BG Standard

Mechanical Engineering

Selection and Design of Dry Gas Seals and Seal

Systems for Centrifugal Compressors

BGA-ENG-MECH-TS-0008

Value Assurance Framework (VAF)

 Value Assurance Framework (VAF) BG Standard
Selection and Design of Dry Gas Seals and Seal Systems

DOCUMENT INFORMATION SHEET

TITLE: Mechanical Technical Standard – Selection & design of dry gas seals and seal
systems

PURPOSE AND SCOPE:

This Standard highlights the lessons learned from BG and Industry experience in relation to the
selection, design and testing of dry gas seals and their support systems for centrifugal compressors.

Document No: Issue No: Issue Date:

BGA-ENG-MECH-TS-0008 01 16th February 2007

FOR ISSUE: (Issue after peer and cross functional review)

Position: Group Technical Authority, Mechanical
Signature:
and document custodian
Name: Alan Smith Email address: [email protected]

Originating Function : Engineering

HEAD FUNCTION APPROVALS: (NR – Functional Approval not required)

Dept. Signed by Name Position

Engineering M. Freeman Head of Engineering

Operations A. Pearce Head of Operations

Safety M.Tousignant Head of Safety

FINAL APPROVAL:
Signature: Position:

Name: Date:

APPROVAL AND ISSUE RECORD:

Issue Author Approved

Date Description
No. (name) (name)
01 Feb 2007 Issued for use Alan Smith Martin Freeman
01a Mar 2007 Revision Alan Smith Martin Freeman

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REVISION RECORD:

Issue No. Description of Revision

01a Additional paragraphs inserted

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1.0 INTRODUCTION 5
1.1 Purpose and Scope 6
1.2 Responsibilities 6
1.3 Quality 6
1.4 Definitions 7
1.5 Abbreviations 7
1.6 Units 7
1.7 Referenced / Associated document Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.0 SELECTION AND DESIGN REQUIREMENTS 9
2.1 General Application 9
2.2 Selection of Shaft Seal Manufacturer 9
2.3 Single Tandem/Multiple Dry Gas Seal Arrangements 11
2.3.1 Single Seal 11
2.3.2 Tandem Seals 11
2.3.3 Double Seals 12
2.3.4 Multiple Seals 12
2.3.5 Separation Seals 13
2.4 Seal Venting 13
2.5 Buffer/Seal/Separation Gas 13
2.5.1 Seal Gas 13
2.5.2 Buffer Gas 15
2.5.3 Separation Gas 15
2.6 Explosive Decompression 15
2.7 Seal Faces 15
2.8 Corrosive Process Gases 15
2.9 Seal Testing 16
2.10 Compressor Testing 16
3.0 FEEDBACK 17
APPENDIX A 18
LIST OF REFERENCED / ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS 18
APPENDIX B 19
FEEDBACK FORM 19

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

BG Standards and Guidelines provide structured and managed documents to capture and communicate
best practice and lessons learned for all areas of the business, to enhance value and to prevent the
repetition of unsatisfactory solutions and erosion of value.
BG Standards set minimum requirements in key areas of the business, e.g. HSSE and asset integrity, and
are mandatory. BG Guidelines are provided to support and complement the mandatory standards and to
provide advice and examples of recommended practice and are therefore discretionary. It is required,
however, that the content and recommendations of the Guidelines shall be understood and considered for
implementation.
It is BG policy to comply fully with all applicable statutory and local regulations. Note that if a BG Standard
requires a higher level of safety then it shall take precedence. If a conflict arises whereby a BG Standard or
Guideline appears to require a lower level of safety, then the applicable statutory and local regulations shall
be followed and the conflict shall be brought to the attention of the appropriate BG Group Technical
Authority / Document Custodian.
International Codes and Standards are referred to in BG Standards and Guidelines and underpin many of
BG’s requirements. National Codes and Standards may also be considered where they can be
demonstrated to achieve an equivalent technical result.
BG Standards and Guidelines shall be used in BG’s Operated assets including for new developments /
facilities and for modifications. The requirements for application in existing assets and for Non-Operated
and Joint Ventures are described in BG Standard BGA-ENG-GEN-OS-0001.
As BG Standards are mandatory, any proposed deviation from a BG Standard shall be approved by BG
Advance, Head of the originating function (e.g. Head of Engineering, Safety, Operations, Reservoir
Engineering) or his/her delegate, before any work is undertaken. The formal dispensation procedure BGA-
ENG-GEN-OS-0004 shall be used to request any dispensations. As BG Guidelines are not mandatory,
dispensations for deviations from BG Guidelines are NOT required.

