Under What Circumstances Do I Need to Replace the Seals of the Slurry Pump Bearing Box?

A leak occurred

Media leakage: During operation, if slurry or lubricating oil is found to seep out of the bearing box seal, it means that the seal can no longer effectively prevent the media leakage. It may be that the seal is worn, aging or damaged, resulting in a degradation of the sealing performance and needs to be replaced in time. If the slurry pump is transporting ore slurry, there will be dripping in the bearing box, which will pollute the environment and may also affect the normal operation of the bearing.

Pressure changes lead to leakage: When the operating pressure of the pump fluctuates abnormally, the seal may be damaged due to the inability to withstand the pressure changes, causing leakage. If the slurry pump is started or stopped, the instantaneous change in pressure may cause the seal to be impacted, causing the seal to fail.

Wear and aging

Normal wear: During long-term use, seals will frequently contact and friction with shafts, bearing boxes and other components, and will gradually wear. When the wear amount reaches a certain level and the sealing gap increases, the sealing effect cannot be guaranteed. Generally speaking, the seal may need to be replaced after running for a certain period of time (such as continuous operation for more than 8,000 hours) or conveying a certain amount of media.

Aging becomes harder and brittle: Seals made of rubber and other materials will gradually age due to factors such as temperature and chemical media. The elasticity of the aging seal is reduced, hardened and brittle, and it is prone to cracks, fractures, etc., and the sealing performance is lost. For example, if the slurry pump works in a high temperature environment, the aging speed of the seal will be accelerated.

Improper installation or removal

Installation damage: When installing the seal, if the operation is not standardized, such as inadequate installation, distortion, deformation, etc., it will cause sealing problems in the early stages of operation and need to be reinstalled or replaced. For example, when installing an oil seal, if the oil seal lip does not fit well with the shaft surface, it will cause lubricating oil to leak.

Disassembly Damage: If the seal is accidentally damaged when disassembling the bearing box or other related components, even if the seal can work normally before, a new seal needs to be replaced to ensure sealing performance.

Performance degradation

Abnormal temperature rise: After the seal is worn or damaged, it may cause lubricating oil in the bearing box to leak, causing the bearing to not be well lubricated and cooled, thereby causing the bearing temperature to rise. When the bearing temperature exceeds the normal operating temperature range (such as exceeding 70C) and other reasons are excluded, it is likely that the seal is problematic and needs to be inspected and replaced.

Vibration and noise increase: Failure of the seal may cause unstable operation of components in the bearing box, resulting in abnormal vibration and noise. This not only affects the normal operation of the pump, but may further damage other components. At this time, the seal should be checked and replaced in time.

Changes in media properties

Enhanced corrosion: If the pH, chemical composition, etc. of the slurry change, the corrosion rate will increase, and the seal may be corroded and its performance will be degraded. For example, in the chemical industry, when process adjustments lead to an increase in the acidic content in the slurry, it may accelerate the corrosion of the seal.

Gross particle size: When the solid particle size in the slurry increases or the content increases, the wear of the seal will intensify. For example, in the mining industry, after the ore crushing process is adjusted, the ore particles in the slurry become coarse, which will make the seal more likely to wear and require more frequent inspection and replacement.