1 Copyright 2010 by ASME

Proceedings of the ASME 2010 Pressure Vessels & Piping Division / K-PVP Conference
PVP2010
July 18-22, 2010, Bellevue, Washington, USA
PVP2010-26157
ANALYSIS OF CONTACT PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION ON A PASS PARTITION
GASKET IN CONJUNCTION WITH A DOUBLE-TAPERED SEAL IN A HIGH
PRESSURE HEAT EXCHANGER CLOSURE


Christopher Gardner
Taper-Lok Corporation
Houston, TX
Rajeev Madazhy
Taper-Lok Corporation
Houston, TX


Erik Howard
Taper-Lok Corporation
Houston, TX




ABSTRACT
This paper describes the use of a partition gasket in
addition to a self-energized, double-tapered, metal seal in a
high pressure heat exchanger. For over 30 years a single
gasket was used to seal the heat exchanger partitions against
the closure. Although designed to standard code, it often
resulted in leaks. Over the past five years, the double-tapered
seal has been used extensively to replace welded diaphragms in
high pressure heat exchangers in refineries with great success.
In this design a tapered-seal is introduced in conjunction with
a pass partition gasket for multiple pass heat exchanger, to
address problems associated with leaks. Finite Element
Analysis (FEA) was performed on the assembly at bolt-up and
during internal pressure operation, and contact pressure
distribution was analyzed. A 12 scaled model of the actual
heat exchanger closure assembly was designed and hydrostatic
pressure tested to ensure relative pressures were held. Actual
working-plant applications will be discussed as well.

INTRODUCTION
An end closure was engineered to eliminate leaking in a
6-partition 42 heat exchanger. The existing partition pattern
needed to be included in the design. A traditional partition
gasket design serves two purposes. The first is to seal the
internal pressure and secondly to seal differential pressures
between the partitions. This design used a different approach
wherein a double-tapered seal with converging angles was
designed to completely seal the internal absolute pressure on
the tube side, shown in Figure 1. The tapered seal ring
embodies self-energizing technology and has been used in heat
exchanger closures in the last few years. The 10 and 20
angle design is driven by the basic wedge principle [1]. A
different gasket is used to separate the partitions. In order to
minimize the pressure differential around the gasket, part of it
was removed. Fluid could then flow around the outside edges
of each partition as shown in Figure 2. This would limit the
sealing pressure seen by the gasket to only the relative pressure
drops realized by the partition passes. In this case, the relative
pressure drops were on the magnitude of 10 psi.


Figure 1: Assembly Side View
2 Copyright 2010 by ASME


Figure 2: Gasket Layout (Looking Into the Channel)

The 3/8 thick partition gasket was designed to compress
1/16 based on material that had a compressibility range
between 7-17%. Madazhy, et al. [1] demonstrated self-
energizing effects of the double-tapered seal ring and its ability
to have adequate contact pressure for a smaller bolt load. The
focus here was to show the contact pressure on the partition
gasket was sufficient while the tapered seal ring held absolute
pressure.

NOMENCLATURE
m
u = Male Taper Angle = 20
f
u = Female Taper Angle = 10
= Max. Co-efficient of Friction = 0.2
H = Total Hydrostatic End Force
sr
T = Compressive Force in Seal Ring
m
f = Max. Friction Force on Male Surface
f
f = Max. Friction Force on Female Surface
m
N = Max. Normal Force on Male Surface
f
N = Max. Normal Force on Female Surface
mc
o = Average Contact Pressure on Male Surface
fc
o = Average Contact Pressure on Female Surface
G = ANSI Gasket Diameter
P = Internal Design Pressure
G
f
= Female Gasket Diameter

'
D
G = Deformed Seal Ring Diameter
G
m
= Male Gasket Diameter
A
g
= Area of Partition Gasket
= Strain on Partition Gasket
E
g
= Youngs Modulus for Partition Gasket

g
o = Stress on Partition Gasket
F
g
= Force acting on Partition Gasket
l o = Change in Thickness for the Partition Gasket
L
g
= Thickness for the Partition Gasket
FORMULATION
The total hydrostatic end force H as per ASME Section VIII
Div. 1 Appendix 2 [2] code is given by

P G H
2
785 . 0 =
(1)
The maximum normal force N
m
on male surface is given by


m m
m
Cos Sin
H
N
u u
=

(2)

The maximum normal force N
f
on female surface is given by


f f
m m m m sr
f
Sin Cos
Sin f Cos N T
N
u u
u u t

+
=
2

(3)
Where T
sr
is the force required to compress the seal ring OD to
that of the smaller female pocket.

