Operators of high-pressure centrifugal compressors have traditionally faced a difficult compromise.
While double dry gas seals can provide superior containment, the heat generated at higher pressures often makes their use impractical. As a result, many applications rely on tandem seal arrangements, with process gas ultimately vented or flared.
The EcoGuard™ Sealing Solution from AESSEAL® changes that. Designed specifically to overcome the thermal limitations associated with conventional double dry gas seals, EcoGuard™ enables the use of a double seal arrangement in high-pressure compressor applications where it would previously have been considered unsuitable.
At the core of the solution is the EcoGuard™ Seal, which uses inert gas, typically nitrogen, at a pressure higher than the process gas. This creates a true zero-emission sealing arrangement by ensuring that inert gas, rather than process gas, passes across the primary sealing interfaces. The result is the elimination of harmful process gas emissions to atmosphere or flare.
What makes the EcoGuard™ Sealing Solution unique is its ability to effectively manage the heat generated within the sealing system. By controlling seal temperatures, the solution extends the operating envelope beyond what is typically achievable with conventional double dry gas seal technology. This removes one of the key barriers that has historically prevented the widespread adoption of double seals in higher pressure applications.
The complete modular package combines the EcoGuard™ Seal, the patent-pending EcoGuard™ Regenerative Compressor (ERC), and the EcoGuard™ Skid to provide a fully integrated sealing solution. Together, these technologies deliver continuous seal gas circulation, efficient cooling, advanced filtration, and comprehensive performance monitoring.
Dry Gas Seal Handbook author and vice president of engineered solutions and revamps at Fox Innovation & Technologies, John Stahley, believes EcoGuard Sealing Solution represents a major advancement in dry gas sealing technology, and says:
I have long believed that the double dry gas seal is underutilized, underappreciated, and misunderstood. It offers many advantages over the traditionally deployed tandem seal configuration, the most important of which is the fact that it is the only true zero emissions gas seal configuration. The double seal enables zero leakage of any greenhouse gases. It also requires a greatly simplified seal gas support system as compared to the tandem design. The downfall of the double seal has always been its limited sealing pressure due to internal heat generation, but that limitation has been improved with the development of EcoGuard.
For operators in oil and gas, petrochemical, refining, chemical processing, fertiliser production, and gas transportation industries, the benefits are significant. EcoGuard™ provides a practical route to eliminating compressor seal emissions while helping facilities comply with increasingly demanding environmental requirements.
By making double dry gas seals viable in applications where only tandem seals were previously considered practical, the EcoGuard™ Sealing Solution represents a major step forward in both compressor sealing technology and industrial decarbonisation.
