Specification :

INTRODUCTION

The cost of leaky joints in industry today is staggering. Out-of-pocket
costs run into billions of dollars annually in lost production, waste of energy,
loss of product and, most recently, impact on the environment. These
problems are increasing, not decreasing. It behooves all of us to consolidate
our knowledge and experience to solve or at least minimize these
problems. This publication is being produced because we, as gasket
manufacturers and suppliers, are constantly called upon to solve sealing
problems after the fact. Toooften we find insufficienttime and attention has
been given to:
. proper design of flanged joint
. installation procedures and
. selection of the optimum gasket material required to solve a
particular sealing problem.
Wewill endeavor to outline in this publication those areas we believe to
be essential in a properly designed, installed and m" aintainedgasketed
joint.
We believe most people involved with the design, installation, and maintenance
of gasketed joints realize that no such thing as " zero" leakage can
be achieved. Whether or not ajoint is " tight" depends on the sophistication
of the methods used to measure leakage. In certain applications the
degree of leakage may be perfectly acceptable if one drop of water per
minute is noted at the gasketed joint. Other requirements are that no
bubbles would be observed if the gasketed joint was subjected to an air or
gas test underwater and a still more stringent inspection would require
passing a mass spectrometer test. The rigidity of the test method would be
determined by:
. the hazard of the material being confined
. loss of critical materials in a process flow
. impact on the environment should a particular fluid escape into the
atmosphere
. danger of fire or of personal injury
All of these factors dictate proper attention must be given to:
. design of flange joints or closures
. proper selection of gasket type . proper gasket material
. proper installation procedures
Care in these areas will ensure that the best technology goes into the
total package and will minimize operating costs, pollution of the environment
and hazards to employees and the general public.