The use of spiral-wound gaskets on flanges has resulted in good sealing performance. However, most gaskets do not perform well when the flange is improperly installed. In refineries, the gasket sealing face of a flange is easily damaged, resulting in distortion, scratches, misalignment and other problems. SK Energy has also experienced fire accidents due to flange leaks using a spiral-wound gasket. Hot bolting was performed when the initial leakage occurred, but the problem was not properly resolved. Throughout its investigation, SK determined that the spiral-wound gasket manufactured based on American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code was insufficient for use on a field area where hot-bolting work would be needed.
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