The latest version of this document will be made available on the BG Group intranet (Portal). It is
the users responsibility to ensure that the latest version is used

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1.1 Purpose and Scope

This guideline is intended to highlight the lessons learned from BG and Industry experience in relation to
the selection, design and testing of dry gas seals and their support systems for centrifugal compressors.
Problems with compressor seal systems and seals have caused availability problems, and delayed and
extended commissioning. These problems have in many cases resulted from avoidable, poor seal selection
and system design. This guideline poses the questions which should be asked of the vendors to ensure
that the seal and its systems fall within vendor experience and have as much technical integrity as
possible.

The guideline is intended to apply to API 617 type centrifugal compressors only. It is meant to complement
industry standard/contractor specifications, not to replace them.

The range of Business segments and Value Funnel lifecycle stages to which this Guideline applies are
identified below:

All developments / projects, world-wide

Business
Upstream T&D Power LNG
Segment :
X X X

Stage : Create Assess Select Define Execute Operate Decommission

X X X

Note: Assess includes Feasibility studies, Select includes Option assessments, Define includes both Pre-FEED
Definition and FEED studies, Execute includes Detail Design, procurement, Construction and
Commissioning.

1.2 Responsibilities

Company representatives shall ensure that all personnel, including Company personnel and Contractors
involved in any works or services related to BG Standards and Guidelines, are informed of their existence,
the need for compliance with BG Standards and the adoption where practicable of the recommendations in
BG Guidelines.

Company representatives / Contractors shall ensure that applicable Standards and Guidelines, and
requirements thereof, are included in any relevant purchase order, contract or sub-contract documentation.

Company representatives / Contractors shall be responsible for developing suitable and sufficient
procedures and specifications (as appropriate to scope) to ensure that the requirements of BG Standards
are met and recommendations of BG Guidelines are adopted where practicable.

Any conflicts between this Standard / Guideline, other Company Standards / Guidelines, local or national
legislation and relevant national and international industry Codes and Standards shall be documented by
Company representatives / Contractor and submitted with a proposed resolution for review by the
Company (Group Technical Authority/Document Custodian). For BG Standards the Dispensation process
shall be used.

1.3 Quality

The correct application of BG Standards and Guidelines shall be subject to quality assurance audit in
accordance with the applicable Quality Management System.

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Contractors shall have in place an accredited Quality Management System that complies with a National or
International Standard that is appropriate to their scope of service or supply, unless agreed by the
Company. A quality conformance / inspection plan shall be provided for the purchase, testing and supply
of all services and items. Accredited systems shall be taken to mean compliance with the appropriate part
of ISO 9000 series of Quality Management Standards. Accreditation to alternative codes and standards
may be acceptable, subject to review and approval by the Company.

