Flange Corrosion: Prevention and Mitigation through Better Gasketing

Typical bolted flanged joints utilize gaskets that leave crevices at the flange ID.  Coupled with aggressive chemicals, dissimilar metals, and typically conductive sealing materials, flange corrosion is prevalent in the refining, petrochemical and chemical processing industries.  Corrosion and subsequent leaks cause unplanned downtime, costly flange repair, or the need to apply an industrial clamp to maintain plant operation.

A special composite gasket utilizing semi-metallic and non-metallic components has eliminated crevices preventing the onset of corrosion and has also sealed against existing flange corrosion.  All instances offer the benefit of eliminating downtime, costly repair and use of clamps.  This gasketing concept and design will be discussed in this paper.