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Engineering - Design
Sep 1st, 2003 Print this article
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• CE Buyers' Guide
How to START ImplementING a Gasket Standardization: Why and
• CE Buyers' Guide Gasket-Standardization Program How
Update
By Chemical Engineering Editorial Staff How to START ImplementING a
• Preferred Suppliers Gasket-Standardization Program
• Media Kit
Step 1: What kinds of piping do I have? Conduct a review
• Search Archive of all the piping systems in your facility, including FRP, glass- In Previous Issues...
lined steel, and steel. How much of each do you have, and
Editorial Departments
how many flanges are involved?
• Bookshelf
• Cover Story
• Design The difference in piping is important. Glass-lined steel is used
for aggressive chemicals. Because it is easily damaged if too Front Page
• Editor's Page
• Engineering Practice
much torque is applied, it requires a gasket material that can
seal at low bolt loads, and is dimensionally stable in width yet
• Environmental Manager
conformable in height. FRP piping is similar to glass-lined
• ePlant
steel, but without the macro deviations to the flange. It
• Feature Report
requires a conformable material, in many cases an elastomer
• Letters gasket, which can accomplish a gastight seal at very low
• Operations stresses (below 1,500 psi). By contrast, steel flanges can be
and Maintenance used with any material, because high stresses can be applied.
• Pristine Processing Standardization within steel allows for uniform stress across
• Solids Processing all piping systems, but the key is standardizing on a high-
• You and Your Job performance material to eliminate any “weak links” and
improve the overall reliability of your piping system.
News
- Calendar
- Chementator Step 2: What gasketing materials am I using now? You
might be surprised at the number of different materials that
- Economic Indicators
are currently being employed for gaskets. It is in fact possible
- Kirkpatrick Award
to identify several materials being used in each type of pipe
Winners
flange, such as:
- Newsfront

New Products For FRP piping:

- Focus
- Monthly New PTFE envelope elastomer
Products Domestic
- Monthly New
Other elastomer
Products International

Advertisers Filled PTFE

• Literature Review
Expanded PTFE

For glass-lined steel piping:

PTFE-enveloped compressed synthetic fiber

Expanded PTFE

For steel piping:

Filled PTFE (silicone, barium sulfate, or glass)

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Graphite

Compressed synthetic fiber

Skived PTFE

Expanded PTFE

Metallic gaskets ( such as spiral wound)

The diameter of the pipe has no bearing on the gasket

materials you use; the key is the right type of gasket material
for the type of piping. Do not forget special considerations for
situations such as highly toxic fluids, slurries, or sanitary
processing, where the choice of gasket material really makes
a difference in chemical inertness, purity, high tightness, and
low stress to seal.

Step 3: How can I reduce the number of gasketing

materials I use? Typically, you’ll want to divide your
processes into those that are below 600°F. and those that are
above, as well as those processes that generate less than
1,500 psi internal pressure versus those that generate more.
Another consideration, affecting hydrocarbon processing in
particular, is the strict requirement for fire and blowout
protection. Make sure that you select a gasket that seals
properly at low stress levels – gastight at 100 psi internal
pressure at a gasket stress of 250 psi – and can successfully
seal all applicable piping gastight according to the
manufacturer’s recommended torque. This will greatly simplify
maintenance based on piping glass, not on the gasket
material used.

Step 4: Where can I go for guidance? Gasket distributors

usually possess a wealth of information about the performance
characteristics of the gasketing products they supply. Another
source consists of the gasket manufacturers themselves. The
manufacturer’s or distributor’s help in answering the following
questions can help you narrow your gasketing materials down
to just a few:

• For what types of piping is the material suitable? Many

gasketing materials will not be suitable for all the piping that
you have in your plant.

• Can I use this material for all chemicals? Which ones aren’t
acceptable?

• What are the maximum temperature and pressure for which

the material is suitable? Above/below 600°F? Above/below
1,000 psi?

• Is the material metallic? (The answer is of relevance for

flammable fluids and high-temperature or high-pressure
applications, as well as the need for gaskets that resist fire
and blowout.) Or is it nonmetallic? (For non-metallic gaskets
capable of above 1,000 psig using flanges of the 600- and 900-
lb class, you should contact the manufacturer for specific
installation instructions.)

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• How well does the material seal at low stress levels (e.g.,
below 1,500 psi)? What stress is required to get a T-3 gastight
seal? This information is particularly important for considering
glass-lined or FRP flanges.

• What is the leak-retention capability of the gasketing

relative to alternative materials? This information provides you
with the gross leak rate at given stress levels, which helps
confirm the achievable tightness of the seal and can aid you in
claiming overall emission reduction for pipe flanges once
standardization is implemented. (According to the European
Sealing Assn., process pipe flanges account for 5 to 25% of
overall VOC emissions at a plantsite)

If you follow the steps above, you’ll likely be able reduce the
number of gasketing materials used in your facility,
simplifying your life and reducing both complexity and risk. In
addition, you may well find that your actual gasketing costs
will remain the same, or even decrease.
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