Products
Mechanical seals for pumps and rotating equipment
A mechanical seal keeps fluid inside a pump or a mixer where the shaft passes through the housing, and it is the part that gets replaced when a pump starts weeping. They are used on pumps, compressors, mixers and other rotating equipment, and they come in cartridge and component styles and in single and double arrangements. A replacement is usually identified from the equipment rather than from a catalog number. Send the equipment make and model, or the seal drawing, and a Conquest representative quotes it.
- Types
- component and cartridge seals, single and double arrangements
- Seal faces
- carbon, silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, ceramic
- Secondary seals
- FKM, EPDM, FFKM, nitrile O-rings and gaskets
- Sizing
- to shaft diameter and equipment model
- Replacements
- identified from the pump make and model, or from the seal drawing
- To quote
- Conquest quotes mechanical seals from the part number, the equipment model or the seal drawing
Cartridge or component
A cartridge seal arrives as one assembled unit that bolts on, sets its own working length and needs no measuring during the fit. A component seal comes as separate parts that are fitted and set in place, which costs more time at the pump but usually less at the counter.
Cartridge seals suit a maintenance crew working under time pressure or on an awkward pump. Component seals suit a shop that rebuilds the same equipment often and has the fixtures and the practice to set them.
Single or double
A single seal has one set of faces and relies on the pumped fluid to lubricate them. It covers most water, oil and general service.
A double seal has two sets with a barrier fluid between them, so the faces never depend on the product for lubrication and nothing reaches the atmosphere if the inner set wears. That is the arrangement for anything hazardous, anything that would harden on the faces, and anything that runs dry.
What to send
Conquest quotes mechanical seals to your part number, the equipment model or the seal drawing. The equipment make and model is usually enough, because the seal is identified from the pump. Where there is no model, send the shaft diameter at the seal and a photograph of the old seal, or the seal drawing if the print names one.
Tell us what the pump moves and roughly how hot it runs, with the face pairing and the elastomer if the print or the pump maker names them. Those details decide the seal.
A machined seal is a different part: a plastic seal ring, such as a PTFE ring or seal jacket, machined from tube or rod to a drawing rather than molded. Machined seals are covered in the machined seals section of the machined plastic parts page.
Orders are handled under Conquest Seal's AS9100D quality management system, whose certificate scope includes distribution. The certificate, CONQ-001, is on the certificate page, and what ships with each part is on the quality and certifications page.
Industries that buy mechanical seals for pumps and rotating equipment
Frequently asked
What identifies a replacement mechanical seal?
The pump or equipment make and model, the shaft or sleeve diameter at the seal, and whether the seal is a component or cartridge style. Add the fluid, its temperature and the stuffing-box pressure, and the part number or a photo of the seal that is coming out. Those details name the equipment maker's own part or an equivalent from another seal maker.
What is the difference between a component seal and a cartridge seal?
A component seal is the rotating and stationary parts supplied loose; the installer sets the working length on the shaft, which takes measurement and care. A cartridge seal comes pre-assembled on its own sleeve and gland with the setting fixed by clips, so it slides onto the shaft and bolts up without measurement. Cartridges take less skill to fit and remove the setting error, which is why they are common on larger and critical pumps.
When does a pump need a double seal?
When the fluid must not reach the atmosphere or must not be allowed to run dry at the faces. A double arrangement puts two seals in series with a barrier or buffer fluid between them, so a hazardous, toxic or crystallizing product is contained and the inboard faces stay cooled and lubricated. Vacuum service, dry powders and fluids that flash or solidify at the faces are the other usual reasons.
Which elastomer should the secondary seals be?
The O-rings and gaskets in a mechanical seal follow the same chemistry rules as any O-ring. Fluorocarbon covers oils, fuels and most acids at heat; EPDM covers water, steam and glycol but must never see mineral oil; nitrile is the general-purpose choice for oil at moderate temperature; and FFKM is used where the process chemistry attacks everything else. The elastomer your print or the seal maker calls out, with the fluid and the temperature, settles the choice.
Can a packed stuffing box be converted to a mechanical seal?
Often, yes. Most packed pumps have room for a component seal in the same box, provided the shaft or sleeve surface under the seal is smooth and the box face is square to the shaft; some need a sleeve or a spacer to set the working length. The box dimensions (bore, depth and shaft diameter) and the pump model decide which seal fits it.
Related guides
Send the equipment model and the seal drawing
The pump or equipment model, the shaft diameter, the fluid, the temperature and the pressure. A Conquest representative replies with the quote.
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