1.4 Definitions

In this document, the following definitions apply:

COMPANY BG Group or a wholly owned subsidiary company or other client organisation;

CONTRACTOR The person, firm or company undertaking to supply services plant, or equipment to
which his document applies;

SHALL A mandatory term - no dispensation is permitted without written approval using the
formal dispensation procedure;

GROUP The manager or principal discipline engineer responsible for identifying, generating,
TECHNICAL approving and maintaining a given Standard / Guideline;
AUTHORITY

PURCHASER A Procurement Contractor acting on behalf of Company, or Company itself, in the case
of a direct purchase;

INSPECTOR An Inspector directly responsible to the Purchaser for checking work covered by this
document;
VENDOR The main supplier or manufacturer of the items of plant or equipment to which this
document applies, including items that may be designed and / or manufactured
by others;

1.5 Abbreviations

API American Petroleum Institute

BS British Standard
DP Differential Pressure
ESD Emergency Shutdown
ESDV Emergency Shutdown Valve
FWPH Flowing Wellhead Pressure
ISO International Standards Organisation
MAOP Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure
RTD Resistance Temperature Device
SI Statutory Instrument

1.6 Units

Company requirements are that metric SI units shall be used throughout. If an asset requires imperial units
to be used for clarity then SI units will be stated followed by the local requirement in brackets. The following
exceptions shall apply:

• Pressure shall be expressed as either gauge pressure in barg or absolute pressure in bara,
gauge pressure being referenced to Standard Atmospheric pressure of 1.01325 bara.
•
o
Temperature shall be expressed as degrees Celsius ( C)
• Dynamic viscosity shall be expressed as centipoise (cP)

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In addition, the following common industry units shall also be used (applying dual units where appropriate):

• Volume gas flow in million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd)
• Volume liquid flow in barrels per day (bpd) or US gallons per minute (gpm) as appropriate
• Stock tank oil/condensate flow shall be expressed in stock tank barrels per day (stbpd) and
reflect the oil/condensate volumetric flow after flashing to stock tank conditions of 1.01325
bara and 15.5556 oC.

The definition of Standard Conditions for pressure and temperature that shall be applied is 1 atmosphere
pressure (or 1.01325 bara) and 15.5556 oC (rather than 1 atmosphere and 273.15 degrees Kelvin (0 oC).).

Any deviations to this definition to be consistent with local standards shall be discussed and
agreed with BG Advance Engineering but shall, as a minimum, be fully defined in the project Basis
of Design.

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2.0 SELECTION AND DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

2.1 General Application

API 617 type centrifugal compressors shall be fitted with dry gas seals for shafts unless the operating
conditions fall outside the operating experience of seal manufacturer’s, the compressors are operating in
vacuum service or when the compressor vendor strongly recommends some other sealing system.

If the operating case falls outside the experience of the seal vendor or the vendor strongly recommends
alternate sealing systems, the company shall be made aware of the specifics of the situation and approval
requested to the BGA Group Technical Authority to use an alternate shaft sealing system.

Prior to compressor purchase, the seal selection and seal system design shall be reviewed with both the
compressor vendor and the proposed seal manufacturer.

A typical system schematic is shown overleaf.

2.2 Selection of Shaft Seal Manufacturer

Approved Manufacturers

Seals shall be selected from those manufactured by, Eagle Burgmann, John Crane and Flowserve. Other
manufacturers may be offered additionally and approval requested from the Company, provided that they
can demonstrate at least five year’s good operating experience at similar conditions to those required for
the project on a minimum of two separate compressors.

It is strongly preferred that the compressor vendor has previously worked with the seal vendor and has
previously supplied compressors including such seals.

Operating Experience Review

Seal vendors’ experience shall be reviewed in terms of operating experience with the seals offered.
Parameters to be considered are:

• Process gas characteristics, i.e. molecular weight range, carbon dioxide content, sweet, sour, wet,
dry, etc;
• Dynamic sealing pressure and temperature
• Static sealing pressure;
• Shaft diameter;
• Shaft speed (maximum continuous speed);
• Seal speed multiplied by the sealing pressure (this parameter is more important than the sealing
pressure or the seal speed parameters individually)
• Slow roll and barring conditions;
• Reverse rotation

For each parameter of the required seal, the seal vendor shall have operating experience which is
equivalent to, or more arduous than, that of the required seal, preferably all in one application. In some
circumstances the manufacturer will not have built an identical seal previously, but it will be possible to
generate an overall capability envelope within which the offered seal should reside. It should be noted that
operation at a less arduous condition than that required does not demonstrate effective performance for the
parameter in question.

