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FLANGE
INTRODUCTION
TYPES OF FLANGES
FLANGE LEAKAGE ANALYSIS METHODS
Introduction
Types Of
Flanges
WELDING NECK FLANGE
SLIP - ON FLANGE
LAP - JOINT FLANGE
SOCKET WELDED FLANGE
THREADED FLANGE
BLIND FLANGE
Back
Back
Slip - On Flange
They are typically used on low-pressure, low-hazard services such as fire water, cooling water and
other services.
Features:
Lower cost
Reduced accuracy required in cutting the pipe to length
Greater ease of installation.
Limitations:
Strength under internal pressure is of the order of two-thirds that of WNRF.
Life under fatigue is about one-third that of the WNRF. Hence, slip-on flanges are limited in sizes up
to 2 for 1500 #.
The ASME Boiler Construction Code limits their use to the 4 size.
Welding Neck
Flange
Back
They are suitable for conditions where pressure as well as temperature are high. Normally used in
petrochemical and refinery plants for all process service conditions.
Features:
Long tapered hub provides an important reinforcement for the flange from the standpoint of strength
and resistance to dishing.
The smooth transition from flange thickness to pipe wall thickness by the tapered hub is extremely
beneficial under conditions of repeated bending, caused by line expansion or other variable forces.
Thus this type of flange is preferred for very severe service condition.
Lap - Joint
Flange
Back
Lap Joint Flanges are cost effective in expensive pipe such as stainless steel due to the fact
that only the stub must match the pipe and the flange can be made of cheaper carbon steel
material. Their pressure holding ability is better then that of SORF. The chief use of lap joint
flanges in carbon or low alloy steel piping systems is:
Services demanding frequent dismantling for inspection and cleaning.
Where the ability to swivel flanges and to align bolt holes simplifies the erection of large
diameter or exceptionally stiff piping.
The fatigue life of the assembly is only one-tenth that of WNRF. Their use at points where
severe bending stress occurs should be avoided.
Socket Welded
Flange
Back
Socket Welding Flanges were initially developed for use on small size high pressure piping.
Their initial cost is about 10% greater than that of slip-on flanges. Their fatigue strength is 50%
greater than slip-on flanges.
Threaded
Flange
Back
Threaded flanges made of steel, are confined to special applications. Their chief merit lies in the
fact that they can be assembled without welding. This explains their use in extremely high
pressure services, where alloy steel is essential for strength and where the necessary post weld
heat treatment is impractical.
Limitations
Threaded flanges are not suited for conditions involving temperature or bending stresses of any
magnitude. Under cyclic conditions, leakage through the threads may occur in relatively few
cycles. Seal welding is sometimes used to overcome this, but can not be considered as entirely
satisfactory.
Blind Flange
Back
Blind flanges are used to blank off the ends of piping, valves, and pressure vessels openings.
From the standpoint of internal pressure and bolt loading, blind flanges, particularly in the large
sizes, are the most highly stressed.
Back
Normally, in spite of tight bolted connection between flanges, due to thermal growth of the
piping / excessive deflection, bending moment will be created, which tries to open up the
flange joint, causing the fluid leakage, which is hazardous. Hence, in refinery plants, the
flange leakage analysis becomes mandatory for the following conditions.
Fluid Service
Category M Fluid Service:
A fluid service in which the potential for personnel exposure is judged to be
significant and in which a single exposure to a very small quantity of a toxic fluid,
caused by leakage, can produce serious irreversible harm to persons on
breathing or bodily contact.
Back
Flanged Joint
Behavior
A typical flanged joint as shown in Figure 1 and consists of four interdependent elements; Bolts, Gasket, Flange ring, Taper hub. In different
type of joints, these elements may change in shape but they retain their
basic functions and perform in a similar way.
Back
Bolts
Bolts are used to assemble / disassemble a flanged joint. They are also
required to hold the joint together under pressure and to pre-stress the
gasket sufficiently to enable it to function as a seal.
All bolts behave like a heavy spring. As you turn down the nut against the
flange, the bolt stretches and the flange and gasket compress.
