As Azibert explained: “McNally’s vision was to combine the advantages of the mechanical seal (no leakage) with those of the packing, no need to disassemble the pump to install it”.
The development of the project took three years, and
in the summer of 1985 the first 221 split seal was mounted on a Delaval pump.
Six months later production started for the seal sizes up to 50mm, and this was
the beginning of a great success. The new Chesterton 221 split mechanical seal created a new business model: to assist the customer with the seal installation, thanks to specifically trained Chesterton specialists. The larger diameters (from 50 to 150mm) were launched two years later, and in 1992 the 221 Jumbo was launched (from 200 to 300mm).
The first split seals were was an advanced innovation and it were quite expensive compared to the conventional solution, but its customers agreed that the hidden costs of a conventional mechanical seal or compression packing (production lost, dismounting…) are even higher.
Today Chesterton is
considered as the leader in split seal technology, with more than 150 thousand
seals installed in the world. The first competitor arrived on the market 5
years later. In 1999 Chesterton introduced to the market a new split seal, the
442, to replace the first generation of the 221 and in 2014, the 442C, with
additional technical improvements.
During the years, Chesterton has penetrated
new markets such as Hydropower and developed new competencies in term of
engineering support and sales network.
Now Chesterton is a global player in Split Seal Technologies with its Innovations and outrageous ideas.
Watch installation video of Jumbo Split Seal here and learn more about Chesterton technologies!
Any questions? Ask Enrico
Ing. Enrico Zini
EMEA Product Line Manager - Mechanical Seal
Email: Enrico.Zini@chesterton.com
Tel: +39 349 6251 920
