Packing is one of the most common and simplest seals for positive displacement pumps. Packing consists of braided or formed rings that are compressed inside the stuffing box of a pump. As the packing gland is tightened, the packing is compressed against the shaft and the inside of the stuffing box bore - creating a seal. When the pump is operating, process liquid cools and lubricates the packing. The pump must leak or "weep" slightly to ensure proper lubrication. Packing is one of the oldest forms of shaft sealing. Original packing was made of materials such as leather or rope.

Let's start with Texas. Whether you’re in Houston, or Dallas, or West Texas, it’s impossible to get away from Viking pumps used in the petroleum industry. Certainly you’ll find Viking pumps for crude oil here, but also at the finished end of the process helping to manufacture a variety of lube oil blends from conventional motor oil to full synthetics, to special blends for colder environments, high mileage engines, marine, aviation, and dozens of other specialty applications. South Carolina’s textile industry is older than the US itself.

Since our founding in 1911, Viking Pump has built over 7,000,000 pumps and supplied them to customers all over the world. These pumps handle the broadest range of liquids in the industry. We’ve prepared a listing of 50 Viking pump applications, tying each to a state where this application can commonly be found. In our fifth episode, let’s explore Viking Pump applications in New Mexico, Massachusetts, Alaska, Kansas, and Oregon.