Dry gas seal failure analysis and reliability improvement

Dry gas seals (DGSs) are comprised of many delicate components used for sealing and are used on axial/centrifugal/screw compressors and turboexpanders in various industries. DGS failures are the greatest cause of compressor downtime—in the author’s experience, about 48% of compressor failures are due to DGS failure. To avoid this, it is essential to apply the correct DGS for the desired and appropriate function, and to analyze the cause of failure in a systematic way. However, even if a DGS is selected correctly, it can fail more quickly than anticipated. This article addresses a systematic approach to DGS failure analysis based on the author’s experience. The DGS is a pressure-balanced, g