What to do about minor leaks at the orifice plate connections
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The orifice plate was just installed, and during the leak test it was found that there was a small area where air was leaking – it wasn’t severe; a small bubble would form in the soapy water within a few seconds. But it’s a blast furnace gas pipeline, with a diameter of two meters. The screw can no longer be tightened any further. Are there any good ways to deal with it?
It’s better to replace it; don’t take the risk.
Has medium-pressure gas been supplied? If not, deal with it first and then replace the gasket.
Besides replacing the gaskets, what other good solutions do people have?
Care must be taken; it’s blast furnace gas – replace the gaskets.
A detailed analysis of this is needed to determine the cause; it could be due to failure to insert it properly, the presence of foreign objects, issues with the quality of the gaskets, uneven stress on the bolts, etc. It would be best to send some photos for inspection. It is recommended to try sealing it with glue first. . . . If the pressure isn’t high, you might as well give it a try.
This post was last edited by IZKJF on 2017-4-30 at 14:28. Thank you all; we are dealing with a leak on the low-pressure nitrogen side. The pressure in the nitrogen main pipe is 7.3 kilograms (whereas the pressure in our blast furnace gas pipelines does not exceed 0.15 kilograms). At the time of measurement, both the upstream and downstream ends of the pipe were closed. The nitrogen valve wasn’t opened wide, but it was left on for about 3 hours, which was enough to push open all the blind valves. . . Later, some nitrogen was released, and another measurement was taken under those conditions; one leak was detected, which was very small – it produced a tiny bubble after a few seconds. Later, it was sealed with a foaming agent. This morning I switched the gas supply; I used a CO detector to monitor the area around the valve for 10 minutes, and no gas leaks were detected. I can only take another look. By the way, we are in the steel industry, specifically in steel rolling. There are no strict requirements regarding gas; it’s sufficient as long as the temperature of the stove can be raised.
It is recommended to switch to a new one; maybe there were issues with the quality of the previous one. You can also take into account the answers from other users