What is Flange Insulation Gasket Kit?
The most common problematic area for a Piping/Pipeline System design is flanges. So we have to be doubly sure to seal it properly to prevent flange leakage. At the same time, It must also be insulated cathodically so that stray currents which are known behind the undue corrosion and eventual metallic breakdown be prevented. Insulating gasket sets or Flange insulation kits play an important role in such cases.
- They are designed for electrically insulating the flanges.
- They act as an insulator between dissimilar metallic flanges.
- Also, they are used to isolate sections of pipework (dissimilar metals) electrically in the cathodic protection systems; thus preventing the electrostatic charge flow along the pipelines as they remove the possibility of galvanic cell system creation.
Major Applications of Insulating Gasket Kit
Flange insulation gasket kits can be used in all such places where galvanic corrosion protection and electrical insulation is needed. Common Application areas are piping/pipeline systems with seawater environments, offshore installations, chemical installations, oil refinery pipelines, etc.
Components of Flange Insulation Gasket Kit
Each flange insulation Kit (Refer to Fig. 1) constitutes of
- one central flat or oval section gasket,
- one insulation sleeve per bolt and
- two insulating steel washers per bolt and
- two plated steel washers per bolt.
All these components are produced using special materials possessing chemical stability, dielectric properties, and low water absorption so that the purpose is solved. The full sets are packed individually and labeled clearly mentioning the flange size, rating, type and material combination. Insulation kits are generally available till 24 inches, but custom made higher nominal sizes can be produced on the requirement.
Assembling of the flange insulation gasket kit components
Polyethylene insulating sleeve and the mounting stud are the main components of the insulating gasket kit. Contrary to the conventional nut and bolt system of flanged joints, the insulation kit uses a stud with a washer and nut on each end of the flange joint. The insulating sleeve is then inserted into the bolt holes using one insulator on each side of the flange. So, Two insulators per bolt hole are inserted into the flange. Then the mounting stud is inserted into the insulating sleeves until threads on each end of the stud are visible outside of the flange. A flat steel washer is slid onto the stud at each end, and a nut is threaded onto each end of the stud and tightened.
As a nut is tightened on each end of the stud, the flange insulation kit becomes much stronger than the typical nut-and-bolt type connection. In the traditional manner nut-bolt tightening, all of the clamping force is applied to the single set of threads on the bolt while in case of a double-ended stud such as in a flange insulation kit, the clamping force is divided equally between the threads on each end of the stud as well as inside both nuts. The stud is protected and insulated from any electric charge and corrosion. This creates a flanged connection that will not corrode or fail due to a chemical reaction between two dissimilar metals. Read more.
