Selection of gasket for air cooler plug
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Everyone, **please help! Our company currently has a batch of medium and high-pressure air coolers, which require a testing pressure of 12 MPa. The tube sheet is made of 304 material, the plug fittings are also made of 304 material, while the gaskets for these plug fittings are made of 316L material. However, during the pressure testing process, leakage occurs quite severely at the plug fitting locations. I’m seeking advice on possible solutions to this issue P.S. I’m thinking of using copper gaskets; I’m not sure if that’s possible
There is no issue with the material chosen for the original gasket; 316L has lower hardness than 304. It is recommended to find out the cause of the leak – whether it is due to insufficient tightening or an issue with the hardness of the gasket. Choosing a copper gasket, in my opinion, is not a good idea. I don’t know what medium is used for air cooling; galvanic corrosion could occur. If air cooling contains NH3, it can also corrode red copper.
Thank you! Then it might be a problem with the material of the gasket! Do you mean that if the medium contains ammonia, copper gaskets cannot be used?
This post was last edited by Zhongyuanren on 2016-11-15 at 16:04. Red copper is corrosion-resistant, relatively soft, heat-resistant, and provides good sealing properties; try using a PTFE gasket in front of the red copper gasket.
The gasket material is 316L, which is a bit hard; soft steel gaskets lined with graphite can be used instead. The problem may lie in the deformation of the tube box or in the quality of the machining of the holes for the plug bolts in the tube box. Generally, by re-machining the surface of these holes to ensure their verticality, the issue can be resolved.
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