Sealing blade roots on water turbines
A
James Walker and Co product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Feb 16, 2006
Seal for blade roots of water turbines used in hydroelectric power generation comes in endless form to turbine manufacturers for OEM fitment and in split form for on-site joining when retrofitted.
Solosele KB Hydro has been developed by James Walker to solve sealing problems on the blade roots of Kaplan water turbines used in hydroelectric power generation.
Field trials on turbines around the world prove that it out-performs and operates significantly better than the multi-lip seals commonly used - especially on worn equipment.
It is supplied in endless form to turbine manufacturers for OEM fitment, and in split form for swift and simple on-site joining (OSJ) when retrofitted by turbine operators.
The OSJ option combines the performance of a fully moulded seal with the maintenance advantages of a split seal.
It can save days of unnecessary turbine downtime and labour costs as the seal is efficiently joined around the blade root without removing the blade.
The robust elastomeric lip seal is reinforced with an integral anti-extrusion element of rubber-proofed fabric.
The lip profile lets the seal work efficiently for many years on a blade root that rotates out-of-true or runs on worn bearings.
This construction gives low and high pressure sealing capability, especially with a double seal arrangement where negative and fluctuating pressure conditions are handled effectively.
The anti-extrusion element also prevents the seal from stretching and bunching as the blade root rotates, yet is sufficiently flexible for easy fitting.
Product Manager Mark Syer of James Walker said: "A typical blade root sealing arrangement has two Solosele KB Hydro seals fitted back-to-back in the housing".
"This keeps lubricant in the system and prevents the ingress of water and abrasive particles".
"Radial squeeze on the elastomeric body of the seal in its housing ensures that it works efficiently under stationary conditions and during turbine start-up".
The seal's short axial length saves housing space on new turbines.
On older equipment with deeper housings, the seals can be installed with spacer rings to move the lips onto unworn areas of the blade root for smoother and more efficient operation.
Solosele KB Hydro is precision moulded in nitrile elastomer in a range of sections and diameters to fit blade roots up to 1100mm diameter.
Seals above this size can be custom designed and manufactured.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Contact James Walker and Co
Tel +44 1270 536000
Other James Walker and Co stories
-
James Walker publishes rotary sealing guide
James Walker has released a two-part rotary sealing guide, focusing on Walkersele high-efficiency radial lip seals. -
Hydrosele success at Italian pumped storage plant
James Walker's Hydrosele has proved its sealing efficiency by running maintenance free for over two years at ENEL's Entracque pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme in Italy. -
Gland packing passes emissions testing
Supagraf Premier gland packing can be used with both live-loaded and unloaded valve stem sealing systems to help meet IPPC environmental requirements. -
Packing passes emissions tests with ease
Supagraf Premier compression packing has beaten TA-Luft VDI 2440 emission control requirements by a significant margin. -
Sealing system controls fugitive emissions
Six cartridge seals with floating glands, custom-designed by James Walker, have now operated problem-free for over 12 years at a major UK refinery.
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (903)
- Machine Building (4,517)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,179)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (200)
- 3D CAD software (1,157)
- FEA and structural analysis software (369)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (914)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (196)
- Materials design and moulding design software (151)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (258)
- Electrical design software (164)
- Publishing and documentation software (229)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (317)
- Data, document management software (310)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (568)
- File conversion software, data capture (351)
- PLM and collaboration software (649)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,361)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (411)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,276)
- Linear Drives and Motors (114)
- Industrial Motors (497)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,060)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,975)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,028)
- Plantwide control (1,324)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,174)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (387)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (201)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (562)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (294)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (806)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,459)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (494)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (472)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (630)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (703)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (440)
- Data loggers (422)
- Materials testing equipment (421)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (500)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,222)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,160)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (555)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (679)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (709)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (420)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (798)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (369)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (630)
-
Materials and Processing (2,963)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,215)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (285)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,093)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (562)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (400)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (349)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (433)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (838)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (277)
-
Powertrain Design (3,598)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (939)
- Chains and belts (326)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,441)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (418)
-
Capital Equipment (3,387)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (510)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,093)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (930)
-
Sensors (7,080)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (427)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (699)
- Pressure sensors (621)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (618)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (527)
- Linear Position Sensors (399)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (546)
- Proximity Sensors (700)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (284)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (152)
- Temperature sensors (612)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,384)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,623)
