Kalsi Engineering continues to perform high-pressure rotary seal tests directed at increasing the operating life of high-pressure rotary swivels. Such equipment includes washpipe assemblies, cement swivels, hydraulic swivels, rotating control devices, and similar sealed rotary applications.
We recently completed a 9,800 psi test with a pair of plastic lined high-pressure rotary seals. The high-pressure seals incorporate our new Extra Wide Plus™ lip width which is much wider than the Extra Wide Plastic Lined Seal™. The additional lip width increases seal life at high operating pressures while still fitting in the same groove as the Extra Wide Plastic Lined seal.
The rotary seals retained an ISO 68 viscosity grade oil that was maintained at 9,800 psi and 120°F while the 4.500” shaft was rotating at 120 rpm. The test was run for 125 hours and as can be seen in Figure 1, the high-pressure rotary seals were in very good condition afterwards.
The test setup (Figure 2) included a pair of 4.50” diameter Extra Wide Plus high-pressure rotary seals installed in our floating metal backup rings. In comparison, a pair of Extra Wide Plastic Lined seals only lasted 120 hours at the same operating conditions.
The Extra Wide Plus Plastic Lined Seal™ provides another option for equipment designers to achieve long rotary seal life while operating at extreme pressures. Contact our staff for assistance in implementing the best high-pressure rotary seal for your application.
