Failure Mechanism and Improvement Measures of Mechanical Seal for  Slurry Pump Based on FMEA

According to a company's real data on returning mechanical seals for slurry pumps to the factory for repairs in recent years, the proportion of seal failures caused by failures of various sealing elements was worked out. We analyzed various sealing elements based on the basic structure and working principle of mechanical seals for slurry pumps failure mechanism and manifestation, and summarized the maintenance and treatment methods. By using the failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) method, we calculated the risk sequence number (RPN) of each potential failure mode of the mechanical seal for slurry pumps, and the results show that the risk sequence number of failure modes are end face deformation, temperature abnormality, seal element wear, corrosion, etc. According to the analysis results, corresponding improvement and optimization measures are proposed from the design, manufacture, installation, and operation processes to reduce the risk of failure, extend the service life of the device, and reduce the cost of using the mechanical seal for the slurry pump.