When you’re dealing with extreme environments with high-pressure, high-temperature and chemical applications, you want to be sure you’re using the correct type of gasket.
Failing to do so could result in several negative consequences. From damaged machinery to, worse, the physical harm of your employees, choosing the wrong gasket should be avoided at all costs.
Luckily, your local team of professionals at Steamline Engineering are here to help, telling us the best sealing solutions for extreme environments like high-pressure and high-temperature applications.
Metallic gaskets
Metallic gaskets perform well in extreme conditions such as high-pressure and high-temperature environments. They’re made from stainless steel or similar materials, offering supreme strength and durability in harsh conditions. Softer metals are more malleable and create an effective seal through bolt force, flowing into the structure of the mating flange, making it very tight.
Metallic gaskets are also a top choice for applications which involve chemical exposure. They’re non-corrosive, making them an effective long-term solution for chemical machinery.
Graphite
One of the best-performing gasket materials for high-temperature environments, graphite is great for extreme environments. Graphite gaskets can withstand temperatures of up to 650°C, resulting in their suitability for industrial offshore oil and gas applications. Graphite is also resistant to various chemicals such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and several bases and solvents.
Spiral wound
Spiral wound gaskets consist of metal winding with a softer filler on the inside, such as PTFE or graphite. They’re great for fluctuating conditions in which temperatures and pressures may become very high but then suddenly drop. They’re commonly found in oil and gas, chemical processing, power generation and other heavy-duty industries.
PTFE
Polytetrafluoroethylene (thankfully, we shorten its name to PTFE) is another gasket material which is perfect for extreme environments. It offers excellent chemical resistance while maintaining low friction properties and can handle temperatures of up to 260°C. They’re the sealing solution of choice in many applications throughout the industries of chemical processing, food and beverage production, pharmaceutical manufacturing and more.
Ceramic fibre
Ceramic fibre as a gasket material boasts high temperature resistance, handling anything up to 1260°C. They’re very lightweight and offer great thermal insulation properties, which is why they’re used in high-temperature furnaces and kilns, heat exchangers, insulation for industrial equipment and much more.
Steamline Engineering is your local home for top-quality gaskets for a range of applications. We stock a range of premium-grade gaskets from excellent manufacturers like Carrera and Firefly, providing metallic, rubber, PTFE, graphite gaskets and more. Supplying various gaskets from various materials, Steamline are also Australia’s leading team for other industrial equipment like thermal tapes and seals, welding blankets and valve packing materials.