The 28AT series represents the first generation of dry gas seals, with a design lineage tracing back over 30 years. These seals have been installed and validated on thousands of compressors worldwide, and they remain the preferred choice for many customers. Since 1970, 28-series compressor dry gas seals have set the industry standard for gas-handling turbomachinery.

These seals utilize John Crane’s patented spiral groove technology to achieve non-contacting operation. During dynamic operation, the seal maintains a gap of approximately 0.0002 inches (5 microns) between the ring/seat and the balance ring/face, effectively eliminating wear. By eliminating oil contamination in the seal, these seals reduce maintenance costs and minimize downtime. Available configurations include single, tandem, and double seal arrangements.

Aura® 120 Narrow-Profile Dry Gas Seal
The Aura® 120 narrow-profile dry gas seal applies the latest YUEMAX dry gas seal technology to legacy equipment, enabling the benefits of a non-contacting design. Dry gas seal technology eliminates the need for oil lubrication associated with contacting seals, thereby avoiding harmful emissions trapped in sealing oil.

Investing in the conversion from oil seals to dry gas seal solutions significantly improves the reliability of compressors and other rotating equipment. Drawing on decades of retrofit experience, the Aura® 120 narrow-profile design minimizes upgrade costs and accelerates turnaround time.

Methane emissions from the oil and gas sector represent the second-largest source of greenhouse gases, accounting for approximately 18% of total anthropogenic climate impact. Retrofitting conventional compressors with dry gas seal technology can reduce methane emissions by up to 95%.

Use our Life Cycle Cost Calculator to explore the economic and environmental benefits of retrofitting with YUEMAX dry gas seals.

28 Series Dry Gas Seals

Since 1970, the 28-series compressor dry gas seals have been the industry standard for gas-handling turbomachinery. These seals utilize YUEMAX’s patented spiral groove technology to achieve non-contacting operation. During dynamic operation, the seal maintains a gap of approximately 0.0002 inches (5 microns) between the ring and the balance ring, effectively eliminating wear. By eliminating oil contamination in the seal, these seals reduce maintenance costs and minimize downtime. Configurations are available in single, tandem, and double seal arrangements.

28XP Series

The 28XP series is currently YUEMAX’s most popular seal, based on the 28AT design. It is suitable for medium-to-high pressure applications and offers improved chemical resistance. The 28XP can operate over a wider temperature range and has gradually become the preferred choice for large-size applications and those requiring slow startup and slow shutdown. In these applications, where the gas is extremely dry (very low dew point) and rotational speeds are below the film onset speed of conventional dry gas seals, severe contacting operation may occur.

The 28XP seal can also be paired with Carbon LF™ balance rings to improve friction and wear resistance during contacting operation under extremely dry gas conditions.

Aura 220 Dry Gas Seal

The Aura 220 utilizes patented polymer sealing technology to reduce both operational and transactional costs. It can lower leakage rates by up to 15%, helping to protect the environment while reducing overall operating expenses. The enhanced rotor design extends scheduled maintenance intervals, and the optional bi-directional capability reduces the need for extensive spare parts inventory.

The Aura 220 provides extremely reliable operation across a temperature range of -58°F to 392°F (-50°C to 200°C) and at pressures up to 3625 psi(g) / 250 bar(g).

With the Aura 220, operators can leverage localized technical expertise from the industry’s largest global service network, with over 300 service engineers worldwide. Service and reliability specialists provide technical support and troubleshooting for a wide range of applications across the industry.

28EXP Series

The 28EXP series is designed for the most challenging and demanding operating conditions. Its performance has been validated and independently verified, and it can operate at up to 425 bar gauge pressure.

Since 1970, the 28-series compressor dry gas seals have been the industry standard for gas-handling turbomachinery. These seals utilize John Crane’s patented spiral groove technology to achieve non-contacting operation. During dynamic operation, the seal maintains a gap of approximately 0.0002 inches (5 microns) between the ring/seat and the balance ring/face, effectively eliminating wear. By eliminating oil contamination in the seal, these seals reduce maintenance costs and minimize downtime. Configurations are available in single, tandem, and double seal arrangements.

28ST Series

The 28ST series combines proven spiral groove technology with high-temperature secondary sealing to significantly reduce steam leakage—by nearly two orders of magnitude compared to conventional sealing devices such as segmented carbon rings and labyrinth seals.

Even under sudden changes in operating conditions, this steam-lubricated, end-face cartridge seal responds automatically, maintaining a safe seal face gap. The seal face gap remains stable, typically between 0.0001 to 0.0002 inches (0.0025 to 0.0051 mm), thanks to the specially designed spiral grooves that pump steam radially inward into the seal at the non-grooved portion known as the seal dam.