packing friction on valve performance? By Dr Thomas Klenk, ESA member
The drawback is that it does not dissipate
heat as effectively as flexible graphite. Flexible graphite shows acceptable values of the friction coefficients in both low and Conflicting requirements for the gland load Excessive drag increases equipment high temperature applications but with Gland Load power consumption and operating cost, increased values for static friction in some The efficient operation of valves and The and can ultimately result in equipment cases. Often end rings of braided graphite efficient operation of valves and pumps is failure. or carbon yarn packing or wire-reinforced highly influenced by the friction caused by On the other hand low gland load leads in braided packing are used as wiper rings stuffing box packings during shaft or stem most cases to increased and unacceptable to reduce friction by minimizing the build- movement. leakages. up of graphite on the moving surfaces. During the assembly of the stuffing box They also work well to inhibit packing the packing is compressed axially to Material extrusion and help to support the radial produce a radial contact and hence a The friction force is influenced by the whip of the rotating or reciprocating shaft/ force that controls leakage. This radial coefficient of friction between the packing stem. load has to produce a contact pressure on material and the stem of the valve or shaft At moderate temperatures the the shaft or stem and bore high enough of pumps. combination of PTFE and graphite shows to overcome the process fluid pressure. In general, the commonly used packing good coefficient of friction: 0.15 to 0.05 The equipment shaft, spindle or stem material PTFE has the lowest friction for static and dynamic friction respectively. drive mechanism has to readily overcome coefficient. Also the difference between both static and dynamic or running friction the static or breakout friction and dynamic Number of Rings during operation. friction coefficients is less for PTFE Often, the number of packing rings in the High packing friction can impede the packings than other materials. Increased stuffing box far exceeds what is necessary equipment performance and efficiency temperatures reduce the friction of PTFE for effective sealing. The use of too many by generating too much drag and heat. further to really low levels. rings increases the contact area on the
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shaft/stem and as a result, the
packing drag prohibits the shaft/ stem from moving effectively, even if it is air or motor- operated. The large number of rings generally increases both the static, or breakaway, friction and the dynamic, or running, friction. An excellent standard is to use four or five packing rings and to add elements such as solid carbon bushings or similar to fill the rest of the stuffing box where necessary.
Packing Ring Cross
Section Square cross-section rings are used in the majority of dynamic applications. Some cone or wedge shaped moulded Typical friction coefficients of different packing materials at room temperature packings offer enhanced radial expansion capability at lower gland pressure, which Conclusion To mitigate excessive compression could result in lower friction in valves that Excessive packing friction adversely packing friction, consider the following: cycle several thousand times an hour. impacts valve performance and energy 1. Use the packing material and design However, due to the narrow cross- consumption, which translates to an that will seal without generating section of some stuffing boxes, it may increase in operating and equipment excessive friction. be difficult to design a cone or wedge cost. Excessive packing friction may 2. Ensure that the equipment is in packing to fit. Furthermore, if one is also increase equipment downtime satisfactory operating condition. designed, it may be extremely difficult due to packing failure and/or sudden 3. Repack the equipment when the to install. While both the wedge and equipment failure. Packing friction can packing and gland are fully compressed cone designs initially give low breakaway cause major wear damage. It may also if leakage is excessive. Do not install friction, studies show that there is little cause overloading of the equipment drive additional packing rings. difference in running friction once packing mechanism, which can cause overheating consolidation is achieved. For quick and damage to motors and actuators. For more information on this topic see turnaround and availability, square packing The demand imposed at start-up by the following sections in the FSA-ESA rings are more readily available and breakaway friction on the motor, air- Compression Packing Technical Manual: installation can be accomplished with less or hydraulic-driven shaft/stem can be How packing works, Valve packing types, difficulty. Additional assembly benefit can overwhelming. If the torque to overcome Pump packing types, be provided by using special bushes with the packing friction exceeds the maximum Specialty equipment packing, Advances in increased height. power of the drive mechanism it may compression packing, Protocol for proper cause catastrophic failure and may even packing selection and Definition and uses of Lubrication cause harm to the operator. compression packing. Braided packing friction can be reduced by the addition of suitable lubricants in the packing during the manufacturing The European Sealing Association (ESA) has produced this article as a guide process. However, these lubricants can towards Best Available Techniques for sealing systems and devices. These articles be destroyed by excessive tightening of are published on a regular basis, as part of their commitment to users, contractors the packing or thermal decomposition and OEMs, to help to find the best solutions for sealing challenges and to achieve from the operating conditions. Also, some maximum, safe performance during the lifetime of the seal. The ESA is the voice chemicals can react with certain lubricants, of the fluid sealing industry in Europe, collaborating closely with the Fluid Sealing Association (FSA) of the USA. This article is derived from an original article from our causing the lubricants to quickly dry out colleagues in the FSA, which first appeared as a Sealing Sense article in Pumps and and the packing to become brittle and Systems magazine. For more information, please visit www.europeansealing.com abrasive to the shaft/stem.