All products are subject to upgrade and change and therefore, while the model designation of a seal may
remain unchanged, important design changes may have been made which do not have the requisite
operating experience. An example would be ‘O’ ring or elastomeric seal materials used as secondary
sealing elements within the seal. ‘O’-rings are now commonly replaced by polymer seals and these may

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vary in design. Any such modifications need to be reviewed and understood and any testing reviewed. It is
preferable to remain with the materials and design for which appropriate operating experience can be
demonstrated.

Testing program should be reviewed and agreed by all parties. It is important that the seal is tested to its
full field operating envelope.

The shaft seal cartridge has two main parts, the dry gas seal itself which keeps the process gas in the
compressor casing and a seal, often referred to as the separation (“barrier” or sometimes “tertiary”) seal,
which prevents oil ingress from the bearing housing. Depending on the seal arrangement and the
application, various sealing and buffer gases are introduced to the seal cartridge. Sealing and buffer gases
are discussed later in this guideline.

Radial bearing
Radial bearing

DGS
CARTRIDGE Barrier seal
Barrier seal

Figure 2.1 Typical Tandem Dry Gas Seal Arrangement

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2.3 Single Tandem/Multiple Dry Gas Seal Arrangements

2.3.1 Single Seal

A single seal has one dry gas sealing stage to make the seal. In the event of failure there is no back up
and therefore the process gas will escape through vents, but may also leak into the bearing housing and
locally to the compressor creating a hazard. This arrangement is not suitable for hazardous gases. In
this context, even gases such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide shall be considered hazardous for their
asphyxiant properties. As such a single seal design is deemed unacceptable for anything other than an
air compressor.

2.3.2 Tandem Seals

A tandem seal has two similar dry gas sealing stages operating in series. The first seal withholds the full
sealing pressure and the second seal acts as a back-up to the first seal in the event of failure of the first
seal. Company expects that tandem seals will generally be used. (The industry no longer favours
multiple seals see below and these should not be specified.)

Tandem Seal Arrangement with Labyrinth Separation Seal

An enhanced Tandem design has an intermediate labyrinth. This may be fed with a buffer gas, usually
nitrogen, as shown in the diagram below, to avoid any leakage of process gas beyond the primary vent
stage. The efficiency of this arrangement obviously depends on the reliability of the nitrogen supply.
Although the seal will not fail if the nitrogen supply is curtailed or insufficient, it would allow, under those
circumstances, the passage of a small amount of process gas to the secondary vent.

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Tandem Seal Arrangement with N2 Buffer Gas

2.3.3 Double Seals

Alternatively where it is not acceptable for any leakage of process gas to atmosphere and compressor
operates at suitable low pressures (usually <25 bar suction) a double seal can be specified. This
normally uses an inert buffer gas e.g. nitrogen which leaks into the process gas. The integrity of a double
seal cartridge is dependant on the reliability of the N2 gas supply. If the N2 gas supply fails then this can
cause a failure of the DGS. The limitations of the double seal arrangement stem mainly from heat
generation concerns. These seals should therefore not be selected on predetermined limits as there are
too many variables, so a job-by-job basis for selection with consultation from the seal vendor is more
prudent.

Double Seal Arrangement with Carbon Ring Separation Seal

2.3.4 Multiple Seals

Multiple seals, in either triple or quadruple form, were specified until the late 1990s when a single seal
stage could not withhold the full sealing pressure. In these configurations the pressure is broken down
over two or more stages. The advent of single sealing stages with a capability up to 425 bar has made
these designs much less attractive, especially when the complications of a system to control both inter-
stage pressures and cooling cross-flows are taken into account.

