Split Mechanical Seal reduces downtime and installs fast

If you are in the business of rotating equipment, this would be of interest to you. I receive an update from my online subscription of HydroWorld magazine and I thought I'd share this with you.

Many of the mechanical seals in our application are brand specific, i.e. seals that are specified by the pump manufacturer, but this could prove to be an excellent alternative if it stand up to the pressure in our system.


                      "Split and easy" - the new 442C split mechanical seal from Chesterton


This is essentially a cartridge mech seal but with the benefit of much faster installation and better pressure handling, as claimed by seal specialist Chesterton.

If your main concern is downtime then this could be your answer as the manufacturer claims you can install it in just a matter of minutes. Similar to ammeter clamps for busbar in electrical panels which require lengthy shutdown, solid round mechanical seals are a nightmare to install especially on critical equipment.

Ammeter clamps have came a long way in inventing split clamps, although accuracy would be slightly affected. But for non-billing applications, split clamps are more than sufficient.

I would think that split mechanical seals would serve the same purpose. Sealing capability would inprove with every introduction of 'facelift' for the existing model/platform.


Says Chesterton:

The 442C uses an interlocking face design with a unique holder that self-aligns the face halves in the rotating assembly. This ensures proper face alignment, which is critical to sealing success. Springs energize after installation, allowing for maximum space between seal faces during installation.

The seals have been used on pumps and other rotating equipment with shaft sizes ranging from one inch to 30 inches.

The design simplifies installation and repair by using a standard spare parts kit, allowing the user to lower inventory costs, enhance operation flexibility and speed up equipment turnaround.


Further info and details

There is an Android App for you to see it in action which you can download here.

Details can be obtained at PumpnSeal and Chesterton brochure.

Schneider Electric's Efficiency Quotient to help customers with energy assessments

Energy management specialist Schneider Electric wants Malaysians to use its online Efficiency Quotient tool to help improve energy conservation.

The quick and easy online questionnaire that was launched last year, provides customers with an energy management assessment, including cross-user comparisons and recommended steps for reducing energy costs and improving efficiency.


           It covers industrial plants, data centres, buildings and energy & infrastructure


Although the tool is just a fundamental guide (available at the company's website) but it is useful enough and it can help Malaysians conduct their own energy management assessment to compare their spending to other users.

"According to the International Energy Agency, we are the third largest energy consuming nation in the Association of South-East Asian Nations and as our economy continues to grow, so will our energy needs."
- Soo Pow Leong, Schneider Electric Malaysia country president


Upon completing the survey, the corporate and individual users will receive their energy efficiency 'score' on a rating of 1 to 5 and they can share and compare their scoring against other participant in the survey.

Based on this score, Schneider Electric will provide them with recommendations and access to relevant educational materials including relevant white papers, links and other tools to help guide their energy efficiency improvement process.

Interested users can consult Schneider Electric specialists to further assist them to plan and implement technologies, strategies and services to increase business performance and efficiency. This way, the assessment would be more suited to specific requirement of the orginasation.

Try it today at Schneider Electric EQ Survey Centre


TheGreenMechanics: At the very least, the Efficiency Quotient tool will be useful in educating users about effective ways of using energy and help them identify easy steps to lower energy bills.

I tried to register online today but the server seemed to have some issues and I got stuck at the country selection drop-down menu, even after several attempts.

LED the most promising technology - SME Corp

"Most promising technology.... demand to grow 34% by 2020"

This is what SME Corp Malaysia said during the recent Light+Building Show, the world's biggest event for lighting and building-related services technology, in Frankfurt .


LED lamps can be designed into many different attractive shapes and sizes


It's about time entrepreneurs put more effort in innovation, to promote more applications of LED and solid state lighting (SSL) in industry and commercial sectors as well as home use.

Also, we must find ways to make LED lighting more affordable. For example, for an approximately equivalent lumen, a 60W incandescent bulb would cost just RM2.00, a CFL would cost RM18.00 while a 8W - 10W LED bulb would cost around RM36.00

While LED lamps would save a lot of energy (and money) throught their significantly longer life, many people are not ready yet to pay upfront for energy saving lighting.

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For future reference, I'll share an excerpt of what was reported by Bernama during the Frankfurt Show in Germany:-

The Malaysian Government has identified light emitting diodes (LED) as the most promising technology in terms of commercial viability from among several kinds of clean technology such as photovoltaic solar power, wind power and electric vehicles.

Keeping in view this growth potential, the government was supporting LED and solid state lighting (SSL) companies and also helping them penetrate the global markets, thereby ensuring that the Malaysian LED industry grows in tandem with the world demand.

The demand is expected to grow by 34 per cent by the year 2020. Malaysia is considered to be one of Asia's leading LED manufacturing nations.

In an interview with Bernama on the opening day of the Frankfurt Show, Datuk Hafsah Hashim, the Chief Executive Officer of SME Corp Malaysia, said SME Corp was an Entry Point Project under the electronics/electrical part of the National Key Economic Area (NKEA), with emphasis on the LED/SSL segment.

"The LED/SSL segment has been posting double-digit growth though the quantity exported by Malaysia is still small. LED/SSL technology is the most efficient energy form to bring down the carbon dioxide component. The LED is widely used today."
- Datuk Hafsah Hashim, CEO of SME Corp Malaysia

The SME Corp sees "great potential" for LED products in the emerging markets, including China, India, Africa and the Middle East.

The SME Corp's networking event was attended by designers, architects, distributors and retailers.

Garreth Jones, Managing Director of the UK-based LUX-TSI, provided signposts at the networking event on how to establish and implement proper testing processes for safety and performance of LED lighting products for the European markets.

Though Malaysia's LED exports presently may be small, many German trade visitors at the Light+Building Show were confident that the exports would grow in future.

LED exports appear in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry statistics under the broad product grouping electrical and electronic products.