Resistant to seawater and high pressures

Since its development, the spider mechanical seal has proven its worth, chiefly in KSB pumps which work on subsea vehicles. “Back then the seal was a specially-made product designed to reliably seal off our submersible motors,” reports Dennis Lindenberg, Director of Mechanical Seals Department. Subsea vehicles lay data and power cables on the seabed, and the conditions under which they operate are extremely demanding. “The seals are required to resist solids and suspended solids as well as withstanding discharge pressures, so they need to be extremely robust,” says Lindenberg. Spider seals are therefore manufactured from corrosion-resistant materials. As the combination of submersible motors and spider seals is a tried-and-tested solution, the mechanical seals are now being employed in other applications. Recently, KSB has begun employing them in submersible motors which operate in the generator cooling systems of offshore wind power platforms. “Here too the spider seal has shown itself to be extremely resistant to seawater, and capable of enabling the reliable operation of KSB’s motors,” emphasises Lindenberg. Since 2012, KSB has been producing its own mechanical seals in Pegnitz which are precisely matched to pump operating conditions and parameters.

“The spider seal fits right into our portfolio". The goal is to equip pumps with our seals so that we can benefit from subsequent profitable spare parts business. This requires the continual expansion of our mechanical seal range,” explains Lindenberg.