New Gasket Tape Enhances Sealing for Glasslined Steel Equipment

Glass-lined steel equipment has long been the preferred choice for handling highly corrosive media in chemical processing, mining, and related industries due to its exceptional resistance to strong acids, alkalis, and other aggressive substances. However, maintaining reliable seals under challenging conditions—including high temperatures, fluctuating system pressures, limited gasket loading, and irregular flange surfaces—has remained an enduring operational challenge.

Traditional sealing methods often prove inadequate in these demanding applications, leading to increased leakage risks that compromise both safety and productivity. The introduction of GORE® Gasket Tape Series 1000 represents a significant technological advancement in addressing these persistent sealing challenges.

The Series 1000 utilizes 100% expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) material, engineered to deliver superior conformability, chemical inertness, and exceptional resistance to creep, cold flow, and clamp load loss. Its patented Barrier Core technology represents a fundamental innovation in sealing performance, capable of maintaining extraordinary tightness even under low-load conditions.

This core technology effectively amplifies available loading forces, achieving sealing tightness that exceeds conventional ePTFE gasket tapes by an order of magnitude. Such performance is particularly critical for ensuring the safe operation of glass-lined reactors and vessels where leakage prevention is paramount.

The product's exceptional flexibility enables reliable sealing on irregular flange surfaces characteristic of glass-lined equipment, even at low gasket stress levels. This capability has been verified through rigorous bubble testing protocols, ensuring mechanical completion and startup integrity.

The tape format allows for on-site customization of gasket dimensions, eliminating lengthy manufacturing lead times. The reel packaging simplifies handling and transportation logistics, while the integrated backing adhesive facilitates rapid installation within a temperature range of 2-50°C (36-122°F). For applications involving significant flange misalignment, the liner tape technique offers a simplified installation alternative that reduces inventory requirements.

The 100% ePTFE construction provides comprehensive chemical protection across the entire flange width. Engineered to resist creep and clamp load loss, the product maintains sealing integrity over extended periods, enabling glass-lined equipment to operate at full design specifications while extending maintenance intervals.

When evaluated against conventional sealing solutions, the Series 1000 demonstrates multiple performance benefits:

• Versus Envelope Gaskets: Provides complete chemical resistance throughout the material cross-section, eliminating potential diffusion pathways through microcracks that can compromise traditional composite designs.
• Versus Standard ePTFE Gaskets: Delivers up to ten times greater sealing tightness with superior creep resistance for extended service life.
• Versus Filled ePTFE Gaskets: Eliminates off-site fabrication requirements, significantly reducing lead times and simplifying supply chain management while preventing potential leakage at splice joints.

The material exhibits multidirectional strength with broad chemical compatibility (pH 0-14, excluding molten alkali metals and elemental fluorine). Operational parameters include:

• Temperature Range: -60°C to 230°C (standard); -269°C to 315°C (maximum)
• Pressure Rating: Full vacuum to 10 bar (standard); 16 bar maximum
• Flange Compatibility: Up to DN2000/ASME 80" diameter

Performance testing according to EN 13555 standards confirms exceptional results in compression, creep relaxation, sealing capability, and deformation characteristics. The product holds TA Luft certification (6mm thickness) and complies with relevant air quality technical guidelines, supported by comprehensive product safety documentation and ISO 9001 quality management certification.

The solution is particularly suitable for large-scale (≥DN600/ASME 24") and non-standard glass-lined equipment including towers, mixers, reactors, storage tanks, and receivers in chemical processing and mineral extraction applications where handling highly corrosive media is required.