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2.3.5 Separation Seals

These seals are located between the seal cavity and the bearing housing to prevent oil ingress to the
seals from the bearing housing. There are principally two types of separation seal, the labyrinth-type seal
and the close-fitting, segmented carbon-ring-type seal. The carbon-ring-type seal minimises any purge
gas leakage across the seal, which is advantageous; however the life expectancy of these seals is less
than that of a labyrinth type seal and the impact of this on reliability should be considered. Hot spots in
an area where highly flammable lubricating oil vapour is present are to be avoided. The labyrinth-type
seal is therefore preferred. Approval from the Company is required to use close-fitting carbon-ring-type
seals.

The purge gas for the separation seal, usually nitrogen, flows through the bearing housing and down the
drain lines into the reservoir. This gas will therefore provide a nitrogen blanket to the lubricating oil
reservoir.

2.4 Seal Venting

The tandem seal arrangement has a primary vent and a secondary vent. The primary vent is between
the two seals. This vent will be connected to the plant vent system, and in the case of hydrocarbon or
flammable gases to the plant flare system. Back pressure in this system has to be agreed with the seal
supplier to ensure satisfactory operation of the primary seal. It is important to ensure that the seal is not
subjected to a reverse pressure condition as this can cause premature failure.

The primary vent connection vents the small flow of process gas which passes the primary seal. It must
also vent the full flow in the event of seal failure. The pressure in this cavity is important since it directly
affects the pressure drop across the primary seal and the secondary seal. It has been found that for the
secondary seal to function satisfactorily it must have a minimum positive differential pressure. Equally,
the secondary seal can also experience problems when the primary vent pressure is too high. The
primary vent pressure therefore requires to be controlled by a pressure control valve on the vent line.
The set pressure shall be reviewed with both the compressor and the seal manufacturer ensuring that
abnormal operating conditions, such as plant blow down, start-up and shutdown have been accounted
for. The primary vent is also considered to be the best point to monitor the condition of the seals. High
pressure in the primary vent line indicates failure of the primary seal stage and low pressure indicates
problems with the secondary seal stage. These high/ low pressure alarms should be incorporated into
the DGS control system.

The secondary vent is between the secondary dry gas seal and the separation seal. It should be routed
to an atmospheric vent as excessive back pressure can cause the seal to mal-function.

2.5 Buffer/Seal/Separation Gas

Dry gas seals are sensitive to corrosive gases and gases which contain particulates or liquid droplets.
Buffer or seal gas can be introduced into the seal cavity between the compressor casing end labyrinth
and the seal, and at other places in the seal.

Different terms have been used to describe these gas streams, potentially causing confusion. Gas
introduced between the seal and the compressor casing end labyrinth is called Seal Gas; gas introduced
between tandem seals is called Buffer Gas; and gas introduced between the secondary seal and the
bearing, i.e. into the separation (or tertiary) seal, is called Separation Gas.

Seal gas and buffer gas flows shall be specified to account for labyrinth wear and increased clearances,
and support systems designed to provide the required flow.

2.5.1 Seal Gas

To prevent the ingress of contaminants into the dry gas seal from the compressor casing, seal gas from
a higher pressure outlet from the compressor is injected between the compressor casing and the seal
cartridge. This seal gas may be taken from compressor discharge or from one of the higher wheel

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stage, It is a filter / coalescer, (typically 2 micron filtration, coalescer filters should be considered),
pressure regulated and, depending upon the gas condition, superheated to ensure a clean, dry gas
passes through the seal.

During start-up and shutdown, the compressor cannot produce sufficient head to deliver gas through the
seal. For ‘dirty’, i.e. unfiltered and/or dried, process gas services this has proven to be a problem and
can cause seal failure. To overcome this, several options are available:

• Clean dry process gas of sufficient pressure may be brought from another part of the plant;
• Nitrogen may be used if available at a suitable pressure & temperature;
• A small booster compressor may be used to maintain the supply of seal gas. If a booster
compressor is to be considered, then operating experience for the unit offered shall be reviewed
since reliability issues have been indicated. Generally preference should be given to systems
which do not require seal gas compression. If a lubricated piston type compressor is to be used
for boosting seal gas consideration should be given to the possibility of oil from the compressor
seals becoming entrained in the seal gas and potentially damaging the DGS.

