Shaft sealing system aids hydro reliability

HydroSele is an innovative shaft sealing system that will cut maintenance and improve the reliability and profitability of Francis and Kaplan water turbines in hydropower plant.

HydroSele is the innovative shaft sealing system from James Walker that will cut maintenance and improve the reliability and profitability of Francis and Kaplan water turbines in hydropower plant across the world.

Simple to install and adjustment free, this split-type cartridge seal comes with an extended three year guarantee, subject to agreed operating conditions.

At the end of the guarantee period, the unit is economically refurbished on site in just a few hours to return it to good-as-new condition for a further three years of high integrity sealing.

Explained James Walker product manager Tim Smith: "HydroSele is the result of over ten years of design and development, plus long-term field trials on operational turbines".

"The trials show that it works very efficiently under a wide variety of conditions and can pay for itself in less than two years in terms of maintenance costs, reduced turbine downtime and power absorption".

"At four years, the user's total investment in cash and downtime could be just one-quarter of that for an equivalent mechanical seal".

HydroSele is a fully split cartridge unit containing two highly developed sealing elements working back-to-back with flush water introduced between them.

In operation, the elements are pressure balanced and run on a hydrodynamic fluid film that provides high speed capability with a low level of controlled leakage.

Its modular design enables the cartridge components and sealing elements to fit together perfectly around a turbine shaft without stripping down the housing.

On-site assembly takes hours, rather than days, and all components can normally be handled without mechanical lifting gear or the fear of breaking fragile items.

As seal refurbishment is equally swift and simple, operators do not need to hold expensive stand-by sealing units in stock.

HydroSele is readily available for Francis and Kaplan turbines with shaft diameters of 250 to 750mm.

sises in excess of 750mm are custom designed, dependent on operational parameters.

Normal maximum operating limits are 10m/s shaft speed and 10bar(g) pressure at the gland.

Higher speeds and pressures may be tolerated after consultation with James Walker.

"Prototype and pre-production HydroSele units have run with great success for nine years on hardworking vertical and horizontal turbines", confirmed Smith.

"As a result of such long trouble-free working lives, we are convinced that HydroSele is the most cost-efficient answer to Kaplan and Francis turbine shaft sealing - both for installation as original equipment and retrofit by plant operators".

"Our three year extended guarantee, subject to basic operating conditions, confirms this".

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