Metallic gaskets are one of the most important aspects of lowering fugitive emissions; therefore, the necessity to innovate this specialty product is prudent.
Over the last decade, downstream plants have been running at increasingly higher pressures and temperatures while trying to meet or exceed the lower fugitive emission goals. At the same time, piping, vessel and heat exchanger manufacturers are designing equipment to meet these demands, but commonly the gaskets specified in these new designs are existing technology. This results in a conundrum that requires the conventional gasket to not only meet the lower leakage rates but do so while working in more complex temperature/pressure applications. 3S realized this issue and set about developing a new gasket that would seal better while offering a greater recovery system resulting in lower fugitive emissions. Our answer is the newly developed and engineered XRG gasket, which is a gamechanger for companies seeking to exceed this new demand and evolve.
Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor, Technical Director at 3-S Superior Sealing Services
Gaskets serve one critical purpose: sealing bolted flange joints to prevent leaks. They are used throughout piping systems, vessels and heat exchangers across downstream facilities, with each application requiring a gasket designed for its specific operating conditions. While gasket designs vary, they all rely on one fundamental characteristic: the ability to compress and recover. As operating pressures and temperatures continue to increase, recovery becomes even more important in maintaining a tight seal and meeting today's lower fugitive emission expectations.
The 3S technical team pondered this question and hypothesized that, in some cases, the conventional gasket would not recover enough to maintain a tight seal. The 3S team then conducted an extensive and comprehensive study on existing semi-metallic gaskets in high temperature and pressure cycling environments to understand their performance. The study confirmed improvements could be made to better maintain a tight seal in fluctuating pressure and temperature applications.
When pressure is introduced into the system, flange rotation occurs due to hydrostatic forces. How much the gasket can recover relates to if a tight seal is still maintained at high internal pressures. The study conveyed what our team had already hypothesized; therefore, our technical team knew there was a way to ensure greater recovery, but the gasket would need a completely new paradigm. We went to work.
Through two years of testing multiple metallic core designs, the Extra Recovery Gasket was born. We simply call it XRG. The objective of the XRG development was to create a gasket that had higher compression and recovery compared to other gasket types. After conducting the study on other gaskets available, it was noticed that the compression, recovery and leak rates altered at different operating temperatures (properties became worse as the temperature increased). So, the second objective was to design and manufacture a gasket that would result in a greater recovery and perform the same at any operating temperature. The high stress points on the surface of the XRG's metallic core create a tight seal at all operating temperatures and pressures. The unique offset profile allows for the compression and recovery we want to achieve to maintain a tight seal and lower fugitive emissions. This innovation, coupled with our expert manufacturing capability, is produced exclusively at our Houston facility and is available for immediate shipping to your specifications.
The XRG was launched in 2020. 3S recommends and sells the XRG to companies who are looking to reduce fugitive emissions or where a difficult application issue arises. The XRG may be just the answer to your company's quandary related to new processes and new fugitive emission goals.
For more information, visit 3Sgaskets.com or email robert.taylor@3sgaskets.com.
