IntelliSeal

Seals are indispensable integrated components in every piping system, all fluid-handling machinery and plant, and countless other technical systems; their failure can often have catastrophic consequences for operators. These can range from costly machine breakdowns and defects to the loss of products or raw materials, for example in the event of contamination in the pharmaceutical or food industry. The replacement of seals is therefore an integral part of regular maintenance cycles. This replacement often takes place around once a year. However, depending on the material and the stress on the seal, a much longer service life would be technically feasible in most cases. At present, however, there is no way to clearly determine the wear condition of the seal without the usually time-consuming and labour-intensive removal of the seal.

The aim of the IntelliSeal project is to develop a new, seal-integrated sensor system for use with PTFE shaft seals for condition monitoring in high-stress application scenarios (temperatures up to 260°C, circumferential speeds up to 30 m/s, overpressure up to 10 bar). To this end, a new miniaturised, high-temperature-resistant temperature and wear condition monitoring system is to be developed to identify overload scenarios and determine maintenance requirements, and new methods for integrating the sensor technology and electronics into a seal application under extreme conditions are to be developed. With the new, seal-integrated sensor system, the condition of the seal can therefore be continuously monitored, enabling the seal to be replaced as required, as well as enabling predictive maintenance and process optimisation to extend its service life.  

The specific application to be addressed in the FTZ-led sub-project is PTFE radial shaft seals, which are frequently used in industry in pumps, agitators, decanter centrifuges and similar equipment. However, the sensor-based condition monitoring is intended to be transferable to other models following the project.

In addition, HTWK Leipzig is to develop, in a further sub-project, the seal-integrated passive circuit, including measurement data conversion and wireless power transmission, as well as the external transmitter-receiver unit for sensor evaluation.