Your Seal Support Systems Inspection May Be Missing Leaks in Alberta’s Oil and Gas Refineries

Oil and gas refineries in Alberta depend on thousands of pumps to support their operations, and, in turn, those pumps rely on seal support systems to perform efficiently. Because they are so centrally important to refinery operations, seal support systems inspections are a critical part of plant preventive maintenance.

A seal support systems inspection must quickly identify leaks so we can fix them and address the root cause before a major problem ensues. Leaking seal support systems diminish process efficiency, create fugitive emissions, and can potentially endanger personnel.

While non-volatile liquid leaks are generally easy to see, volatile leakage can be much more difficult to detect. Fortunately, there are ways to make your seal support systems inspections more effective at detecting volatile leakage. For best results, though, Alberta refineries should implement strategies to prevent leaks from happening in the first place. In this article, we’ll discuss how to both improve the detection rate of your seal support systems inspections and reduce the risk of leaks by leveraging the expertise of your local seal support systems vendor.

Are There Gaps in Your Seal Support System Inspection?

Effective seal support systems inspections must detect any kind of leak—liquid, gas, or vapour. While liquid spills can be seen and some gases or vapours can be detected by sight, sound, or smell, many volatile compounds in Alberta refineries are more difficult to detect.

Proper equipment helps ensure quick and effective seal support system inspections. Refineries that process volatile fluids that can vaporize across seal faces, such as ethanes, should use an organic vapour analyzer (OVA) to facilitate detection.

OVAs are a costly solution for seal support systems inspections, so many refineries choose to partner with a local vendor offering field advisory services to help with volatile leak detection. Another advantage of this approach is that an expert Field Advisor can identify potential problems with your seal support systems and recommend updates or replacements to greatly reduce the risk of leaks over time.

Improve Seal Support System Inspection Effectiveness

An effective seal support systems inspection requires a robust plan and the right equipment to support it. It’s not enough to simply monitor seal support systems for visible leaks. To ensure safe and reliable operations, Alberta refineries need to employ technology and strategies that maximize leak detection rates while mitigating the root causes of leakage.

Every system and process in the refinery is connected. In addition to inspecting seal support systems, inspectors should look at external systems that can hinder the efficiency of the seal support system. Early detection can prevent costly repairs and unplanned downtime.

For example, vibrations caused by impeller imbalance; shaft, coupler, or motor misalignment; worn bearings; or loose base plates can affect mechanical seal reliability and should be checked regularly as part of seal support systems inspections.

Reservoir contamination is another potential cause of seal support system leakage. When process fluids are allowed to gradually migrate across the seal faces into the seal support system, contaminants in the process fluid can damage the seal support system and degrade performance. Reservoirs should be cleaned regularly to keep the internal surfaces free of contamination.

Not all these steps need to be a part of every seal support system inspection; their frequency should be based on the specific conditions of the pumping process, MTBF metrics, and equipment maintenance history. Furthermore, by proactively addressing potential problems and correcting their root causes, the need for frequent inspections decreases. 

Expert Support for Better Seal Support System Inspections 

Edmonton Valve & Fitting has years of experience implementing and troubleshooting seal support systems in Alberta refineries. If you suspect your seal support systems inspections are missing volatile leaks, we can help.

Our Field Advisors are experts in leak detection and repair and will ensure your systems are operating properly. We can perform an onsite assessment to understand your process, then recommend seal support system upgrades and components to optimize performance. In addition, we can make specific recommendations regarding panel layout, instrumentation, and custom components to improve your seal support system inspections.