Bolts stretch according to Hookes law:
Lb
FpLb
E As
Lb
Fp
Lb
=
=
=
E
As
=
=
Gasket
Back
Gasket is introduced between the flanges to prevent the contained fluid from leaking. It is usually
made from a softer medium and is thereby capable of adapting to the shape of the flange surfaces,
making intimate contact. Sealing can thus be achieved at a lower pre-stress and more
economically than would be required with two metal flange faces being brought together without a
gasket. Gaskets are also convenient because they are relatively cheap and easy to replace and
should require minimal rework when in service. Tightening of the bolts with correct pre-stressing of
the gasket is vital to the successful performance of a joint.
In high-temperature services, the flanges will heat up at a
faster rate than the bolts. This results in a higher thermal
expansion of the flanges with respect to the bolts, increasing
the bolt load and gasket stress. The gasket will then deform
under the higher applied load during this cycle. Most gasket
will deform permanently and will not rebound when the cycle
goes away. During the cooling cycle, the bolt load will
decrease and hence loss of gasket stress. As gasket stress
decreases leak rate increases.
Mechanical model
Description of the equilibrium :
HG = W-H
G
Where
W : Bolt Load
HG : Gasket Load
H : Hydrostatic End force
As internal pressure is applied, the bolt load is balanced by the sum of the gasket reaction,
pressure load on flange face and hydrostatic end load below.
Flange Loading
Flange Loading
Flange Loading
The total flange moment under operating conditions is,
M 0 H D hD H T hT H G hG
The total flange moment for gasket seating is
M0 W
C G
2
HG is the gasket minimum sealing load as given in the second part of the equation for W m1 which
is considered to be located at the gasket effective diameter i.e. at a distance h G from the PCD.
HD represents Hydrostatic end force on the inside area of the flange
HT is the difference between total hydrostatic end force and hydrostatic end force on inside area
of flange i.e H-HD where H is the total hydrostatic end force (/4*G*P)
Flange Stresses
Longitudinal Hub Stress
fM 0
SH
Lg 12 B
Radial Flange Stress
SR
1.33te 1 M 0
Lt 2 B
ST
YM 0
ZS R
2
t B
S H 1.5S f
SH SR
Sf
2
SR S f
ST S f
S H ST
Sf
2
where, SF is the Allowable stress for the flange at the operating temperature.
For Gasket Seating, use corresponding M0 for calculating the stresses and compare with
Allowable stress at ambient temperature.
From these it can be seen that since the allowable design stress is usually about 2/3 of the
material yield, then this allows the hub to be stressed up to the material yield point, allowing
yielding in the hub during hydrotest. The flange stress limits are set to a level which should
keep the main flange bodies elastic under all conditions, providing the joint is not over tightened
during bolting-up. The latter two stress limits are the application of a Tresca type criterion to the
bi-directional stresses at the interface between the flange and hub.
Equivalent Pressure
Method
The equivalent pressure method combines the effect of external load with design
pressure.
In 50's, the equivalent pressure method was devised at Kellogg and has been
adopted in some ASME sections and is frequently used in industry.
In the Equivalent Pressure Method, we compare the total pressure on the flange
with the Test pressure given in the flange standard.
[Applied Force / Area of gasket;
Sg
=
F / ( * G * b) + M / ( /4 * G * b) Applied moment / Second moment of
gasket area
Sg
Peq * ( / 4) * G / ( * G * b)
=
=
=
=
=
Stress on gasket
Applied pipe force
Gasket diameter
Gasket width
Equivalent Pressure due to external Moment & Force
Where:
Sg
F
G
b
Peq
Equivalent Pressure
Method
So, to determine what equivalent pressure would cause the same stress as the
applied piping loads, set them equal to each other:
F / ( * G * b) + M / ( /4 * G * b) = Peq * ( /4) * G / (* G * b)
Simplifying:
4F / ( * G) + 16M / ( * G3) = Peq
PTotal = Peq + P
This is known as Pressure Equivalent Method.