Are Your Bolted Gaskets Installed Properly?

When bolted joint gaskets are not properly installed, it can cost thousands to replace them and their associated parts. This was the subject of a recent article in Pumps & Systems magazine titled “Proper Installation of a Bolted Joint Gasket.” The piece was authored by Garlock Sealing Technologies’ Jim Drago P.E., Jim Heffron, and Dave Burgess—and it offers a wealth of tips to ensure savings.

Today’s bolted flange gasket technology continues to evolve, with new designs and materials that provide more reliable and durable seals. There’s a wide variety of gasket products for different applications—but selecting the optimal gasket product is only half the battle. The installation process is as critical as the design and quality of the gasket itself.

Our Application Engineering Department conducted a study and found that 82 percent of gaskets returned for analysis (after the joint leaked) showed signs of problems with compression, while only 14 percent of the failures resulted from the selection of the wrong product for the particular application. Of course, this kind of joint leakage due to improper installation and lack of preventive maintenance can greatly impact your plant’s financial performance.

To read the entire article, which includes best practices and recommendations for proper installation,
click here.

Utility Solves Critical Combustion Turbine Issue with Garlock Style 1303-FEP Compression Packing

It’s a fairly common problem for utility companies: the crossfire tube inside this customer’s combustion turbine had a packing set that was prone to failure. When it failed, it caused significant gas leaks, requiring shutdown of the unit and repacking the crossfire tube. This was happening at approximately four-week intervals. Enter: Garlock’s application engineers!

We worked with the utility’s plant personnel to custom-engineer a solution, which involved replacing the packing with a three-ring set composed of Style 1303-FEP compression packing. This fire-safe packing complies with the most stringent VOC and VHAP emission standards. It’s dimensionally stable, impervious to gases and fluids, and resistant to heat, pressure, and chemicals.

To get the whole story, click here to download the case study. For more on Garlock Style 1303-FEP compression packing, just click here.

Can You Really Blame the Gaskets?

Was it really the gaskets? This was the focus of a recent Fluid Sealing Association “Sealing Sense” column in Pumps & Systems magazine. Chances are that users of gaskets will be confronted at some point with a bolted flange connection that leaks. When it happens, most people still consider the gasket as the probable cause of leakage—but there are myriad factors related to the gasket (beyond the gasket itself) that contribute to this problem.

This article shares the experience of the gasket material manufacturers to explain these other factors. The experience of most of these manufacturers suggests that a very high percentage of bolted flange connections that leak (75 percent to 85 percent) do so as a result of non-gasket related factors—for example, installation and assembly problems and limitations.

Garlock's Global Environmental Initiatives

Garlock’s Sherbrooke plant in Canada now recycles 91 percent of its waste: our goal is to reach 100 percent.  Everything from cardboard to composting is scrutinized in our effort to reach zero landfill. For its work in this area, our Sherbrooke facility expects an accreditation from the government of Quebec, entitled “HERE We Recycle.” The plant is also progressing toward implementing ISO 14001 (environmental management system) in conjunction with OHSAS 18001 (occupational health and safety).  

At our Palmyra, New York plant, we’re installing a new solvent recovery system upgrade for our GYLON® product line. This system will capture the solvent vapors that are released during sheet gasket processing, ensuring our continued compliance with the plant’s Title V air permit. It will also recycle a significant amount of recovered solvent back into the manufacturing process.  The system will be operational when the new GYLON plant opens.

For the more information on Garlock’s environmental initiatives, visit www.garlock.com.

Look for Garlock in these Industry Venues

Garlock Sealing Technologies will have a strong presence at the following industry trade shows during 2008: