The chemical industry is essential to modern manufacturing, but its processes involve aggressive and hazardous chemicals. Proper sealing solutions are critical for ensuring safety, efficiency, and compliance. Here’s how to choose and maintain the right sealing solutions for your operations:

1. Understand the Role of Seals

• Safety: Seals prevent harmful leaks, protecting workers and the environment.
• Efficiency: They maintain pressure, temperature, and flow rates, ensuring consistent production quality.
• Durability: High-quality seals reduce equipment wear, minimize maintenance, and save costs in the long run.

2. Match Seal Type to Application

Different seal materials are suited for specific chemical processes. Here are common types and their strengths:

• Elastomeric Seals: Affordable and effective at low loads but degrade faster under high temperatures or pressure. Often susceptible to Rapid Gas Decompression (RGD). Examples: NBR, EPDM, and Silicone.
• Compressed Fiber: Versatile and used for generalized applications, combining fibers with elastomeric binders.
• Flexible Graphite: Excellent for high temperatures and aggressive chemicals. Often reinforced with metal for added strength.
• PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene): Highly resistant to aggressive chemicals and adaptable to flange imperfections, though creep relaxation is a factor that must be addressed in the design process
• Metal Seals: Ideal for extreme temperatures and pressures, often combined with softer materials like graphite or PTFE for better performance.

3. Select the Right Seal for Your Needs

• Assess chemical compatibility with system fluids. Some chemicals can degrade polymers, leach components, or cause swelling.
• Consider application-specific challenges, like temperature, pressure, and potential for corrosion.

4. Use Engineered Solutions for Complex Applications

For demanding processes like hydrogen fluoride (HF) production, Teadit developed a dual-seal gasket design:

• Primary Seal: high-temperature-resistant flexible graphite, providing excellent thermal stability and sealing performance.
• Secondary Seal: Expanded PTFE (ePTFE) for its superior chemical resistance and ability to effectively fill flange gaps, also acts as an additional layer of protection against leakage.

5. Implement Best Practices

• Material Selection: Work with experts to choose materials suited for your process conditions.
• Advanced Design: Opt for modern seals with composite materials, coatings, or custom geometries for enhanced durability.
• Routine Maintenance: Conduct regular inspections and replace seals as needed to prevent failure.
• Training: Ensure personnel are trained in seal installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

6. Invest in Custom Solutions When Needed

Standard seals may not suffice for all scenarios. Custom-designed seals tailored to specific processes provide better performance and reliability, especially in high-risk applications.

To gain a more comprehensive understanding of Sealing Solutions for Chemical Processing, click here.