SUBJECT : Heat, how it affects the pump and mechanical seal.

1-4
Every day salesmen call on customers and make claims that their pump, or mechanical seal can take more heat
than the other guys. Before we rush out to purchase these wonder products, we should take a closer look at the
heat problem.
The heat comes from several sources:
Generated at the seal faces or by packing rubbing against the sleeve.
Friction of the pump rotating parts, especially if the discharge is throttled.
Ambient conditions. The weather or atmosphere surrounding the pump.
The product contains a certain amount of heat
Two parts rubbing together, that are not supposed to be rubbing, can generate a lot of local heat.
Grease,or lip seals rub against the shaft very close to the bearings.
Running to the left of the best efficiency point (B.E.P.) means that the discharge is restricted.
The heat will affect you in several ways. It can :
Increase the corrosion rate of any corrosive liquid.
Change critical tolerances.
Destroy some seal faces
Shorten the life of any elastomer (Rubber part) in the system.
Change the state (ie. liquid to a gas) of the product you are pumping.
Increase pipe strain.
Waste valuable energy
Change the viscosity of the bearing oil and eventually cause bearing failure
Heat on the suction side of the pump can cause cavitation.
We'll look at each of these areas in detail, and at the end of this paper make some recommendations to improve
both your pump and seal life.

WHERE THE HEAT COMES FROM:

HEAT GENERATED AT THE SEAL FACES :
The following numbers are typical of the conditions in a stuffing box when you are sealing with a conventional
original equipment, unbalanced seal.
OPERATING CONDITION

INCH SIZE

METRIC SIZE

Stuffing box pressure

100 psi

10 kg/cm2

Seal face diameter

2 inches

50 mm

Seal face area

1 inch2

6,5 mm2

Seal spring load

30 psi

2,0 kg/cm2

Face load from the spring

30 lbs.

13 kg

3600 rpm

2900 rpm

1 pint of water

500 cc of water

0.2 average

0,2 average

Shaft speed
Stuffing box volume
Face coefficient of friction
We will make the first calculation in the inch size:

Hydraulic closing force = 100 lbs/in2 * 1 in2 = 100 lbs

Hydraulic Opening force = An average of 50 psi on the faces * 1 in2 = 50 lbs.
100 lbs closing + 30 lbs Spring force - 50 lbs opening = 80 lbs closing
80 lbs * 0.2 * 1885 F.P.M. = 30160 Ft lbs./ min
778 ft lbs. / min. = 1 Btu..
30160 / 778 = 38.8 Btu../min.
38.8 Btu../ min would raise 1 pint of water 38.8 degrees Fahrenheit each minute, so we would have to flush in
38.8 pints (4.84 gallons per minute) of cooling water if we did not want the product to get hot.
Metric looks like this :

A Newton Meter is a Joule so we have 690 Joules/ sec.

690 Joules/Sec.* 60 Sec./Min. = 41,400 Joules per minute.
41,400 * 0.239 joules per calorie = 9,895 calories (9,9 Kilo Calories) per minute.
9.9 Kilo calories per minute would raise 9,9 liters of water one degree Centigrade per minute.
Since we have only one half a liter (500 cc ) in the stuffing box, we would have to flush in 9,9 * 2 or 19,8 liters /
minute to prevent a temperature rise in the stuffing box.
The amount of heat generated by a properly installed balanced mechanical seal is insignificant.
The amount of heat generated by packing varies with the type of packing and the individual packing the pump. On
the average you will find that packing generates six times the heat of a balanced mechanical seal.

HEAT GENERATED BY FRICTION WITHIN THE PUMP

No pump is 100% efficient. If a pump is rated 60% efficient, that means that 40% of the power is being converted
to heat. In a normal temperature stabilized pump, running at its best efficiency point, (B.E.P.) the temperature rise
within the pump is calculated from the following formulas :

A temperature rise of 18 F across the pump or 10 Centigrade is considered excessive. This can occur if the
pump is run with a shut or excessively throttled discharged valve.

