Common Faults of Flanges

In the continual production of the modern industry, it is inevitable that flanges have some problems, for example, leakage, due to various influencing factors such as corrosion of media, erosion, temperature, pressure, vibration, etc. Causes including the processing error in the sealing surfaces' size of flanges, the aging of the sealing components and improper installation will easily lead to the occurrence of leakage. If the leakage problem can not be solved timely, it will further bring other problems such as the expansion of leakage under the erosion effects of media, the loss of materials, the destruction of the production environment, the downtime of enterprises and huge economic losses. If the media are toxic, harmful, flammable or explosive, they may cause the poisoning of the personnel, fire and other major accidents.
 
The traditional way of solving the flanges' leakage is to replace the sealing elements, apply the sealant or replace the flanges and pipes, but this method has great limitations. Some working environments where the leakage happens have safety requirements. It is impossible for the personnel to solve the problem on site. Now, we can use the polymer composite materials for on-site plugging. First line is one of the maturest materials in application and it can be used under the inflammable or explosive medium conditions, which shows its unique advantages. The polymer composite has simple construction technology and low cost. It can help solve most leakage problems of flanges, eliminate security risks and save much maintenance costs for enterprises.
 
Some common faults of flanges are listed as the following.
 
The operation of the valve stem is not flexible.
1. The angle of the valve spool's gland is too small or the bearing has worn down. This problem can be solved by adjusting the tightness of the packing or replace the bearing.
2. There is debris or dust between the valve stem and the valve stem nut or the valve stem and the valve stem nut have been damaged. This problem can be solved by disassembling and then cleaning the valve stem. If the valve stem and the valve stem nut are damaged, replace them with new ones.
3. The discs break down. This problem can be solved through checking the failure according to the instructions and then repairing it.
 
The leakage happens on the sealing surface.
1. Check whether there is some debris on the sealing surface, and if there is, clear up the sealing surface.
2. Check whether there is some damage on the sealing surface, and if there is, repair or replace the sealing surface.
 
The leakage happens on the stuffing box.
1. The packing is loose or the packing gland is pressed properly. This can be solved by evenly pressing the packing gland.
2. The packing loses its effects. When this happen, the packing should be replaced with new one.
 
The leakage happens on the central flange parts.
1. The connection bolts of flanges are not tightened or tightened unevenly. Loosen the screw and then tighten it symmetrically again.
2. The gasket is damaged. If this happens, just replace the gasket with the new one.
3. There is debris between the flange's sealing surface. This problem can be solved by disassembling and then cleaning the flange.