Industrial sealing solutions to help reduce GHG emissions

Advanced technology to reduce carbon footprint

To achieve the goal of a car­bon-neu­tral economy by 2050, all avail­able re­duc­tion levers must be used. Many for­ward-think­ing com­pa­nies have rec­og­nized this and are con­tin­u­ously looking for ways to further minimize the carbon foot­print of their in­dus­trial processes.

In­creased use of advanced tech­nolo­gies and retro­fitting or up­grad­ing with tech­no­log­i­cal in­no­va­tions can help. This is a par­tic­u­larly sensible in­vest­ment where green­house gas emis­sions are dif­fi­cult to avoid or where fos­sil-based bridge tech­nolo­gies are used.

Sealing technology, the hidden lever for reducing emissions

Seals in in­dus­trial equip­ment are used to prevent leaks and maintain process pres­sures. If they are in­cor­rectly selected for the process con­di­tions, im­prop­erly designed, or the tech­nol­ogy is outdated, it can have a sig­nif­i­cant impact on the life, safety, and ef­fi­ciency of the machine. Seals in pres­sur­ized, rotating ma­chin­ery such as com­pres­sors can there­fore be a source of harmful emis­sions. This makes it all the more im­por­tant to have the right sealing partner who can provide expert support in op­ti­miz­ing systems and machines.

Diverse solutions for a low-carbon industry

EagleBurgmann is one of the world's leading man­u­fac­tur­ers of in­dus­trial sealing tech­nol­ogy and has played a decisive role in its de­vel­op­ment over the past 130 years. Many of our in­no­va­tions are now state of the art and used world­wide. This is why our port­fo­lio also includes products which enable our cus­tomers to eco­nom­i­cally meet the urgent need for de­car­boniza­tion. These include so­phis­ti­cated stan­dard­ized seal series as well as ap­pli­ca­tion-spe­cific custom designs, seal supply systems, ex­pan­sion joints, and special products.

Goal: Stop flaring and venting of process gas, increase profitability

When op­er­at­ing a com­pres­sor, the most critical con­di­tion is during start/stop op­er­a­tion, when the com­pres­sor is rotating slowly or at a pres­sur­ized stand­still. Un­con­di­tioned process gas can then con­t­a­m­i­nate the dry gas seals, re­sult­ing in seal failure. To avoid costly repairs, un­planned downtime and high pro­duc­tion losses, op­er­a­tors often choose to de­pres­sur­ize the com­pres­sor and vent the process gas to a flare or directly to at­mos­phere. Today, the industry can turn to reliable seal gas booster tech­nol­ogy to avoid this practice.

With the RoTech­Booster, EagleBurgmann has de­vel­oped the first elec­tri­cally driven seal gas booster that provides a constant flow of seal gas to the me­chan­i­cal seals. This means that the dry gas seals can be reliably kept clean not only during standby con­di­tions, but also at any time when the seal gas flow is in­suf­fi­cient, without the need for venting or flaring. The EagleBurgmann RoTech­Booster is avail­able in various sizes to meet specific customer ap­pli­ca­tion re­quire­ments. The RoTech­Booster LNG300 is specif­i­cally designed for use with LNG.

Read here what makes this globally proven in­no­va­tion from EagleBurgmann so unique and why the RoTech­Booster pays for itself.

Goal: Eliminate process gas leakage from centrifugal compressors

Natural gas is produced, trans­ported, and dis­trib­uted world­wide under high pressure using cen­trifu­gal com­pres­sors. Although the tandem seals used in these com­pres­sors are ex­tremely safe, for tech­ni­cal reasons they release small amounts of cli­mate-dam­ag­ing process gases into the at­mos­phere, which are flared.

EagleBurgmann's CobaDGS is the world'sfirst me­chan­i­cal seal that reduces fugitive process gas emis­sions on cen­trifu­gal com­pres­sors to zero. It offers the same safety as a tandem seal and can operate reliably and emis­sion-free up to 160 bar.

The CobaDGS is cur­rently the most cli­mate-friendly sealing solution for retro­fitting or up­grad­ing in all common cen­trifu­gal com­pres­sors and as a first fit for original equip­ment man­u­fac­tur­ers. In most cases, no com­pres­sor mod­i­fi­ca­tion is required.

For ap­pli­ca­tion examples and to learn more about the strengths and high­lights of the in­no­v­a­tive CobaDGS sealing solution, click here.

Goal: Using static seals to make energy-intensive processes more climate-friendly

The pro­duc­tion of key raw ma­te­ri­als such as cement is gen­er­ally energy in­ten­sive and as­so­ci­ated with green­house gas emis­sions. But the issue of CO₂ emis­sions is also becoming in­creas­ingly im­por­tant in haz­ardous waste in­cin­er­a­tion, pigment pro­duc­tion and cal­ci­na­tion.

In many cases, rotary kilns are used to ther­mally treat ma­te­ri­als. Primary energy con­sump­tion, process ef­fi­ciency and emis­sions are de­ci­sively in­flu­enced by the type of seal used. As an al­ter­na­tive to the usual standard rotary kiln seals, EagleBurgmann offers the PRC rotary kiln seal, an eco­nom­i­cal, uni­ver­sally ap­plic­a­ble radial sealing system that improves the ef­fi­ciency of these processes and reduces the emission of cli­mate-dam­ag­ing green­house gases.

For ap­pli­ca­tions where tight­ness and re­li­a­bil­ity are critical, we rec­om­mend our DRO sealing system for rotary kilns. This axial seal is designed to reduce emis­sions, prevent in­ad­ver­tent air ingress, and can be operated gas-tight with buffer gas. 

Goal: Reduce flue gas emissions 

In typical process industry ap­pli­ca­tions such as power gen­er­a­tion or re­finer­ies, fabric ex­pan­sion joints are used to seal boiler inlets and outlets, flue gas ducts, process piping, and stack con­nec­tions. Gen­er­ally, small amounts of flue gas escape, par­tic­u­larly at the bolted joints and metal frame.

The new eFlexgen fabric ex­pan­sion joint from EagleBurgmann features an in­no­v­a­tive multi-layer material that prevents the dif­fu­sion of the flue gas and closes the gap at the screw con­nec­tions with an ad­di­tional seal. As a result, the eFlexgen can reduce flue gas emis­sions by up to 90 percent.

EagleBurgmann: Your sealing partner for sustainable solutions. Worldwide.

Seals in in­dus­trial plants often receive little at­ten­tion, yet they have a sig­nif­i­cant impact on the safety, pro­duc­tiv­ity, and en­vi­ron­men­tal per­for­mance of processes. Our en­gi­neers have the ex­per­tise to select, design and suc­cess­fully im­ple­ment the sealing solution that best meets your specific needs. Do not hesitate to contact us.