HydroMax RPW-500 Double Cartridge Seal – Rotary Pusher Wet Design
HydroMax RPW-500 Double Cartridge Seal – Rotary Pusher Wet Design
Overview
The RPW-500 is a multi-spring, hydraulically balanced double cartridge seal with barrier fluid quench & drain ports and secondary O-RING seals. Rotary Pusher Wet (RPW) Double (500) Cartridge Seal has Shrink-Fitted seal faces and is designed for use with parallel rotating equipment shafts.
The design has a number of innovative design features and comes with Multi-Springs for even face loading. The cartridge seal is Set Screw Driven and has a Quench and Drain port connection for connection to a seal support system. The seal has a number of design features and comes factory assembled and tested.
Product Description
Technical Specifications
| Seal Shaft Sizes | 20mm – 100mm (1.000″ – 4.000″) |
| Inboard Seal Face Combination | Car/TC, Car/SiC, TC/TC, TC/SiC, SiC/SiC |
| Outboard Seal Face Combination | Car/TC, Car/SiC |
| Gasket | GFT |
| Elastomers | Viton, ERP, Aflas, Kalrez |
| Shaft Speeds | Up to 20 m/s |
| Pressures | Up to 290.1 psig (process fluid), 16 barg (232 psig) barrier fluid – shaft size specific |
| Temperatures | Up to 356°F |
WARNING: The Safe seal performance characteristics are typical characteristics for each variable in isolation. The individual upper limit values of each variable should NOT be used in multiple combinations of Speed, Pressure, and Temperature.
Typical Applications & Industry Use Cases
The RPW-500 is a hydraulically balanced double-cartridge mechanical seal engineered for demanding rotating-shaft equipment. Featuring a rotary pusher wet design, multi-spring loading, shrink-fitted faces, and barrier/fluid quench & drain ports — this seal is built for high-performance sealing in critical process applications.
Industries Served
Chemical and petrochemical processing
parallel-shaft pumps handling aggressive media, high pressure, high speed.
Power generation and utility
- boiler feed pumps, condensate systems, and high-duty rotating equipment requiring advanced sealing solutions.
Oil & gas and offshore
critical pump systems where seal reliability, barrier fluid support, and minimal leakage are essential.
General heavy industry and mining
large pumps, mixers, or compressors with shafts in the 20mm-100mm range, demanding robust sealing under load.
Equipment & Use-Case Scenarios
- Parallel-shaft pump installations where space for the seal is limited, yet high performance is required.
- Applications where quench or drain ports must be connected into a support system (Plan 52, 53, etc) to maintain barrier fluid integrity and face cooling.
- Systems operating at high speed (up to ~20 m/s surface speed) or high working temperature (up to ~180 °C or higher, depending on materials), where balanced face loading and robust support are necessary.
- Installations where service downtime must be minimised and a factory-assembled, cartridge-type seal brings fast, reliable installation.
Why It Fits These Applications
- The double-cartridge design allows for easy installation and removal, reducing maintenance time and improving uptime.
- Hydraulic balancing of faces limits face loading, reducing wear and improving durability even under fluctuating pressure or temperature.
- Multi-spring loading distributes face pressure evenly to improve sealing consistency under heavy or variable loads.
- The provision of quench-and-drain ports enables integration with external barrier fluid or support loops, enhancing thermal control, fluid cleanliness, and long-term performance.
Installation Guidelines
Thoroughly clean and inspect the shaft, seal chamber bore, and gland face. Confirm alignment, absence of scoring, corrosion, or debris before installing the cartridge.
Slide the RPW-500 cartridge seal into the gland or onto the shaft carefully, avoiding forcing the unit and ensuring the quench/drain ports are correctly oriented relative to the support piping.
Secure the set-screw drive to the shaft and tighten the gland/clamp per specification. Connect the quench and drain ports to the barrier fluid or support system loop, vent the loop, and verify flow before starting full pump operation.
- Before commissioning the pump, bring up barrier/flush fluid circulation and confirm correct flow, pressure, and temperature. Only then begin rotation under full load.
Confirm that operating parameters (shaft speed, process pressure, temperature, shaft diameter) correspond to the RPW-500’s specification: e.g., shaft sizes 20 mm–100 mm, speeds up to ~20 m/s, process pressures up to around 20 bar, barrier fluid up to ~16 bar. Use baseline measurements of face temperature, barrier fluid pressure, and flush flow to monitor future service.
Maintenance & Inspection Best Practices
- Monitor the barrier or flush loop: examine fluid cleanliness, flow rate, pressure drop across filter/strainer, temperature rise – any deterioration may indicate seal face wear or loop blockage.
- At planned shutdowns, remove the cartridge if feasible: inspect seal faces for wear/scoring, springs for fatigue, O-ring/gasket condition for degradation. Log observed wear patterns to inform future replacement intervals.
- Keep a log of operating conditions: fluid type/contamination, temperature excursions, speed/pressure changes, start-stop cycles, vibration events. This enables predictive maintenance and earlier intervention before failure.
- Replace secondary seals (O-rings/gaskets) and refresh barrier fluid at scheduled intervals rather than waiting for failure. Maintain the barrier loop filter and fluid condition to maximise seal life.
- If service conditions change – for example, increased speed, increased pressure, more aggressive media – reevaluate whether the RPW-500 remains the best choice or if an upgrade to a different seal or material set is required.
Service & Support Options
- Pre-installation technical review: assistance with correct cartridge length, face material selection (e.g., Car/TC, Car/SiC, TC/TC, SiC/SiC), elastomer choice (Viton, Aflas, Kalrez), and support-loop specification.
- Field or remote commissioning support: verifying barrier/flush loop connection, measuring seal face temperature, and barrier fluid performance under actual operating conditions.
- Spare parts kits specific to the RPW-500, including seal faces, O-rings/gaskets, springs, set-screw drive components, and any required barrier-loop accessories.
- Upgrade pathways: if service severity increases (higher speed, higher pressure, more aggressive media), the RPW-500 can be upgraded or replaced with a seal of enhanced material or alternative design.
- Preventive-maintenance programmes: scheduled inspections, performance trending, condition monitoring, and reliability reviews to increase the mean time between maintenance and minimise unplanned downtime.
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Contact HydroMax Seal
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E-Mail: sales@hydromaxseal.com
Address: 18511 Beaumont Hwy Building D
Houston, TX
77049
