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).

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.

This equipment often suffered 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 fins of the heat exchanger. Steam injection was a frequent practice to maintain the required level of steam necessary for equipment operation, resulting in atypical operational cost of $225,000.00 every 6 months.