Mechanical seal with sensor

A seal monitoring system for a dry gas seal assembly, comprising:

• a dry gas seal having a stator portion with a first seal face and a rotor portion with a second seal face, the dry gas seal is configured to be positioned between a stationary housing and a rotatable shaft with the rotor portion configured to rotate with the rotatable shaft;
• an acoustic emissions sensor configured to sense when the first seal face and the second seal face are in an operational condition relative to one another and output a signal indicative of the operational condition;
• and
• a speed sensor sensing speed of the rotatable shaft at speeds below one thousand (1,000) rotations per minute (RPMs), the speed sensor configured to output a signal indicative of a rotational speed of the rotatable shaft;
• a processor configured to receive the signal from the speed sensor and the signal from the acoustic emissions sensor;
• and
• wherein the processor is configured to establish an operating condition of the dry gas seal based on the signal received from the speed sensor when the first seal face and the second seal face reach the operational condition relative to one another;
• wherein the operational condition of the first seal face relative to the second seal face is a touch-down operational condition of the dry gas seal.

A seal monitoring system for a dry gas seal assembly, comprising:

• a dry gas seal having a stator portion with a first seal face and a rotor portion with a second seal face, the dry gas seal is configured to be positioned between a stationary housing and a rotatable shaft with the rotor portion configured to rotate with the rotatable shaft;
• an acoustic emissions sensor configured to sense when the first seal face and the second seal face are in an operational condition relative to one another and output a signal indicative of the operational condition;
• and
• a speed sensor sensing speed of the rotatable shaft at speeds below one thousand (1,000) rotations per minute (RPMs), the speed sensor configured to output a signal indicative of a rotational speed of the rotatable shaft;
• a processor configured to receive the signal from the speed sensor and the signal from the acoustic emissions sensor;
• and
• wherein the processor is configured to establish an operating condition of the dry gas seal based on the signal received from the speed sensor when the first seal face and the second seal face reach the operational condition relative to one another;
• wherein the operational condition of the first seal face relative to the second seal face includes a lift-off operational condition of the dry gas seal and a touch-down operational condition of the dry gas seal.

A method of operating a dry gas seal monitoring system having a dry gas seal forming a seal between a housing and a rotatable shaft, the method comprising:

• determining when one of a separation of a first seal face from a second seal face of the dry gas seal and a contact of the first seal face with the second seal face occurs;
• determining a rotational speed indicative of a speed of the rotatable shaft at speeds below one thousand (1,000) rotations per minute (RPMs);
• associating the rotational speed with an occurrence of one of the separation of the first seal face from the second seal face and the contact of the first seal face with the second seal face;
• and
• determining an operating condition of the dry gas seal based on the association of the rotational speed with an occurrence of one of the separation of the first seal face from the second seal face and the contact of the first seal face with the second seal face;
• wherein determining when one of the separation of the first seal face from the second seal face and the contact of the first seal face with the second seal face occurs is based on a signal from an acoustic emissions sensor of the dry gas seal system.