Industrial Fluid Systems Blog

Mechanical Seal Support Material Selection Guide for Oil and Gas Operations in Alberta

Tubing recommended by this mechanical seal support system material selection guide.

The rotating equipment used in Alberta oil and gas operations relies on mechanical seals and seal support systems to prevent fluid leaks, leading to fugitive emissions, equipment damage, unplanned downtime, and safety risks. When designing these systems, every connection is a potential leak point. For these reasons, it’s necessary to use only high-quality materials and components, not only for the mechanical seal itself but also for its seal support system.

If you’re looking for a mechanical seal support system material selection guide, start with the difference between piping and tubing. Carbon steel piping is commonly used to construct seal support systems in Alberta oil and gas operations. However, API 682 recommends reducing connection points, especially threaded connections, wherever possible, leading to tubing systems becoming an increasingly popular choice for seal support systems. Here, you will find a mechanical seal support system material selection guide explaining the differences between tubing and piping and the advantages of tubing as a seal support system material.

Mechanical Seal Support Material Selection Guide: Piping vs. Tubing

While piping and tubing are both common seal support system materials with essentially the same function, there are several major differences between them. Piping has a round cross-section of a size designated by a pipe schedule. A pipe schedule specifies the nominal pipe size (NPS) and wall thickness (WT), which roughly represents the pipe’s capacity. ASME B36.10 covers the standard pipe schedules for wrought steel pipe and ASME B36.19 for stainless steel. Piping can be joined by welding, with threaded fittings, or with flanges.

Tubing, on the other hand, is available in more sizes than the standard pipe schedules. Tubing is measured by its outer diameter (OD) and wall thickness (WT), and these dimensions are held to much tighter tolerances than the dimensions of pipe schedules. Unlike piping, tubing is extruded, which gives it much more consistent dimensions and surface finish. Tubing can also be bent to produce smooth directional changes, creating a continuous, seamless flow path without the need for elbows and connections.

Why Tubing Is the Preferred Mechanical Seal Support Material

Alberta’s oil and gas processes have to handle increasingly higher pressures, flow, and temperature requirements as technology advances. Furthermore, regulatory requirements and industry standards have grown increasingly strict on leaks and fugitive emissions, making leak detection and prevention higher priorities than ever before. However, piping technology hasn’t changed much over the years, so Alberta oil and gas companies need to look to other technologies to improve their seal support system performance and reliability.

One effective way to handle these more demanding process parameters and tougher regulations is by replacing piping with tubing. Tubing has several advantages over piping, including its fabrication quality, ease of installation, improved performance, and reduced costs.

Fabrication Quality

Tubing is available in many more diameter and wall thickness variations than piping, and the dimensional tolerances are much tighter. While pipe schedules are considered rough, approximate sizes, tube dimensions are much more consistent, allowing them to support higher pressures safely.

In addition, because tubing is extruded, it has a smoother, more consistent internal surface finish than piping. This high-quality surface finish improves flow characteristics and helps to prevent corrosion resistance, especially when H2S is present.

Ease of Installation

Tubing is much quicker and easier to install than piping. While piping usually needs to be welded to seal effectively, tubing can be drawn into seamless shapes with minimal connections between components, so it is ready to install as-is. Where connections are necessary, tube fittings provide easily installed, leak-resistant connections.

Better Performance

Tube bending allows for the construction of compact systems with smooth directional changes, which allows smoother flow compared to piping, where connections like elbows and tees produce turbulent flow conditions.

Tubing is also less likely to leak than piping. Piping typically requires threaded connections, pipe dope, and/or PTFE tape to minimize leakage. Welding pipe connections can prevent them from leaking, but this adds time and money to the installation. Tubing, on the other hand, can be installed easily with fewer potential leak points. Tube fittings are designed not to leak because they have either a metal-to-metal seal or a mating component with an elastomeric seal. 

Lower Cost

Finally, tubing systems also tend to cost less overall than piping. And, although the fittings and components tend to be more expensive, tubing systems still save money in the long run through reduced downtime and simpler assembly and disassembly.

For these reasons, in almost any application, tubing is usually superior to piping as a seal support system material. 

Let a Local Expert Be Your Mechanical Seal Support System Material Selection Guide

If you have questions about which mechanical seal support materials and components are best for your application, Edmonton Valve & Fitting can help. Our Field Advisors are experts in seal support systems and API 682 implementation for Alberta oil and gas operations. We can perform an onsite assessment of your process, and then use that information to create the technical specifications for your seal support system and make sure every component is carefully selected for your process parameters.

In addition to providing a mechanical seal support system material selection guide and helping select the system for your process, our Field Advisors can make specific recommendations regarding panel layout, instrumentation, and custom components to boost your system’s efficiency and reliability. Our goal is to ensure you have the best possible seal support system for your needs. All our products are backed by Swagelok’s industry-leading Limited Lifetime Warranty, so you never have to worry about the long-term quality of your components.

To learn more about how Edmonton Valve & Fitting can help with mechanical seal support system material selection, contact us through our website or by calling 780-437-0640.

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