Regarding gaskets
Thread Content
I would like to ask the experts here: when reinstalling the head cover, or end cap, or tube box of a shell and tube heat exchanger, should tape be wrapped around the gaskets?
The purpose of wrapping the gasket with tape is to prevent it from being damaged due to impacts during installation. There are no such requirements in the standards, especially for spiral-wound gaskets, which can easily come apart as a result of collisions if not protected
So, does using packing tape have no effect on the sealing performance of the gasket?
The sealing performance of the gasket depends on M and Y; if the temperature and materials permit, using tape has no impact.
At first, the maintenance team wrapped raw adhesive tape around the graphite gaskets, but later the workshop supervisor ordered that any such tape be removed. So I was wondering whether wrapping raw adhesive tape could have negative effects
If the temperature is below 80 degrees, there is no impact
So, at temperatures above 80°C, should it be wrapped or not?
Between the floating head flange and the tube sheet, a male-female surface seal is used; if a wound gasket is employed, it has an inner ring that is also held in place within the groove, preventing damage. It is unknown whether the temperature resistance of the raw material tape is the same as that of polytetrafluoroethylene; excessively high temperatures can affect the sealing performance. It feels better if it’s not tangled.