The average contact pressure
fc
o on female surface is
determined as follows


) (
4
2 ' 2
D f
f f
fc
G G
Sin N

=
t
u
o

(4)

The corresponding average contact pressure
mc
o on male
surface is given by


) (
4
2 2 '
m D
m m
mc
G G
Sin N

=
t
u
o

(5)

The strain on the partition gasket is given by

3 Copyright 2010 by ASME

g
L
l o
c =
(6)

The force F
g
acting on the partition gasket surface is given by


g g g g g
E A A F c o = =
(7)

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
A non-linear axisymmetric finite element analysis was
performed to study the interaction between the tapered seal
ring and partition gasket in addition to calculating the contact
pressure distribution. While it is acknowledged that the
geometry is indeed not completely axisymmetric, this
simplified model approximates the interaction between the seal
and gaskets.
Finite element models for the assembly included 4
components: cover plate, seal ring, channel, and partition
gasket. An axial connector element was used to model the
bolting. It models discrete physical connections and provides a
connection between two nodes where the relative displacement
is along the line separating the nodes [3]. Figure 3 shows the
stress strain curve for the gasket material [7]. Figures 4 and 5
show the stress strain curve for the steels used obtained by
tension test [5, 6]. Table 1 lists the properties of the materials
used. Finer mesh was used in all contact surfaces which
included the tapered seal ring and the gasket.



Figure 3: Stress Strain Curve for Garlock 9850

MODEL GEOMETRY
The channel and flange were modeled using SA-182 F11
CL2 low-alloy steel properties. The tapered seal was modeled
using SA-182 F347 stabilized stainless steel properties, and the
partition gasket used properties of Garlock 9850. The sealing
surfaces on both the channel and cover were weld overlaid
with SA-182 F347 to prevent galvanic corrosion and keep the
thermal expansion uniform when in contact with the seal ring.
The cover had a center thickness of 9-3/16 and an edge
thickness of 7-1/16. The Outside Diameter (OD) of the
assembly was 55-1/2. A quantity of 32 bolts 2-1/4 in
diameter were used with a 51 bolt circle. The weight of the
cover was just under 5,400 lbs. The geometric modeling was
done in SolidWorks [9] and meshing, definition of boundary
conditions, and loads during



Figure 4: Stress Strain Curve for SA-182 F347




Figure 5: Stress Strain Curve for SA-182 F11 CL2





4 Copyright 2010 by ASME
Table 1: Material Properties from Tension Test

Material Yield Strength-
0.2% Offset
(psi)
Ultimate Tensile
Strength
(psi)
Elongation

SA-182 F347 39,900 90,000 71%
SA-182 F11 CL2 52,500 83,600 31%

internal pressure and bolt-up were applied using ABAQUS
CAE software.
Figure 6 shows a cutaway solid model of the assembly,
color coded to distinguish individual components. Figure 7
shows the axisymmetric model used for the 2D analysis.




Figure 6: Cut-away Model View



Figure 7: Axisymmetric Mesh Used for Analysis

BOUNDARY CONDITIONS AND LOADING
Figure 8 shows the boundary conditions and loads on the
assembly. The wire [representing the bolts] was given a pre-
stress value of 35,000 psi. The pre-tension feature was used in
ABAQUS to load the bolt. Pressure loads were applied on the
inside surfaces of the cover, seal ring, and partition gasket. A
boundary condition limiting the rotation of the shell was
applied to the end of the channel. An internal pressure of
1,940 psi was applied to the ID of the shell and 1,950 psi was
applied (10 psi increase) to the area between the partition
gasket and tapered seal ring. The analysis was done at 680 F.
The following steps were used in the ABAQUS analysis:
1. Apply pre-tension load to the wire [bolt]
2. Apply internal pressure



Figure 8: Boundary Conditions & Loads Applied in Model
ANALYSIS RESULTS AND COMMENTARY
The results showed that contact pressure was uniform
across both surfaces on the partition gasket. Eighty percent of
the bolt load was absorbed by the tapered seal ring and the
remainder to compress the partition gasket. The stress
distribution for the assembly can be seen in Figure 9 and a
closer view in Figure 10. A close up of the partition gasket
after internal pressure, shown in Figure 11, shows that the
stress was relatively symmetric and evenly distributed. The
reason the stress is not completely symmetric is due to the
pressure difference on each side of the gasket as well as flange
rotation caused by the bolt load. Figure 12 shows a similar
stress distribution on the gasket at bolt up, but the magnitude
is roughly double of that after internal pressure is applied.
Figure 13 shows the contact pressure distribution between the
top surface of the partition gasket and the cover plate. Figure
14 shows the contact pressure distribution between the bottom
surface of the partition gasket and the channel. The average
contact pressure between the gasket and the cover was 7,085
psi and the average contact pressure between the gasket and
5 Copyright 2010 by ASME
channel was 7,193 psi. The contact pressure was more than
sufficient to seal the relative pressures between partitions.



