Seals sustain dryer’s vacuum
A chemical producer installs mechanical seals on its horizontal rotary vacuum dryer to maintain vacuum and increase productivity.
A chemical manufacturer produces two chemical compound resins as abrasive pastes that have to be dried to powders. The pastes each contain a different solvent and are dried separately at different temperatures in the same horizontal rotary vacuum dryer. The company was having problems maintaining a tight seal around a shaft that runs through the dryer. This prevented the dryer from holding full vacuum and also allowed material to migrate out of the dryer around the shaft, causing abrasion and product purity concerns. The company knew that it needed to find cost-effective seals that would effectively hold the dryer’s vacuum and eliminate abrasive wear.