Chapter 2 - Design Separation Force ¢_Blow-out_, ‘Separation Force + Stud Force —-4 le Figuré 2.1 Initially, the Sealing Force is equal to the Stud Force. After pressuring the system, it is equal to the Stud Force minus the Separation Force: ‘The Stud Force initially applied to the gasket, besides causing flow of the gasket material, must: + Compensate for the separation force caused by intemal pressure + Be sufficient to maintain a residual stress on the gasket, avoiding fluid leakage. + Compensate for the relaxation of the flanged joint that will occur during service lite. From a practical point of view, in order to maintain the sealing, the residual stress must be “x” times the fluid pressure. The minimum value of this force can be calculated by various methods. In North America, the most widely used design procedure for the calculation is the “Appendix 2 — Rules for Bolted Flange Connection with Ring Type Joints” of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII [5]. However, this procedure does not take under consideration several variables such as the not so precise knowledge of the force application, relaxation of the gasket and effect caused by temperature variations. In parallel with this calculation, it is recommended that the designer checks the integrity of the flanged joint through the methodology established in the Appendix O of ASME. (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) PCC-1[6] Guidelines for Pressure Boundary Bolted Flange Assembly. Studies show that the higher the tightening of the gasket, the better the sealability Thus, it is recommended that the Seating Stress be as high as possible. European calculation procedures [50, 51] are different from ASME and will not be shown in this book, which is dedicated to the North American market. 4, ASME PROCEDURE, Appendix 2 sets out the criteria for the design of gaskets and flanges. The design of flanges is not in the scope of this book. To design the gasket, the procedure is described as follows, and should not be applied for the calculation of standard flanges. In this case, 15specific tables should be used to take into account other factors, as it will be shown throughout this book. The procedure recommends typical values for the characteristics of the gasket “m” and “y”, These values are not mandatory. The designer has the freedom to use different values as long as the available data justifies the need for doing so At the time of this book editing, the values suggested in Appendix 2 had not been updated after the ban of asbestos in most industrialized countries. For this reason, it is recom- ‘mended that the designer consults with the manufacturer ofthe gasket to get its characteristies. In 2015 a procedure to determine “m” and “y” has been issued by ASTM [67] however, the method has not gained widespread use because it considers an allowable leak rate which is not part of the ASME Section VIII - Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Ap- pendix 2 calculations. For this reason, Teadit employs its own procedure [7]. The values of “m” and “y” informed in this book are based on laboratory tests following this procedure and validated in successful actual service applications. Appendix 2 requires that a calculation of a bolted flanged joint would be made for two independent conditions: operating pressure and minimum seating stress. 4.1, OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS This condition establishes a minimum seating as per the equation: W,, = (@@P/4)+(2brGmP) ‘This equation establishes that the minimum bolt load necessary to fulfill the opera- tional conditions is equal to the sum of the pressure force plus a residual load over the gasket which is equal to “m"” times the media pressure. Or, interpreting it in a different way, this equation establishes that the minimal bolt load must be such that there always will be a residual stress applied on the gasket greater than the internal pressure of the media. The gasket manufacturer establishes the “m” factor. In the absence of information from the gasket manufacturer the ASME Code suggests minimum values of factor “m” for several gasket styles. In each specific chapter throughout this book, there are the values of ““m’” for the gaskets manufactured by Teadit. 4.2. GASKET SEATING STRESS This condition determines a minimum seating gasket stress without taking into consideration the media pressure. This force is calculated by the formula: w, bGy where “b” is defined as the effective gasket width and “y” is the value of the minimum. gasket seating stress, determined by the manufacturer of the gasket, When there is no de- fined seating stress, the ASME code suggests generic values of “y”. In each specific chapter throughout this book, the “y” values are given, The value of G is the effective diameter of the gasket and is used to calculate the joint reaction forces. 