Case histories

A chemical processing facility was having issues maintaining adequate sealing on a slurry pump with their existing packing, requiring retightening every few hours.

2774 and Sealpak® 46

A chemical processing facility was experiencing steam leakage on a sulphonator vessel after only a couple of weeks of run-time leading to reduced efficiency in the process and longer required run times.

A chemical processing facility was experiencing leaks on FRP flange connections due to damage to the flanges caused by the use of gaskets that were not suitable for the requirements of low strength flanges, like FRP.

A PTFE manufacturing facility was experiencing leaks on an FEP Extruder that was originally designed to utilize a metal reinforced compressed asbestos gasket.

A metal manufacturer was looking for a replacement for asbestos compression packing.

A chemical plant was having issues with skived virgin PTFE gaskets failing in a heat exchanger application.

A customer was using a PTFE packing from another manufacture in an auger conveyor system.

A wastewater facility was utilizing a graphite packing in their pumps and experiencing numerous issues (shaft scoring, short run duration, constant retightening, etc.).

A pulp and paper mill was having issues with microcellular PTFE in the liquor lines of their digester process.

A chemical processing facility was utilizing PTFE envelope style gaskets on a circulation heater.

An environmental engineering and design company was working with a major pipe, valve, and fitting supplier to place butterfly valves into a specialized water decontamination unit.

When a large refining custWhen a large refining customer came to us with a request to manufacture camprofile style 942 gaskets more than 12 feet in diameter, we immediately recognized a number of challenges.omer came to us with a request to manufacture camprofile style 942 gaskets more than 12 feet in diameter, we immediately recognized a number of challenges.

Railcar Tank Manway

Flue Gas Desulfurization

A customer was using a rigid silica filled, restructured PTFE gasket in a large rectangular heat exchanger flange in a chemical processing facility.

The customer was experiencing internal leakage issues on their spiral heat exchanger equipment.

A major chemical plant was working with recurrent leakages in their Bromine Tower, causing production to use alternative resources in the process due to the equipment inefficiency.

A large petrochemical plant began experiencing leakages on the superheated steam valves in their Ethylene unit.

Sealing failures by the previously used sealing material caused efficiency losses in the equipment and the process as well as posing a safety risk.

A German confectionery producer was having an issue with their previous waxy PTFE packing which they found had short life term in the big agitators moving the chocolate.

A global leader is sugar production was unhappy with their current sealing device, rubber-steel rings, due to the limited chemical resistance it had. The flanges these gaskets were failing on were challenging, as they were uneven with rough, structured surfaces.

A world leader in the agribusiness industry began experiencing excessive leakage of products and by-products, as well as having multiple pump failures all due to abrasive media and the wrong installation of material.

A premier biopharmaceutical company raised concerns about the gaskets being used on their heat exchangers and whether they had the ability to withstand the cycles they were being put through...

A large petrochemical refiner came to Teadit seeking help with valves in their plant putting out high levels of fugitive emissions. As Teadit specializes in products that assist in the reduction of fugitive emissions, the refiner reached out to us for a solution.

A phosphorus miner and phosphate fertilizer producer had a gasket, carbon fiber with NBR binder, that was not suitable for the application, SO2, it was being used in and ended up failing in less than a year.

A global leader of heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling came to Teadit for consultation on an issue they were experiencing with the gasket being used in one of their spiral heat exchangers.

An industrial facility was using sea water for their cooling system and wanted to change from graphite gasketing material due to potential galvanic corrosion.

A major chemical processing customer was experiencing media leakage of harsh chemicals from packing on some of their agitators. Large diameter agitators such as this can pose many challenges for braided packing sets. This type of equipment often suffers from shaft alignment issues as well as worn or damaged shafts which can be difficult scenarios for braided packing to be successful in. This specific application posed another challenge in the form of the packing configuration being utilized in the equipment. Previously the customer had been utilizing a packing configuration consisting of 10 rings of PTFE packing. A configuration with a high amount of packing rings such as this can lead to an insufficient amount of load being applied to each ring. In packing sets the load / stress applied is greater at the rings closest to the gland follower and will decrease for each ring further away from the top ring.

A recently acquired Nickel Plant was experiencing leaking flanges, however it was posing serious safety and environmental concerns! The customer turned to Teadit, knowing we strive to seal for both a safer and greener tomorrow. Find out the which of our products was the fix here, as well as how we were able to provide a six figure savings!

Steam service requires a material that can withstand high temperatures for an extended period without degradation, and valves require a packing material that is robust and pressure resistant without damaging the valve stem. A major petrochemical plant was having problems with high temperature, superheated steam leaking from valve stems throughout the facility. Leakage of such high temperature steam posed a significant safety risk for all those on site and the leakage was also negatively influencing the quality of the process. In addition, the steam leakage was causing extremely high maintenance costs due to down time. Steam valves can prove to be a challenging application to create an effective, long term seal.

A biochemical manufacturer reached out to a Teadit partner for support regarding premature gasket failure on a spiral heat exchanger. Spiral heat exchangers pose some unique challenges for sealing due to their very large diameter as well as their unique sealing surface. Read more about the solution provided by Teadit that not only fixed the issue, but reduced maintenance cost, production loss and installation failure!

A large sugar mill was having issues with constant leakage out of their sugar crystallizer mixer, which is operating at 30psi and 180°F, with a rotational speed of 10RPM. Agitators on large mixers such as this can pose more challenges to braided packing than would appear from the basic operating parameters. Large agitators in general tend to have challenges with shaft alignment which can pose a serious issue for braided packing as it creates uneven wear on the packing and can lead to premature failure. Find out how Teadit provided two unique solutions for this type of application!

A major oil and gas company had an accident at a gas separation facility in the Middle East in a system in oxygen service. This is a critical service which poses a large safety risk to the facility and requires very careful selection of materials and extreme cleanliness standards. After the incident the customer initiated the process of re-evaluating the materials, including sealing products, that they were utilizing in this extremely critical service. The customer began searching for the best technical solution for packing material to equip all their on/off valves in the plant with. Download the case history here and find out how Teadit provided an engineered solution!

A manufacturer of blowers was having difficulty sealing a new nitrogen blower for a large manufacturer of commercial and consumer products. Blowers can be very challenging sealing applications, as they often have very complex sealing areas which require a non-standard gasket as standard flat gaskets can be extraordinarily difficult to install, if even possible, and require a lengthy installation process.

This equipment often suffers internal leakage and clogging of its channels due to the fragmentation of the original gasket, affecting its thermal performance. A skived PTFE gasket presents a fragile behavior when compressed by the ends of the heat exchanger. Steam injection was a frequent practice to maintain the required level of steam necessary for the equipment operation, resulting in a typical operational cost of $225,000.00 every 6 months.

Pumping of abrasive fluids is one of the fundamental stages of the production process of a Sugar and Alcohol Plant. The use of low mechanical resistance packings in pumps means a greater number of packing replacements, affecting the plant productivity.

Filter leakage, due to surface irregularities between a lid and a fixed flange, caused contamination in a plant. This increased the risk for chemical burn injuries and corrosion of nearby equipment. The fragility of PVC flanges limited the ability to solve the problem by simply increasing the bolting torque on the flanges (i.e., increasing gasket seating stress).