Pump Packing and Mechanical Seals

A pump’s drive shaft connects the pump impeller (inside the pump) to devices outside the pump. Therefore a portion of the shaft is in contact with the fluid being pumped, while the remainder is outside the wet region. This creates a potential for fluid inside the pump to leak along the shaft to the outer dry regions. To minimize or eliminate this leakage potential we use “packing” or “mechanical seals.”

In the following sections we will discuss basic components of compression packing and mechanical seals.