Relief from punishment
15 Jan 2000
Over 15 years, 24 hours a day, a Yorkshire Chemicals' 500 gallon glass-lined reactor suffered the ravages of time. Under vacuum with corrosive chemicals at up to 100C, the flanges took a lot of punishment.
PTFE envelope gaskets did the job until a serious repair caused continual leakage.
A solution was found in the form of Gore BG tape from W L Gore. Gore's PTFE material moulds in three dimensions. The previous gaskets lasted around three months at a cost of £5,000. Gore BG tape lasts around 12 months between changes, saving the company £15,000 a year.
