Bringing technology to life
Advanced monitoring to prevent unplanned shutdowns
John Crane is developing advanced gas seal technology that will use computerised sensors to help minimise the risk of liquid contamination, the most common cause of gas seal failure and the subsequent unplanned operational shutdown of centrifugal gas compressor trains. As the turbo machinery needs of the oil and gas industry continuously evolve, gas seals are used for increasingly more demanding applications. Gas reinjection, gas gathering and hydrogen recycle are particularly prone to liquid contamination of the seal. Standard methods of monitoring the 'health' of a seal are often insufficient to detect problems before the ensuing damage forces the operator to halt operations and undertake costly emergency repairs. In advanced applications, where the gas control panel incorporates a gas conditioning unit, the settings can be adjusted to extend the life of the seal. Or a decision can be made to plan the necessary maintenance in advance, minimising cost and operational impact.
