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A valve OEM had designed a specific globe contol valve to operate with liquid hydrogen, using spiral-wound gaskets for sealing between the body and the bonnet. During tests with liquid hydrogen at an operating temperature of -254 °C, the valves began to exhibit significant fluid leakage through these gaskets. This issue not only revealed a critical sealing failure but also posed a considerable safety risk in highly sensitive and demanding applications involving liquid hydrogen.
Faced with this situation, the OEM turned to James Walker in search of a quick, reliable, and safe solution to address the problem and ensure compliance with the performance and safety standards required under such extreme conditions.
Body-bonnet gasket for globe control valves liquid hydrogen service
Fluid: Liquid Hydrogen
Pressure : 20 bar
Valve type: Globe control valves
Temperature: -254ºC
Standard spiral‑wound gaskets from a sealing competitor
After an in-depth analysis of the gasket housing design and dimensions,operating conditions and the potential root causes of the leakage, James Walker’s engineering team determined that the most effective and reliable approach to address the issue and enhance the valve’s overall performance was to replace the standard spiral-wound gasket with the advanced Metakamm ActiVate Type CK gasket with graphite facing.
This innovative gasket incorporates a unique grooved wave metal core, a breakthrough in sealing technology that not only provides exceptional compression and recovery characteristics but also ensures excellent sealability by achieving fugitive emissions tightness even at lower gasket stresses. Its impressive spring properties allow the gasket to maintain a consistent load during operation, making it particularly effective under fluctuating pressure and temperature conditions. Additionally, the gasket demonstrates remarkable recovery and elasticity, enabling it to perform reliably under high-stress profiles without compromising its integrity.
The results of the testing conducted with the Metakamm ActiVate gasket were outstanding, showcasing its superior sealing performance and reliability. Under rigorous test conditions, including extreme low temperatures and demanding thermal cycling, the gasket delivered zero leakage, exceeding expectations and demonstrating its capability to handle the most challenging operating environments.
These successful results underline the Metakamm ActiVate as a game-changing solution for applications requiring uncompromising sealing integrity, offering a significant enhancement in operational efficiency and safety. This achievement reflects James Walker's commitment to delivering high-performance solutions tailored to the most demanding industrial challenges
The Metakamm ActiVate gasket offers superior sealing performance for critical heat exchanger, piping and valve bonnet flange applications due to its unique grooved wave metal core that delivers outstanding compression and recovery characteristics. This core is supplemented by a choice of cover layers including high-purity graphite, PTFE and phlogopite.
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