Substitute materials to replace asbestos in refinery-service gaskets and packings
Refiners have been able to successfully replace asbestos in many packing and gasket applications. The changeover has been driven by health concerns, refusal of product liability insurance to suppliers, and supplier concern over long-term availability of asbestos. A great deal of purchasing and engineering effort is currently being expended to qualify and convert nonasbestos materials for gaskets and packings. The task has been complicated by a lack of objective performance criteria in existing industry standards. The majority of industry standards has specified the use of asbestos-based products because operating experience has shown they work. The specification criteria which do exist typically are valid for comparing competitive asbestos products only, and do not correlate well when applied to unrelated materials. The task of reliably and safely operating a refinery without asbestos-based gasketing and packing is progressing on three fronts: 1. Replacement with products based on materials such as flexible graphite and poly tetra fluoro ethylene (PTFE). Performance characteristics are well known, and sufficient historical operating data exist. The initial cost of these materials is typically higher than asbestos-based products. 2. Trials and replacement with ''new'' materials such as Aramid or glass-fiber-based sheet materials and braided packing, or mica/graphite-filled, spiral-wound gaskets. The performance characteristics of these materials are not well known in comparison to asbestos.
- Research Organization:
- Flexitallic Gasket Co. Inc., Bellmawr, NJ
- OSTI ID:
- 5599968
- Journal Information:
- Oil Gas J.; (United States), Vol. 84:21
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Asbestos substitutes. January 1978-February 1988 (Citations from the Rubber and Plastics Research Association data base). Report for January 1978-February 1988
Asbestos substitutes. January 1978-July 1989 (Citations from the Rubber and Plastics Research Association data base). Report for January 1978-July 1989
Related Subjects
ASBESTOS
HEALTH HAZARDS
GASKETS
MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION
PACKINGS
PETROLEUM REFINERIES
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COST
FIBERGLASS
GRAPHITE
INSURANCE
MATERIALS
POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE
RELIABILITY
SPECIFICATIONS
STANDARDS
CARBON
ELEMENTAL MINERALS
ELEMENTS
FLUORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HAZARDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
MINERALS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
POLYETHYLENES
POLYMERS
POLYOLEFINS
SAFETY
SEALS
020600* - Petroleum- Health & Safety
020400 - Petroleum- Processing