16Chapter 2 - Design ‘The value is calculated by: b=b, when b, is equal to or less than 1/4” or b=0.5(b, )°* when b, greater than 1/4” The ASME Code also explains how to calculate G and b, according to the face of the flange, as it is shown in Table 2.1 and Figure 2.2. 4.3. STUD AREA ‘The minimum stud area to meet the operating conditions and stress on the gasket, A, must be greater than A, and A, , calculated as follows: A=W, Aga Waa! 8, Where S, is the allowable stud stress at the service temperature and S, is the allowable stud stress at room temperature. The values of the allowable stress can be found in the tables of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section II Part D [8]. A, 2A, ITA, > Ay then A,= Ay, 4.4. MINIMUM DESIGN FORCE The minimum design force (W) is the values obtained in 4.1 and 4.2. For operating conditions: Wew,, For seating the gasket: W=(A,+A,)S,/2 The design of the flanges is not included in the scope of this book. According with Appendix 2, the calculations shown above determine the forces needed to design the flange, however, to ensure the seal over the expected lifetime for the equipment or piping, other considerations are necessary, ike the joint creep relaxation and temperature effects. They will be shown in this book. 7Table 2.1 5 Effective Flange Facing Sketch lange Facing Sketc | Gasket Width b, ua ccm N/2 x uuu Uo N/2 coo oh r (w+T)/2 sud gee (w4Ny/4 nee h G Gasket Contact OD 1 LD 1 Gasket Contact ID Figure 2.2 4.5. STUD DIMENSIONING Studs should be selected so that the sum of their areas A, is equal to or greater than A, : 18Chapter 2 - Design Where A, = (number of studs) x (minimum stress stud area, sqin) If Am, > Am, then A,= Am, ‘The areas for imperial and metric studs are in Tables 12.1 and 12.2 of Chapter 12. 5. MAXIMUM GASKET SEATING FORCE Each gasket has a crush limit beyond which there is an excessive deformation; consequently, the gasket loses its sealability characteristics. The maximum gasket seating force Wg,,,, is calculated by the formula: W8oux = S8nex AB ‘Where Sg,,,, = Maximum gasket stress at room temperature Ag = seating area of the gasket or the gasket contact area with the flange. It is calculated by the formula: 1D’) Ag= (4) (0 Where OD = outside diameter of contact of the gasket with the sealing surface of the flange. ID = inside diameter of contact of the gasket with the sealing surface of the flange. The maximum gasket seating stress at room temperature, Sg... is obtained experimentally and it varies with material, dimensions, and shape of the gasket. The values Sg,,,, for Teadit gaskets styles are shown in each specific chapter throughout this book. 19)6. RELAXATION Immediately after installing and tightening up the studs, the relaxation begins [9]. It is a gradual loss of the stud load applied when installing the gasket. This characteristic of the flanged union must be considered to ensure their performance throughout the service life of the equipment or piping. The relaxation can be divided into two phases: the initial phase, which occurs immediately after the installation, and then throughout the service of the gasket. The initial relaxation is caused mainly by the flow of the gasket when filling in the irregularities between the flanges. On a smaller scale the threads of the studs and nuts also suffer a small relaxation. For this reason, for certain critical applications it is recommended that a re-tightening is performed as the system is started-up. The ASME PCC-I recomends a specific procedure for start-up retorque. Recent studies show that in many critical applications, tightening at room tem- perature may not be sufficient to ensure scalability of the system. For these situations, start-up retightening procedures are performed, as the system is started-up [10, 11]. The chart of Figure 2.3 shows the relaxation of metallic gaskets in laboratory tests. It can be observed that there is a loss of up to 25% of the initial installation stress. The chart also indicates the results of stress loss with hot and cold retightening, making it possible to identify that the results with hot retightening are more efficient than the other two. Stud Load Retention 2 Thermal Cycles No Retightering ml Wit ColdRetightening ml Wth Hot Retghtening 100 5 8 -— 3 8 +— 3 4+ 3B Sw Flexible Graphite Double Jacketed Spiral Wound Faced Serrated Figure 2.3 The relaxation during the time of service of the gasket occurs primarily in systems ‘operating at elevated temperatures or with thermal cycles. Depending on the type of gas- ket, the operating temperature, and the frequency of the thermal cycles, the effects can take months or even years before there is leakage of the flanged joint. An example of this relaxation is caused by the oxidation of flexible graphite at elevated temperatures. 20