
effect of the rotating Type BX seal also reduces
the possibility of clogging the bellows core. The
Type BX seal will match a silicon carbide rotat-
Under these conditions, a discharge flush is ing face against a silicon carbide stationary face.
suggested with a seal flush rate of 3/4 gallon per
minute per inch of seal diameter. While it is
common on multistage pumps to take the
discharge flush from the first stage discharge,
consideration must be given to throttle bushing
wear on the crossover end of the pump which
can change the seal chamber pressure and seal
flush rate. A large diameter orifice (or multiple
orifices) should be used with the discharge flush
to control the seal flush rate. Although not
required for crude oil applications, multiport
injection or tangentially drilled flush ports may
help prevent erosion of stationary seal parts as
a result of high crude oil flush rates.
Type BX Seal

Standard materials of construction are 316

stainless steel bellows and other metal parts.
Optional alloy materials are available for maxi-
mum resistance to corrosive crude oils. A com-
plete range of secondary sealing materials is

4 of 6
available for use with this seal. The Type BX
seal is rated for seal chamber pressures up to
400 psig (2760 kPa) and surface speeds up to
75 feet per second (23 m/s).

Type U Seal
The standard Type UC seal is a balanced, high
pressure, single spring seal that utilizes an
encapsulated silicon carbide rotating face with a
silicon carbide stationary face. The materials of
construction are 316 stainless steel metal parts
with a 316 stainless steel large cross-section Type HDHW Seal
spring. Fluoroelastomer secondary seals are
available as are other chemically compatible
secondary sealing materials. The Type UC seal The Type HDHW seal incorporates the basic
is recommended for seal chamber pressures up design of the UHTW seal. In addition, it utilizes a
to 500 psig (3450 kPa). For pressures above double balanced stationary face backing ring for
500 psig, the Type UO seal is required. The reverse pressure conditions. The Type HDHW
Type UO seal utilizes a four piece rotating face seal uses an axial drive pin as opposed to the
assembly to minimize face deflection at higher radial drive pin on the UHTW seal. The pressure
pressures. The Type UOP seal, with a high and surface speed limits for the HDHW seal are
pressure stationary face design, can be applied the same as the UHTW seal.
for seal chamber pressures beyond 1000 psig
up to 1500 psig (6900 kPa up to 10,350 kPa).
The maximum surface speed for the Type U Type GSL Seal
seals 75 feet per second (23 m/s). The Type GSL seal is a non-contacting, bidirec-
tional backup seal. The non-contacting design of
the Type GSL seal, utilizing a rotating carbon
Type UHTW and HDHW Seals and a stationary silicon carbide wavy face,
The Type UHTW seal is constructed with the ensures no measurable wear and long service
same materials as the Type U seal, however, it life. The seal is rated for pressures up to 600
utilizes multiple, smaller cross-section springs. psig (4140 kPa) for both liquid and gas contain-
The stationary design of the Type UHTW seal ment, however, higher limits may be attained.
locates these springs within the seal gland away
from the crude oil flush. The Type UHTW seal
can be designed for pressures up to and beyond
2000 psig (13,800 kPa). The stationary design
of the Type UHTW seal allows for surface
speeds up to 250 feet per second (76 m/s).

Tandem U/GSL Seal

5 of 6
When combined in a tandem arrangement with GSL Leakage Detection
either one of the primary seals discussed above, Vaporizing & Non-Vaporizing Products
the Type GSL seal provides the secondary Primary seal leakage contained by GSL seal is
containment required to help meet leakage and piped from seal gland through orifice to main
emission standards without the complicated drain. Excessive leakage is restricted by orifice
auxiliary equipment needed for traditional liquid to activate pressure switch connected to seal
tandem seals. With a minimal amount of instru- gland.
mentation and piping, the Type GSL seal can be
used to indicate excessive primary seal leakage.
This feature allows for the application of the
Type GSL seal in remote, unmanned pipeline
stations.

GSL Leakage Detection

Non-Vaporizing Products
Primary seal leakage contained by GSL seal is
piped from seal gland to reservoir and through
orifice to main drain. Excessive leakage is GSL Piping Schematic with Pressure Switch
restricted by orifice to activate high level switch
on reservoir.

GSL Piping Schematic with Leakage Reservoir

The information and specifications presented in this product brochure are believed to be accurate, but are supplied for information purposes only and should not be considered certified or as a guarantee of satisfactory results by reliance thereon. Nothing contained herein is to be construed
as a warranty or guarantee, express or implied, with respect to the product. Although Flowserve Corporation can provide general application guidelines, it cannot provide specific information for all possible applications. The purchaser/user must therefore assume the ultimate responsibility
for the proper selection, installation, operation and maintenance of Flowserve products. Because Flowserve Corporation is continually improving and upgrading its product design, the specifications, dimensions and information contained herein are subject to change without notice.

Primary Worldwide Fluid Sealing Division Locations Licensees, authorized agents, and affiliated companies located worldwide.

United States Canada Netherlands Argentina

Kalamazoo, MI Temecula, CA Edmonton, Alberta St. Thomas, Ontario Roosendaal Mendoza
Phone 616-381-2650 Phone 909-676-5662 Phone 403-463-7958 Phone 519-631-9946 Phone 31-165-581-400 Phone 54-61-272300
Fax 616-381-8368 Fax 909-308-4495 Fax 403-450-1241 Fax 519-633-6164 Fax 31-165-552-622 Fax 54-61-272524

Singapore Mexico Brazil Japan Germany Australia

Phone 65-746-4318 Mexico City Sao Paulo Osaka Dortmund Marayong
Fax 65-747-1963 Phone 52-5-360-5209 Phone 55-11-4066-8600 Phone 81-720-85-5571 Phone 49-231-6964-0 Phone 61-2-8822-7100
Fax 52-5-560-1692 Fax 55-11-4066-7014 Fax 81-720-85-5575 Fax 49-231-6964-248 Fax 61-2-9679-7511

REV 10/98 USA FTA102

6 of 6