Seal Plan 53 Explained: Reliable API Plan 53B Solutions

Application Scenarios  Seal Plan 53

A Plan 53 Seal is commonly used as a mechanical seal support system in many different industries. In the case of mechanical seals, there are two types of systems—those employing an accumulator (a vessel that stores both pressurized liquid and compressible gas) and those that use externally pressurized fluids to create a pressurized barrier between the process medium and the seals. The initial design stage of a Plan 53 Seal has no specific method for applying either type of pressurisation; therefore, designers are free to select either way, provided their final design complies with the relevant industry standards.

Many chemical and petrochemical process plants, as well as energy generating facilities, use a pump as a means of moving large quantities of hazardous, high-value, or regulated fluids through the facility. A Plan 53 Seal will create a means of separating the process fluid from the pump casing to ensure safer operation of the pump and minimise the release of hazardous substances into the atmosphere.