It is important to ensure that the quality of process gas supplied to the seal gas system is adequate. In
practice, the conditions and quality of process gas feeding the seal gas system have been known to
differ from those predicted at the design stage. Reasons may include:

• Long runs of connecting pipework being subject to significant ambient cooling, e.g. resulting
from relatively low night-time temperatures;
• Excessive cooling of process gas under low flow conditions;
• Particulate contamination.
• Lack of suitable heat tracing and/or lagging of pipework
• Process reasons e.g different wells or pipelines have been brought on stream

These factors have resulted in problems with dry gas seal systems due to liquids, hydrates and even ice
under static pressurised conditions, as well as particulate contamination entering sensitive seal systems.

Compressors in H2S service shall use “sweet”, clean and dry gas as the seal gas. If necessary this will
be a separate supply from another part of the process with pressure boosting and control.

Vendors should always be requested to produce phase diagrams for the process gas and systems shall
be designed to accommodate expected variations in pressure and temperatures. It is recommended that
at all stages of gas expansion from seal pressure to atmospheric the gas be maintained at a temperature
equal to a minimum of 20°C above the dewpoint of the gas. This ensure that liquid drop out is avoided.

When the compressor is held pressurised at settle-out there is no supply of filtered seal gas preventing
‘dirty’ process gas from passing under the inboard labyrinth and contaminating the DGS. In addition
natural cooling can cause condensate dropout which can then pass through the seal upon start-up. It is
sometimes necessary to limit the time the compressor can remain at settle-out to keep the gas in the
casing above its dewpoint. This can be achieved with a timer used to initiate blow down. Where it is not
appropriate to blow down the compressor on settle-out, gas booster systems can be installed to maintain
a warm clean flow of gas to the seals. These typically incorporate heaters and pressure intensifiers and
automatically detect a low seal gas flow at start-up.
For high pressure compressors, condensate and hydrates can be formed by the Joule-Thompson
cooling effect when gas pressure reduces as the gas passes through the seal. In this instance it is
recommended that a temperature measuring device (RTD) be installed in the cavity between the tandem
seals to enable temperature monitoring. An RTD should only be installed when gas quality and
conditions dictate a genuine need, since it complicates maintenance.

Seal gas flow into the seal shall be measured to demonstrate that the system is functioning adequately.
Pressure is not a suitable substitute to flow as the primary indicator. Seal gas flow should be designed to
ensure a minimum flow rate of 7m/s across the inboard compressor labyrinth. This requires a much
larger flow than that which passes through the first stage of the gas seal. Correct calculation of the

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necessary flow therefore depends on detailed knowledge of the inner labyrinth’s performance which
must be supplied by the compressor vendor.

Care should be taken to ensure that both the seal vendor and the control system vendor are in
agreement as to the suitability of the system to meet the requirements of the DGS. Wherever possible,
seals and control systems should be sourced from the dry gas seal vendor.

2.5.2 Buffer Gas

If the process gas is hazardous and or flammable, then a labyrinth shall be provided between the two
seals and a buffer gas introduced. The purpose of this gas is to prevent process gas from leaking
through the seal under normal operation to the secondary vent (which is atmospheric). Nitrogen shall be
used for this service.

2.5.3 Separation Gas

The purpose of separation gas is to prevent any lubricating oil or vapours from entering the dry gas seal
cartridge. As noted above this gas is often the same as that used for buffer gas and therefore nitrogen
shall be used. Separation gas will flow through the bearings and down the drain lines into the reservoir
and will therefore provide a nitrogen blanket for the reservoir.

2.6 Explosive Decompression

Explosive decompression has historically been a concern in the design of dry gas seals. However the
elastomers used to produce the “O” rings have been improved considerably to reduce the possibility of
explosive decompression. Furthermore, most modern seals tend to use flat seal rings (gaskets), or
polymer seals (spring energised PTFE ‘U’-rings) which, in contrast to ‘O’ rings, do not suffer from
explosive decompression. De-compression rates greater than 20 bar per minute are not recommended.