Figure 9: von Mises Stress After Internal Pressure is Applied



Figure 10: von Mises Stress after Internal Pressure is Applied
(Closer View on Gasket)



Figure 11: von Mises Stress After Internal Pressure is Applied


Figure 12: von Mises Stress at Bolt-up

Contact Pressure on Partition Gasket (Cover Side)
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
11000
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35
Contact Width Across Gasket (in)
C
o
n
t
a
c
t

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

(
p
s
i
)
Internal Pressure


Figure 13: Contact Pressure Distribution after Internal Pressure
is Applied (Cover Side of Gasket)

Contact Pressure on Partition Gasket (Channel Side)
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
11000
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35
Contact Width Across Gasket (in)
C
o
n
t
a
c
t

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

(
p
s
i
)
Internal Pressure


Figure 14: Contact Pressure Distribution after Internal Pressure
is Applied (Channel Side of Gasket)
6 Copyright 2010 by ASME
HYDROTEST

Hydrotest was performed on a 12 scaled down model as
shown in Figure 15. The same materials were used for each
component: SA-182 F11 CL2 for the flanges, SA-182 F11 for
the seal ring and Garlock 9850 for the partition gasket. SA-
193 B7 was used for the bolting. A five pass partition was
used due to space constraints, shown in Figure 16. The cross-
sectional area of the partition gasket was the same for both the
actual component and scaled model. Each partition was a self-
contained sealed chamber. Each chamber was connected via
external tubing and pressure was controlled via ball-valves.



Figure 15: Pressure Gauges Used in Hydrotest

A schematic of the ports is shown in Figure 17. The
partition gasket was glued to the groove in the cover plate to
temporarily aid with installation while the assembly was
aligned and bolted. A bolt pre-stress of 35,000 psi was
applied, since the seal ring is pressure-energized [4] and no
sealing load is required.



Figure 16: 12 Hydrotest Scaled Model

Two holes were drilled and tapped in each partition to
accept fittings for testing hardware. A ball valve and pressure
gauge were installed connecting each chamber. The gauges
were digital, field calibrated and had a three decimal
resolution [10]. In order to simulate the pressure drop between
each partition using only a single pump for the hydrotest, the
test procedure was as follows: All valves were left open while
the internal pressure was brought up to 1,740 psi (maximum
allowable working pressure for the model). Once pressure had
equalized, the valve between chamber 1 and 2 were closed and
the inlet pressure was increased by 20 psi. After a period of
one hour with no leakage detected, the valve was opened
bringing the entire system up to 1,760 psi. Then the valve
between chambers 2 and 3 was closed and the input pressure
was again increased by 20 psi. This process was repeated until
each chamber in the entire assembly had been tested [8]. This
procedure ensured that the partition gasket could seal the small
pressure difference between each sequential partition for this
system.


Figure 17: Hydrotest Schematic
PLANT APPLICATION
The 42 assembly was manufactured and installed in a
major refinery in June of 2009 after a successful hydrotest.
CONCLUSION
The analysis showed that the tapered seal ring absorbs the
majority of the bolt load, and that there was enough contact
pressure on the partition gasket to seal the internal relative
pressure drops between partitions while the tapered seal ring
holds all internal pressure from the outside of the channel.
7 Copyright 2010 by ASME
The contact distribution for the tapered seal ring and partition
gasket were analyzed. Contact distribution was uniform across
the partition gasket. Because a section of the partition gasket
was left out, it only needed to seal the small relative pressures
between partitions. Hydrotest was performed on a scaled
model and confirmed the analysis results. The partition gasket
held relative pressure in each partition pass and the double-
tapered seal effectively sealed the absolute internal pressure
without leaking.
REFERENCES

[1] Analysis of Contact Pressure Distribution on 3-Bolt Self-
Energized Connector Seals, R Madazhy, S Mathews, E
Howard, Proceedings of PVP2009, July 26-30, 2009,
Prague, Czech Republic

[2] ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII
Division I, Appendix 2, American Society of Mechanical
Engineers, New York, 2007

[3] ABAQUS V6.9. Users Manual, Dassault Systmes, 2009

[4] High Pressure Heat Exchanger Diaphragm
Removal/Retrofit Using Double Tapered Pressure Seal, D
Hughes, J Cesarini, E Howard, NPRA Reliability &
Maintenance Conference, Houston, 2007

[5] SA-182 F11 Tension Test Report, AFG Metallurgical Lab,
Houston, TX, 2008

[6] SA-182 F347 Tension Test Report, AFG Metallurgical
Lab, Houston, TX, 2008

[7] Garlock 9850 Properties, Garlock Sealing Technologies,
New York, NY, 2009

[8] Taper-Lok 12 Flange, Shop Test Procedure, TL12HT-08,
12 Flange Assembly Hydro Testing, Taper-Lok,
Houston, TX, 2008

[9] SolidWorks Professional, Dassault Systmes, 2009

[10] Model PD202 General Purpose Digital Pressure Gauge,
Precision Digital Corporation, www.predig.com, 2009