Failure Mode Analysis of Mechanical Seals

Abstract

Mechanical seals are important to prevent leakage and entry of foreign particles into the system. Therefore, failure of mechanical seals can be hazardous to the system. Understanding the various failure modes or symptoms will facilitate improvement in design, operation, and reliability of the mechanical seals. Failure modes of mechanical seals are analyzed by using the 'Digraph Modeling and Matrix Approach'. Mechanical seal failure logic diagraph (MSFLD) is prepared for failure modes of mechanical seals and is described by contributing cause events (direct and indirect) and their inter-relations. The connection and reachability matrix is used to analyze the digraph model. The mechanical seal failure connection matrix (MSFCM) is obtained from the MSFLD, and the MSFRM is derived from it, which helps in identifying the stage relationship among various cause events and their importance. This helps in taking appropriate steps to minimize the failure and improve the reliability of the mechanical seals.