Increasingly, as the emission standards are controlled, older plants are switching to mechanical seals. Newer plants were designed with seals, and those that use or produce hazardous materials have always used them. We also use bearing isolators on nearly all pumps, gear boxes, motors, etc. On the other hand, I have found that some facilities are converting mechanically sealed pumps back to packing. This is for many different reasons.
New fibers carry heat well.
Some are lubricated, and others have designs that are proven to pull their weight in today s industry. Again, not all the new technology may be for you and your plant. Damaged pump foundations were scheduled to be repaired during outages. We now complete alignment checks on new equipment before the piping and foundation is accepted. Our standard requires that all grout is epoxy, and any exceptions must be reviewed and approved.