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Home > Oil Gas News > New Inpro/Seal Literature Is Valuable Tool, Part Of Interactive Package
New Inpro/Seal Literature Is Valuable Tool, Part Of Interactive Package
Brochure provides detail about the history and use of lip seals and provides alternatives to using this method of sealing.
(PRWEB) October 20, 2005 -- Inpro/Seal, the Rock Island, IL, based manufacturer of bearing isolators has just unveiled Target Lip Seals, literature that details the use of Rubber Lip Seals in the process industries.
Unique Reader Reference
Part of the firm’s interactive package on bearing protection, the literature is a valuable source of information and useful tool to anyone involved in the management, maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) of pumps and other types of rotating equipment used in industrial/process plants. It contains important information about the use of lip seals including:
. History of Lip Seals
. Charts, Graphs, Cost Calculators, Application and
Technical Data
. Lip Seals In The Mechanical Universe
. Misapplication Of Lip Seals
. Life Cycle Aspects
. Why Continuous Duty Equipment Needs A Permanent Seal
. Lip Seals Consume Power
. Less Is Not Better/Contact Seal Misconception
. Where Lip Seals Should And Shouldn’t Be Used
. The Real Cost Of Lip Seals
. Lip Seals Are Not As Cheap As You Think
. Contact Seal Alternatives That Are Reusable And
Never Wear
. Why Contact Seals Have A 100 % Failure Rate
. How To Save Money, Conserve Energy And Add To The Bottom Line
Author Is Industry Expert
The literature and much of the interactive package was authored by David C. Orlowski, President and founder of Inpro/Seal Company. Well known for his knowledge of bearings, bearing protection and tribilogy, Orlowski has spent the last 41+ years working on ways to enhance and extend the service life of rotating equipment. The holder of some 40 patents, he was awarded patent protection (#4,022,479) for the original bearing isolator (#4,022,479) in 1977, inventing the term “bearing isolator” in the process.
That Was Then/This Is Now
When lip seals were first introduced back in the 1930’s, they were only the sealing device available for general use. Convenient and inexpensive, they enjoyed a 99 % market share when it came to sealing industrial rotating equipment.
The literature goes on to state that according to the lip seal manufacturers, at best they have a life cycle of 1,844 hours or 77 days of operation. In the world of non-industrial equipment such as (bicycle wheels, wheel bearings, mowers, washing machines, tractors), this is acceptable, as it works out to equipment life of some 120,000 miles or more than 3 years of use. A few may survive as long as 3,000 hours. In the 1950’s, lip seals were used to retain grease on aircraft landing gear wheels. Because this was intermittent duty use, long operating life was not a consideration.
It the world of continuous, heavy duty industrial machinery (pumps, motors, gearboxes, etc.) 3,000 hours or 4.1 months is simply unacceptable. The author feels that with this kind of life cycle, it is not meant for sealing these types of applications. Though no one knows when a lip seal is going to stop working, the end user can tell when its time is up – the equipment on which it is applied breaks down or the lip seal burns to a crisp and grooves the shaft.
The literature also addresses power consumption and states that lip seals consume, on average, 147 watts of power. To show how significant this is, a plant with 500 pumps in operation can run up annual costs in excess of $97,000 for energy to drive the lip seal.
The End User Has A Choice
According to Orlowski, “In the 1970’s with the invention of bearing isolator, permanent bearing protection became available, giving the end user a sealing choice. A non-contacting labyrinth type seal, bearing isolators can run 150,000 hours (17 years) or more, eliminating the need for continual maintenance and repair.
Orlowski continued, “Rotating equipment is designed to operate for at least five years. Rolling element bearings have a design life of 150,000 hours (17 years). With a finite life and a 100 % failure rate, it does not make sense to lose time and money trying to make a contacting seal work.
Orlowski concluded, “Bearing isolators, on the other hand are non-contacting and do not wear out. And, as rotating equipment is routinely maintained and repaired, the bearing isolators can be used over and over for many years.”
About Inpro/Seal
Inpro/Seal Company is the originator and the world’s number one manufacturer of bearing isolators, used to protect motor and pump bearings, machine tool spindles, turbines, fans, gear boxes, paper machine rolls and many other types of rotating equipment. Additional applications include the sealing, handling, processing, packing and storage of dry particulates, powders and bulk solids.
As the recognized global leader in bearing isolator technology, Inpro products are marketed to the aerospace, automotive, petroleum, refining, nuclear, power generation, metalworking, food processing, grain processing, chemical, water, wastewater treatment, metalworking, hydrocarbon processing, HVAC, pulp and paper, mining, mineral, ore processing and general industrial markets.
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