Flange Gaskets Division

The main challenge for the Flange Gaskets Division has been the move away from the use of asbestos fibres in gasket materials. Historically, compressed asbestos fibre sheet material has been the material of choice for "soft" gasket materials. It was regarded as easy to use and very tolerant of abuse, for which it was recognised as very "forgiving". Consequently, the material was used to seal almost all common applications, and usually gave reasonable performance. A broad experience of the material was established over many years amongst manufacturers and users alike.

More recently, with the tendency away from the use of asbestos fibres, a new generation of asbestos-free substitutes has been developed by the sealing industry. This has created an enormous challenge, because only limited experience is available for the new materials in service. Many of the new materials provide improved levels of sealing performance, although their applicability is more limited than the asbestos-based alternatives. Equally, handling of these new materials requires more care in general. Overall, these new materials can outperform their asbestos-based alternatives, but are far less forgiving. Users must exercise more care in selecting the right material for the job and assembling the seal.

The Members of the Division have committed vast efforts in developing these new asbestos-free materials and in providing guidance for users. For example, the Members have collaborated to produce useful technical publications for users:

    Gasket Installation Procedures. This pocket-sized leaflet is aimed at maintenance engineers and fitters, providing straightforward guidance on installing a gasket in a bolted flange to ensure joint integrity and maximum safety. It is intended to complement other plant-approved installation procedures. The leaflet is available in a wide range of languages, including Deutsch, Dutch, English, Español, Français, Italiano, Portuguese and Turkish.

   Guidelines for safe seal usage - Flanges and Gaskets (ESA Publication No. 009/98). This document is available in Deutsch, English, Español and Italiano language versions.

The objective of this document is to provide detailed guidance for maintenance operators, engineers and fitters, relating to the correct selection, handling and installation of gasket sealing materials. These are crucial factors to ensure safe and reliable performance over the lifetime of the seal, and yet are often overlooked! This is particularly important with the advent of asbestos-free sealing materials and other innovations, which can provide improved sealing performance (over asbestos), but often require more careful selection, handling and installation. This document provides a comprehensive guide to the variety of hard and soft gasket materials available to users.

   Glossary of Sealing Terms – Flanges and Gaskets (ESA Publication No. 008/97). This document is available in English and Italiano language versions.

Standardisation
The Division is heavily involved in the progress of standardisation world-wide. In Europe, the Division is represented as a European organisation in liaison on CEN/TC 74 (Flanges and their joints), working in parallel with the national standardisation organisations. On standardisation issues in the USA, the ESA works in close collaboration with the FSA.

Legislation
New legislation may have a substantial impact on the manufacture and/or use of sealing materials. For example, the Directive 97/69/EC on the Classification, Packaging and Labelling of Dangerous Substances was formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on 1997 December 5. This was agreed by qualified majority vote, with only Germany voting against the Directive. Unilaterally, Germany has introduced a new piece of legislation, entitled Appendix V, No. 7, Ordinance on Dangerous Chemicals (Gefahrstoffverordnung), which contradicts some of the requirements of the EU Directive.