If you would like to calculate the temperature rise of the liquid in a running pump when the discharge is shut, use
the following formula:

HEAT FROM THE AMBIENT CONDITIONS

If pipes, pumps, valves and other equipment are placed next to hot boilers or exposed to extreme changes in
weather we'll have to consider this addition or removal of heat in troubleshooting temperature related
problems.
HEAT IN THE PRODUCT ITS SELF
All fluids are processed within some temperature range. It's this heat that we will be adding to, or subtracting
from. Many fluids are pumped close to the temperature at which they'll vaporize, solidify, coke, crystallize
etc.
It's critical that you determine the desired operating range for your fluid before you make any attempt to alter
it.

HEAT GENERATED BY PARTS RUBBING TOGETHER

Rotating parts rub against stationary parts when the pump shaft experiences deflection. L3/D4 explains this
problem in great detail.
HEAT GENERATED BY THE BEARING SEALS
These seals add heat at the worst possible location. Grease or lip seals will also cause shaft wear at the
point where the seal material rubs the rotating shaft.
WHAT AFFECT CAN ADDITIONAL HEAT HAVE ON THE LIQUID IN THE PUMP?
THE CORROSION RATE OF THE LIQUID WILL INCREASE :
A general rule of thumb is that all chemical reactions double with a eighteen degree Fahrenheit rise in
temperature (10 degrees Celsius). Corrosion is a chemical reaction and therefore corrosion increases with
temperature. This is the best reason for converting any acid pump from packing to a mechanical seal.
CRITICAL TOLERANCES WILL CHANGE.
Critical tolerances include: Wear ring clearance, seal face loading, throttle/ thermal bushing clearance,
bearing interference, impeller/ case clearance, pump/motor alignment, etc.
A general rule to remember is that each inch of stainless steel will grow 0.001" of an inch for each 100
degrees Fahrenheit temperature rise. In the metric system it grows 0,001 mm. per millimeter for each 100
degree Celsius rise.
Open impellers must be set to a specified clearance from the pump case or back plate. A 0.015" ( 0,5 mm.)
clearance would be typical. If you increase this clearance 0.002" (0,05 mm.) the pump will lose 1% of its
pumping capacity.
In closed impeller applications, the general rule is that each additional 0.001" (0,03 mm) of wear ring
clearance will decrease pump capacity by one percent.
Unfortunately all materials do not grow at the same rate and in the same direction. As an example: steel

grows about 60% to 70% less than stainless steel and most mechanical seal faces grow at about one third the
rate of stainless steel. This is important to remember when you set critical settings and interferences. It's also
one of the main reasons we should do everything we can to keep down excessive temperature rises within the
system.
This also explains why we have less trouble with mechanical seals and bearings in equipment that runs
continuously, as opposed to intermittent service equipment that goes through many temperature cycles.
SOME MECHANICAL SEAL FACES CAN BE DESTROYED.
Many of the popular carbon/ graphite seal faces have binders and impregnates that can be melted or
otherwise destroyed by excessive heat. Some of the lower cost carbons will blister when sub surface air
expands because of elevated temperature. This is the main reason I have advocated unfilled carbon/ graphite
seal faces at all of my Rotating Equipment Seminars.
Plated and coated hard faces are subject to heat checking and cracking if improper bonding methods have
been used. I do not recommend plasma spray processes for this reason.
Some of the cheaper ceramic faces can be cracked with as little as a 100 degree Fahrenheit (55 C.)
temperature differential across the seal face.
Pressed in carbons and hard faces can become loose in their holders. This has caused some seal
manufacturers to glue in seal faces and as you can imagine, not a very satisfactory solution.
Some seal face designs can go out of flat with very little temperature differential. This is very critical in
cryogenic (cold) applications and we often have to lap the seal faces at cryogenic temperatures to prevent
them from distorting in operation.
ELASTOMER (THE RUBBER PART) LIFE CAN BE DRASTICALLY SHORTENED
Heat will cause elastomers to take a compression set and if enough heat is added the elastomer will probably
become very hard and crack. All elastomer compounds have a rated operating temperature range
THE PRODUCT CAN CHANGE FROM A LIQUID TO EITHER A SOLID OR A GAS.

