Rotary shaft seals are subject to physical, tribological or chemical wear. Nevertheless, they often only have to be replaced for the first time afterwell over 10,000 hours of operation. To avoid replacing a fully functional rotary shaft seal as a preventative measure, a Simmerring rotary shaft seal has been developed that informs the operator about the state of the seal. If the sealing function of the seal begins to deteriorate at the end of its service life, the leakage is instantly absorbed by a leakage collector. An integral sensor in the sealing system identifies the leakage and generates a signal that is then evaluated by a programmable electronic unit.
Once the first leak has been registered and automatically monitored and evaluated, a message can be sent to the operator of the aggregate or the plant. While this only marginally extends the servicelife of the sealing system, it means that its replacement can be planned in accordance with the size and gravity of the leakage as part of a regular maintenance service in order to avoid additional machine downtime. Many small gears contain very little oil. This means that if a leakage goes unnoticed, the risk to the aggregate can be significant. The sensor signal helps avoid such malfunctions.
The sensor signal can also be used for telediagnosis. For example, a message can be sent to the maintenance company either by telephone or by Internet, allowing them to plan and prepare their placement of the seal in good time. It also allows the performance of the Simmerring sealing system to be monitored from a distance.
