BACKGROUND

On the 1st of August 18 Boiler was down for repairs. An opportunity was taken to inspect the
Gasket Seating Surface of the Steam Drum Cover. On the 6 th of August there was a failure at the
cover. A new gasket was installed Beldam Pilot 34 as per discussion from maintenance and CTS
personnel. During a hydro test the handhole on the north west side of the boiler failed. On the 7 th
of August a new gasket was installed on the North West handhole subsequent the failure. The
hydrostatic pressure was at 675psig. There was a failure on the South West flanges as well as
North West, South East, and North East ones. On the 10 th the hydrostatic pressure was at 675psig
and the steam drum south manway leaked (a drip every half and hour). The manway strong bar
was deflected and was renewed. The operating conditions of 18 Boiler is 472F and 520psig.
CUTTING OF THE GASKET:
Gaskets compensate for the unconformity of mating surfaces. These surface irregularities may be
minute or large depending on the purpose of the device but in all cases, the gasket is required to
compensate for the difference while limiting the flow of fluid in either direction. The Gasket
material characteristics will determine the personality of the end product. Gasket materials that
are hard and thin can be fabricated to tighter dimensional tolerances than gasket materials that
are soft and thick.
Although cutting methods for individual gaskets can vary widely, the most conventional cutting
tools used in Petrotrin are:
For small surface area and oblong shaped gaskets; use a shears.
For larger more uniform shaped gaskets; use a circular cutter.
For special cases the suppliers can use a die presses utilizing steel rule dies and solid steel
dies.

Suitability of the Gasket for the application:

Gaskets are used to create a static seal between two stationary members of a mechanical
assembly and to maintain that seal under operating conditions, which may vary dependent upon
changes in pressures and temperatures. The most important factor in selecting the proper gasket
is selecting the suitable material that will be compatible with the application service. The
operating conditions of the boiler mud drum at the time were 472F and 520psig and the design
conditions were 486F and 600psig.
The primary selection of a gasket material is influenced by many different factors:
1. The temperature of the fluid or gas in the service.
2. The pressure of the fluid or gas in the service.
3. The corrosive characteristics of the fluid or gas to be contained.
4. Flange Compatibility.
The initial gasket that was used was the Klingerit 1000 which is a top grade wire reinforced
material for extreme service. It is composed of styrene-butadiene binder with high grade long
fiber chrysotile asbestos and a mild steel reinforcement. The data sheet recommends usage for
high and fluctuating temperatures and pressures. From the data sheet the gasket was rated to
work with steam at a pressure of 725psig and a temperature of approximately 485F from the
pressure temperature graph. Petrotrin stopped the use of the K1000 over 2 years ago according to
maintenance personnel, due to it being carcinogenic.
The second gasket that was used was Beldam Crossley Pilot 34 which is a compressed fiber
jointing manufactured from a blend of special heat resistant fibers with a high quality NBR
rubber binder. From the data sheet the gasket was rated to work with steam at a pressure of
2175.57psig and a temperature of 482F and it was also recommended as a general purpose
material suitable for variety of corrosive applications.
The third gasket that was used was Lamons LG-TC which is a reinforced flexible graphite sheet
material laminated with tanged 316/316L insert and made with minimum 98% typical carbon.
From the data sheet the flexible graphite was shown to have excellent resistance to corrosion at
high temperatures. The Pressure Temperature Graph on the data sheet showed the gasket was
rated for usage at a pressure of 1160psi and a temperature of 850F
In Lamons handbook (Rev. 2012) there is a chemical resistance chart in the appendix that
indicated general recommendations for non-metallic and metallic materials compared against
various corrosive media and the LG-TC was shown to have a Good Resistance for steam
service.

Temp/ F
486

Process Conditions for No. 18 Boiler Mud Drum

Design
Operating
Pressure/psig
Temp/ F
Pressure/psig
600
472
520

Flange Name

Temperature

Klingerit 1000
Beldam Crossley
Pilot 34
Lamons LG-TC

475F
482F
850F

Pressure
725-870psi
2175.57psig
1160psig

Corrosion
Resistance
Good Resistance
Good Resistance

Flange
Compatibility
good
good

Good Resistance

bad