Water becomes steam. Glue, paint and all kinds of polymers with odd sounding names can solidify. Oil
changes its viscosity, caustic and sugar syrups crystallize and the list goes on and on. Centrifugal pumps and
mechanical seals can handle liquids, they have problems with vapors and solids.
If a Cryogenic fluid evaporates across a mechanical seal face it can freeze any installation lubricant that
might have been put on the face and either tear up the carbon, or break the hard face.
The easiest product to pump or seal, is a cool, clean, lubricating liquid. Heat can cause that liquid to
vaporize, crystallize, solidify, carbonize, build a film on surfaces, become dangerous etc.
The finest lubricating oils will not work when the oil breaks down to form first varnish then coke. The
bearing oil will start to do this if the oil gets above 240 F.(115 C.). Remember that a properly installed
bearing is running about 10 degrees F. (5 C) hotter than the oil temperature. You can only guess what kind of
temperature rise we get in improperly installed bearings. You should also remember that lubricating oil and
grease have a useful life of thirty years at 30C. and the life of the lubricant is cut in half for each 10C. rise
in temperature above that number
PIPE STRAIN
Pipe strain causes the shaft to be displaced from the center of the pump assembly. Rubbing, premature seal /
bearing failure and misalignment are always the result of this problem.
THE WASTING OF COSTLY ENERGY.
The energy we pay for can be used to move fluid in your process or heat it up. The pump's job is to move
fluid not generate heat. If you want to add heat to a liquid there are far more economical and efficient
methods of doing so.
CAVITATION
Cavitation is defined as cavities or bubbles in the liquid. A major cause of cavitation is caused by heating the
incoming liquid beyond its vapor/ pressure point.
CHANGING THE VISCOSITY OF THE BEARING OIL

Heat lowers the viscosity of the bearing oil causing increasing wear. As the oil heats up it will change state,
first forming a varnish coating and then turning into a black coke solid.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO LOWER THE AMOUNT OF HEAT BEING GENERATED WITHIN THE
PUMP.
PUMP SHAFT PACKING
With the development of the split mechanical seal in the early nineteen eighties pump packing has become
almost obsolete. Packing a pump shaft is like driving your automobile with the emergency brake engaged. A
balanced mechanical seal will generate six times less heat than a good set of packing. This saving in
electricity, or what ever form of energy you are purchasing will more than pay for the seal in less than two
years. A 50% return on investment should get the attention of any accountant.
THE MECHANICAL SEAL.
Use only the balanced type with low friction faces. Be sure to set the face load properly and remember this
has to be done when the pump is at its' operating temperature. A cartridge or split seal is the only way to set
face load. Back pull out pumps (A.N.S.I. or I.S.O. ) present a special problem because the seal is installed in
the shop and the initial open impeller setting is almost always made at the piping. Those designs that adjust to
the back plate are the exception.
Open impellers have to be adjusted to keep the pump running efficiently. The seal must be repositioned each
time the impeller is moved. Again, cartridge or split seals are your only option.
Be sure to vent vertical stuffing boxes to prevent air from being trapped in the stuffing box. Good seals have
this vent located in the seal gland.
Make sure dual seals have the barrier fluid circulating either by convection, a pumping ring, or through a
forced circulating system.
Check that the environmental controls are functioning properly. Cooling jackets stop functioning when
calcium builds up on the jacket wall. Condensate or steam are good alternatives if you have problems with
hard water.