The seal design should therefore be checked for the following:

• Does the seal have a maximum decompression rate and is it set by elastomer/seal design?
• Does the seal use ‘O’ rings? If it does then the experience of the seal at the specified
conditions and vendor confirmation regarding explosive decompression is required.
• If the seal uses ‘O’ rings, what testing has been carried out by the vendor to demonstrate
the integrity of the seal-build with respect to seal hang up?

If there is a choice, seals using flat rings, or polymer seals should be used.

2.7 Seal Faces

There has been much discussion about seal faces materials within the industry and the effect of any seal
rubbing which may occur under unusual circumstances. The experience of the seal vendor shall be
questioned in this regard. It is not required that the seal face be manufactured from an extremely hard
material, a hard surface only may be sufficient.

2.8 Corrosive Process Gases

In general seal materials shall be selected to be resistant to any corrosive environment produced by the
process gas. Seal vendors should be questioned about their experience with the materials offered in the
predicted process environment. Seal ring materials should be included in this review.

Care must be taken to ensure that all foreseeable process conditions are addressed. For example, while
the presence of acid gas components in the process gas may be deemed non-corrosive under water-dry
conditions, if there is a possibility under abnormal conditions of condensed water being present then
acidic fluids will develop which can cause corrosion. For example, the labyrinths installed at the
compressor shaft end and the labyrinths installed in the seal itself produce pressure drops which can
cause water drop out to occur.

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In general it is preferred that corrosion resistant seal materials be selected for components that are
directly exposed to potentially corrosive gas service, rather than relying upon calculation to demonstrate
that drop out will not occur.

Materials conforming to the NACE standard should be considered as appropriate.

2.9 Seal Testing

The seal cartridge shall be tested at the seal vendors works. The first intention of these tests is to
demonstrate that the seal leakage rates are within the limits guaranteed by the manufacturer. The
second is to demonstrate the mechanical integrity of the seal. It is important to take the seal through a
full pressure reduction and repressurisation cycle to demonstrate that seal hang-up will not occur. Since
elastomeric materials are temperature sensitive, the seals shall be run at temperature to demonstrate
integrity. Since casing discharge temperatures are usually limited by “O” ring materials, the seal shall be
tested to the compressor maximum and minimum allowable temperature.

Seal flow shall be measured under both static and dynamic conditions. Static testing shall be carried out
at 125 percent of the maximum operating seal pressure, where this does not exceed the design pressure
of the seal. Dynamic testing shall be carried out at 125 percent of maximum seal operating pressure at
the compressor maximum allowable temperature. Speed should then be reduced to zero and pressure
and temperature reduced to atmospheric as quickly as possible. It should then be increased back up to
maximum continuous speed and maximum operating pressure and the leakage measured again.

2.10 Compressor Testing

The selected contract seals and seal control systems shall be used for mechanical and performance
testing. The project seals shall not be disassembled after testing in the compressor providing no
problems were detected with the seals during test. The compressor vendor’s standards shall be followed
with respect to whether the dry gas seals will be fitted in the compressor for shipment. If shipped with
seals fitted the vendor shall describe how damage is prevented resulting from shaft movement.

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3.0 FEEDBACK

Where inaccuracies, errors, omissions or other general areas for quality or performance improvement are
identified in this document the Feedback Form, provided in Appendix B shall be completed and returned to
the Group Technical Authority (Document Custodian) identified in the Document Information Sheet.

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APPENDIX A

LIST OF REFERENCED / ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS

• American Petroleum Institute: API 617

• National Association of Corrosion Engineers: NACE MR 0175 / ISO 15156

Special thanks is extended to Granherne, Eagle Burgmann and John Crane for their participation in the drafting
of this document

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 Value Assurance Framework (VAF) BG Standard
Selection and Design of Dry Gas Seals and Seal Systems

APPENDIX B
FEEDBACK FORM

FEEDBACK FORM

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