How to choose Gaskets? (two)

Gasket seal is essential in the modern industry. A gasket is a material that covers the intersection between two surfaces, which will maintain the leakage proof sealing in all conditions. It is a crucial element that can be seen in different industries, such as food processing, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and so on. In order to apply gaskets in different operating conditions, a great diversity of gaskets have been designed, for example, sanitary valve/hygienic valves and tri-clover fittings. Each type of gasket has its unique functionality. 

 

Natural rubber gaskets are popularly used in water, sea, air, inert gases and so on those solvents when it could not maintain its stability in nonpolar solvent and mineral oil. They are pretty popular in the food industry and they are usually used as a food-grade valve. Usually, the range of ideal working temperature of it is from -60℃ to 90℃, and it has a good performance under lower temperature environments. The highest temperais less than 90 degrees if used for the long term. 

 

Due to unique chemical and physical properties, polytetrafluoroethylene gasket (PTFE gasket) is one of the most valuable sealing products in the industry. In daily life，the pipe fittings union connector is made from PTFE gasket.

 

PTFE gasket has a very outstanding chemical resistance. It could endure corrosive environments without contaminating other applications. Thus, it is not surprising that it can be applied in essential oil extraction. Even in an electrical environment, using a PTFE gasket is quite safe. This component is independent by weathering and aging, and it is not wetted and will not absorb water, therefore, this is a good material to produce external electrical insulators. When it comes to the coefficient of friction, it has a competitive advantage than other solid material. Last but not least, the production process and use of PTFE gaskets are quite straightforward. Normally, when choosing PTFE gaskets, the temperature should be below 150 degrees and the pressure should be less than 1MPa. Even filled PTFE has higher stability, the maximum temperature should be below 200 degrees and the highest pressure is 2MPa. What is more, filled PTFE gaskets are easily corroded compared to PTFE gaskets. 

Metal Jacketed Gaskets

Metal jacketed gaskets have a metallic outer layer and their interiors are filled with metallic or non-metallic compressed fiber. Due to the outer metallic layer, it enables gaskets to resist higher pressure, extreme temperature and corrosion. 

It is suitable for use in boilers and heat exchangers where the surrounding temperature is relatively high. They are soft and can be designed in several types. 

 

Tri-Clamp Gasket

Sanitary tri-clamp gasket is used to seal tri-clamp connections. Widely in the food, dairy, beverage, biotech, pharmaceutical, and all other sanitary process industries to seal tri-clamp connections in stainless steel pipelines. Due to the smooth and non-porous surface, it is can be designed in hygienic products, such as the tri-clamp butterfly valve. Additionally, it is easy to clean and maintain. Tri-clamp gaskets are required to suffer rigorous manufacturing princesses and a harsh environment, thus, it is very important to select the right materials. One of the popular tri-clamp gaskets is made from silicone. It has a reasonable price and can stand extreme temperatures (from -58 F to 446 F). Because they are soft and flexible, they are easy to work with seals. Nevertheless, they could not apply in the strong acid solvent because it will become gummy.