Make sure that the stationary face is centered around the shaft to prevent rubbing if the shaft is displaced
because of run out, whip, wobble, unbalance, vibration, bending, misalignment etc.
BEARINGS
Check the oil level and change the oil on a regular basis. A pump running at 1750 rpm is almost the same as
running your car at 50 miles per hour. This means that every 2000 hours your pump shaft travels about one
hundred thousand miles. If the pump runs twenty four hours a day it will run 2000 hours in 83.3 days or just
under three months. Imagine that your pump bearings go 100 thousand miles every three months. At 1500 rpm
the pump bearings travel 150,000 kilometers every 90 days. Check the oil level with a properly installed oil
level gauge, or sight glass, not the dip stick we find installed on some pumps.
If the bearings are not fit properly they'll generate excessive heat. Refer to a bearing chart during your next
installation to insure you have the proper dimensions. The internal clearance in a properly installed bearing
is just a few ten thousands of an inch (thousands of a millimeter). To do this properly you'll need an induction
coil and a shaft that has been ground to the proper tolerances. Avoid cooling the outside diameter of the
bearing because it will shrink and generate still more heat. Cool the bearing oil, never the bearing or the
housing holding it.
The bearings should be lasting from twelve to fifteen years. Most failures are caused by lubrication
contamination or high heat. Improper installation is a major source of high heat problems, Try to do the job
carefully.
The grease or bearing lip seals should be thrown away and replaced with labyrinth seals or positive face
seals that will not add heat to the bearing oil or let contaminates into the oil reservoir. The labyrinth, or
positive face seals will not cut or wear the expensive shaft and as you know, this is a serious problem with
all grease seals.
AMBIENT HEAT
Nothing beats insulation for keeping high ambient temperature away from your pumping fluid.
More than one maintenance man has built a dog house over his pump and controlled the temperature within
the dog house.

OTHER HEAT SOURCES

Watch out for bypass lines and re circulating lines adding heat to the suction side of a pump.
With some parallel pump installations one of the check valves can see a higher back pressure causing the
pump to run with a throttled discharge and generating more heat.
A recirculation line from the discharge of the pump back to the stuffing box will not only add additional heat
to the fluid, but will also increase the amount of solids in the stuffing box. In almost every case you will be
better off connecting the line from the bottom of the stuffing box back to the suction side of the pump. Caution:
do not do this if you are pumping a fluid close to its vapor point.
Check the wear ring or impeller clearance on a regular basis. As the pump looses efficiency the heat and
vibration will increase.
Pipe strain can cause wear ring contact.
PUMP MODIFICATIONS THAT WILL EITHER LOWER THE AMOUNT OF HEAT BEING GENERATED OR
LESSEN THE AFFECT OF THIS HEAT.
Use a larger stuffing box for mechanical seal applications. You can use the jacketed type if you need extra
cooling. If you find there is not enough material to bore out the present box you can purchase the larger bore
box from your distributor or manufacturer as a spare part.
If the pumping temperature exceeds 200 F (95 C) convert the wet end of your pump to a "centerline design"
to avoid pipe strain at the suction side of the pump.
Convert to a solid stainless steel shaft to lessen the amount of heat that will be transferred to the bearings.
Add oil cooling to the bearing case if you're going to see higher temperatures. Be sure to cool the oil, never
the bearing outside diameter.
Convert to a "C" or "D" frame adapter to avoid misalignment problems.
Use mechanical seal designs that work better at these elevated temperatures. Desirable features would
include:
Balanced for low heat generation.
Split or cartridge for correct installation.
Carbon/metal composite for better heat dissipation.

High temperature elastomers or "no elastomer" designs

Solid rather than a coated hard face.
Springs out of the fluid.
Unfilled carbon for density
CONCLUSIONS
Excessive heat causes seal and bearing problems. Since the heat can increase corrosion, destroy seal faces,
vaporize the fluid, coke the oil, solidify some liquids and crystallize others, change critical tolerances, attack the
elastomers, increase the bearing squeeze, cause misalignment and pipe strain, etc, it would be ridiculous to try to
build a mechanical seal, or bearing capable of operating in excessive heat.
Most claims for high temperature seals address the problem of elastomers and ignore those other factors that we
have discussed in detail. This explains the popularity of the high temperature bellows seal that must be cooled in
all high temperature petroleum applications. There is no magic, but there is a sensible approach.
Do as many of those things we have discussed in the above paragraphs and if you find that you still have trouble,
try to find some logical method of getting additional cooling to the seal and bearing oil. We discussed a lot of
those options in the above paragraphs.
Heat is always a problem, but now you have the tools to fight back.

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