gasketing
- April 16, 2019
The Dreaded Gasket Blowout Call
Have you ever received the dreaded 2 a.m. call from plant staff saying that things are at a standstill – production is down?
You arrive at the plant, walk through the parking lot, coffee in hand, and head to the locker room. When you come out on to the plant floor, there are several people staring at you with a look of panic on their faces as steam or process chemical sprays from a pipe flange.
Prognosis……gasket blowout.
You think to yourself “didn’t we just replace that gasket?”, or perhaps “we should have replaced it during the last shutdown but chose not to because of time constraints or cost cutting.”
If this scenario is new to you, you are lucky and you can go back to sleep… the 2 a.m. call was a wrong number. If it’s not new to you, this means you are most likely a Plant Supervisor, Maintenance Manager or Plant Personnel in some capacity.
Roll up your sleeves, grab your torque wrench and let’s get to work!
Gasket Lifespan
If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me, “How long will my gasket last?” I would be a rich man. As you can probably guess, “How long will my gasket last?” is a loaded question to which the practical, factual, and political answer is… an Application Engineer’s nightmare!
A gasket may last 5 years, or it could last 20 years. I cannot give you an exact date or lifespan of a gasket; however I can give you some insight into factors that will give your gasket the best chance at a long and prosperous life between the flanges.
- March 26, 2019
Fried Snack Foods and GYLON® Style 3504 Gasket
The GYLON Style 3504 gasket is made of PTFE with aluminosilicate microspheres. It is designed for use in moderate concentrations of acids, caustics, hydrocarbons, refrigerants, and more.
It provides a tight seal, improved performance over conventional PTFE, reduced product loss and emissions, reduced creep relaxtion, excellent bolt torque retention, it doesn't burn, will not support bacterial growth, plus many more benefits.
INDUSTRY
Food Processing – Fried Snack Foods
CUSTOMER
A major diversified food & beverage manufacturer, with facilities located in all regions across the globe.
BACKGROUND
The customer had persistent problems when sealing hot oil applications on its bulk snack food fryers across several production sites. Build-up of polymerised vegetable oil on the flanges caused unsightly mess, maintenance complications, financial implications, and posed a significant fire risk.
CHALLENGES FACED
As well as ensuring that the sealing material was compliant to FDA and EN1935 standards, the challenge was to ensure that the gaskets would perform well under the difficult conditions presented by the high oil temperatures. Additionally, because the production line was also subject to regular and aggressive cleaning cycles, the gasket material was required to be compatible with other aggressive chemicals across a broad pH range.
- May 22, 2018
GYLON EPIX™ is a family of gaskets that effectively seals a broader range of applications and is more forgiving during the installation process. It allows the end user to save valuable turn-around time, reduce re-work, and lower costs, helping them to finish ahead of schedule and under budget.
GYLON EPIX™ features a hexagonal surface profile that provides the torque retention and blowout resistance of a thin gasket and the conformability of a thicker gasket. GYLON EPIX™ Style 3504 EPX is a high performance, aluminosilicate microsphere filled PTFE sheet material designed for use in moderate concentrations of acids, and caustics, as well as hydrocarbons, refrigerants, and more.
INDUSTRY
Chemical
CUSTOMER
Phosphate Processor
- March 06, 2018
GYLON EPIX™ is a family of gaskets that effectively seals a broader range of applications and is more forgiving during the installation process. It allows the end user to save valuable turn-around time, reduce re-work, and lower costs, helping them to finish ahead of schedule and under budget.
GYLON EPIX™ features a hexagonal surface profile that provides the torque retention and blowout resistance of a thin gasket and the conformability of a thicker gasket. GYLON EPIX™ Style 3504 EPX is a high performance, aluminosilicate microsphere filled PTFE sheet material designed for use in moderate concentrations of acids, and caustics, as well as
- February 20, 2018
In a world where we are bombarded with the belief that “more is better”, sealing science contradicts that theory with facts that show “thinner is better” when it comes to gaskets, as they provide improved load retention, pressure resistance and sealability. Yet thicker gaskets have their place for uneven, worn or damaged sealing surfaces. So how does a person make the right choice? What if there was a product that could do both?
Now there is...
