COMPONENT VS. CARTRIDGE MECHANICAL SEALS WHATS THE DIFFERENCE?

Mechanical Metal Bellow Seals come in different configurations, and each variant has its advantages and disadvantages. Among the most common variants are component mechanical seals and cartridge mechanical seals.

WHAT IS A CARTRIDGE SEAL?

A cartridge mechanical seal is a completely enclosed seal system with preassembled components. Typically, this seal type is composed of a gland, sleeve, and other hardware that make pre-assembly possible.

Refer to our blog post about different mechanical seal types for a more exhaustive list.

Advantages of Cartridge Type Mechanical Seals

The major benefits of choosing Cartridge Mechanical Seals for your pump seal system include:Component mechanical seals are composed of separate dynamic and stationary parts. Unlike cartridge seals, Component Seals are not preassembled and require skilled technicians to install them. Incorrect installation of the seal faces, O-rings, and seal axial setting on the pump shaft will result in reduced seal life or in some cases, immediate seal failure.

Advantages of O-ring Mounted Mechanical Seals

The benefits of selecting non-cartridge seals for your mechanical seal support systems include:

• Reduced expenses on initial seal purchase

• Reduced spares costs as the individual components can be stocked vs. the entire seal

• Superior adaptability to very small pumps

Common Pumps Seals are simply a method of containing fluid within a vessel (typically pumps, mixers, etc.) where a rotating shaft passes through a stationary housing or occasionally, where the housing rotates around the shaft.

• Because packing needs to contact the shaft it will eventually wear a groove into it, which can be costly to repair or replace.

Grundfos Pumps Mechanical Seals are designed to overcome these drawbacks.