A mechanical seal developed locally as a spares alternative for a
leading make of submersible pump is now being exported
globally.
Originally reverse-engineered to fit a specific type of pump
commonly found in South African mines, the AES Seal Type T-05
mechanical bauxite crushing plantseal is said to have been recognised by repair companies
as substantially lowering refurbishment costs for the submersible
pump’s large installed user base.
“Thzenith flow chart for crushing plante price of the T-05 is a fraction of the
original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) equivalent,” says AES
Seal MD Rob Waites. His company procured all rights to the3footer cone crusher manual kit South
African-developed product in 1998, and subjected prototypes to
rigorous finite element analysis, redesign, in-house testing and
field testing before the final version was launched as the type
T-05 seal early last year.
A spokesperson for AES Seal is careful to emphasise that his
company was not challenging the name of the OEM, but merely
producing a mechanical seal at a lower price.
The spokesperson estimates that some mines are spending about
R3,5-million each year on spare seals for submersible pumps. Apart
from seal faces and elastomers, manufacture of the T-05 is entirely
from stainless steel.
Composite materials and plastics are not used. Inspection is
computer-controlled, using three-axis inspection equipment. All
seals are preloaded to ensure accurate installation, a reduced
installation time and the elimination of machining associated with
pump refurbishment.
Compact and robust, the T-05 seal slides on to the pump shaft and
is fixed in position on either the wet or oil side of the pump by
angled grub screws.
The seals are then set by removing spring clips after pump
reassembly.
“After a year on the market, AES Seal claims an unprecedented
success rate compared to OEM spare seals,” Waites
notes.
In most instances the uptime is still being measured, as the
recently installed spare seals have not yet experienced a single
failure, he adds.