GYLON EPIX™ is a family of gaskets that effectively seals a broader range of applications and is more forgiving during the installation process. GYLON EPIX™ allows the end user to save valuable turnaround time, reduce re-work, and lower costs, helping them to finish ahead of schedule and under budget.
The innovative GYLON EPIX™, provides superior functional performance by combining the traditional attributes of GYLON® with an innovative surface design. It offers a broader range of applications than traditional PTFE gaskets used in worn and pitted flanges. In addition, GYLON EPIX™ delivers the sealing and load retention properties of 1/16” and the conformability of 1/8”. The hexagonal profile provides improved compressibility and recovery. The profiled surface reduces the contact area during initial compression to concentrate the compressive force of the flange for improved sealability.
- October 24, 2017
When sealing raised or flat face flanges, there are two choices of gasket shape: ring-type or full-face. Each has its own advantages, so you should know which will best suit your application before ordering and installing. First, let's discuss the types of flanges in which gaskets are installed.
Flange Faces
Different types of flange faces are used as the contact surface to seat the sealing gasket materials. ASME B16.5 and B16.47 define various types of flange facings, including the raised face, the large male and female facings which have identical dimensions to provide a relatively large contact area.
Raised Face (RF) Flanges
The Raised Face flange is the most common type used in process plant applications, and is easily to identify. It is referred to as a raised face because the gasket surfaces are raised above the bolting circle face. This face type allows the use of a wide combination of gasket designs, including flat ring sheet types and metallic composites such as spiral wound and double jacketed types.
The purpose of a RF flange is to concentrate more pressure on a smaller gasket area and thereby increase the pressure containment capability of the joint. Diameter and height are in ASME B16.5 defined, by pressure class and diameter. Pressure rating of the flange determines the height of the raised face.
- August 15, 2017
Brought to you by Thermoseal®
This blog provides guidance to maintenance operators, engineers and fitters to ensure successful gasket installation and assembly of bolted flange connections. However always check plant-approved installation procedures first.
The successful operation of a gasket depends upon a multiplicity of factors including the style and quality of the gasket material, but also the medium being sealed, the flange design, the amount of pressure applied to the gasket by the bolts and how the gasket is assembled onto the flanges and tightened. Very basic causes often lead to leakage in bolted joints, and in most cases, it is not just the gasket but also the human element. Users should evaluate all conditions to validate the products are suitable for the intended process.
Tools Needed
Specific tools are required for cleaning the flange and tensioning the bolts. Always use standard safety equipment and follow good safety practices. The following tools are required for removal of the old gasket and installation of the new gasket:
- Calibrated torque wrench or hydraulic tensioner
- Brass wire brush
- Personal safety equipment
- Lubricants for the bolts (if specified)
- Other plant-specified equipment
- May 30, 2017
Over time, and for any number of reasons, flanges are prone to surface deviations. Damaged areas will tend to create a leak path that the gasket must try to seal.
Flange damage most commonly occurs when removing previously used gasket material from the sealing surface - tools such as chisels, or screw drivers, should be avoided. A brass wire brush is suggested.
The video below proves how well GORE® Gasket Tape Series 500 works on flanges with surface deviations versus a standard filled PTFE gasket.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwuxtiFbxH0[/embed]
- March 07, 2017
There are a plethora of choices when it comes to gasketing material. But if you are in the food processing, it is crucial that every item that makes contact with the gasket is left unaffected. And although silicone is inherently non-toxic, only a specially formulated food grade silicone is fit for use with consumables.
Silicone is an ideal elastomer to use if you require FDA-approved rubber. Since there is an emphasis on rubbers being suitable for repeated use in the food processing industry, silicone is ideal being that the material is not susceptible to harmful microbial agents or other contaminants. Food grade gaskets and seals should be able to function for long periods of time without falling prey to harmful contamination, or degradation.
- February 21, 2017
A spool of GORE® Gasket Tape Series 500 provides an immediate, cost-effective solution to sealing challenges that demand reliable performance and extended durability. This advanced product, with its industry-leading creep resistance, is designed to maximize the operational reliability of large steel-flanged applications, especially those with thermal cycling.
It eliminates the lag time, costs and complexities associated with engineering, specifying, procuring, shipping, storing and installing traditional one-piece prefabricated gaskets. It also delivers exceptionally reliable sealing performance, while making multiple gasketing installations faster, more cost-effective and simpler.