New

Product
Introduction

Spiral Wound Gasket for Ultrahigh-temperature Use

TOMBO No.1838R-NM
TM

“Vortex Gasket-NM” ®

Industrial Products Division

Piping / Equipment Parts Technology Development Department

the spiral wound gasket TOMBOTM No.1838R-NM

1. Introduction
Vortex® Gasket-NM (hereafter “Vortex-NM”) to its
Gaskets are fastened to flanges to prevent fluid lineup. This gasket can be used in the ultra-
leakage from pipes or equipment parts. They are high-temperature range of up to 1000℃ (Figure 1).
important parts that support stable operations in The Vortex-NM filler is oxidation-resistant, original-
many industries, including petroleum refining, ly developed by NICHIAS, and has excellent seal-
petrochemicals, shipbuilding, electric power, and ing properties compared to conventional oxida-
steel. Gaskets are classified by the type, pressure, tion-resistant fillers.
and temperature of the fluid flowing through pipes This report introduces the main features of Vor-
or equipment parts. In July 2019, NICHIAS added tex-NM.

2. What is the Vortex Gasket? ®

The Vortex® Gasket comprises of ʻhoopʼ or steel

strips and ʻfillerʼ or cushion material alternately
stacked and wound in a spiral shape. It is widely
used for pipes or equipment intended for high
temperatures and pressures (Figure 2). The filler
types include expanded graphite and mica which
are selected according to the target usage condi-

Flange
tions (Table 1).
Bolt

Outer ring
material Hoop

Gasket Original filler Inner ring material

Figure 1 Appearance of Vortex-NM and image of flange use Figure 2 Cross section of Vortex-NM

NICHIAS Technical Report 2019 No. 4 1

 [New Product Introduction] Ultrahigh-temperature Use Spiral Wound Gasket: Vortex® Gasket-NM

Table 1 Lineup of Vortex® gaskets and their features

Maximum allowable working

Name Application Filler Features
temperature
○ The filler is stable up to1000℃.
[New product] Ultra- ○ Can be used at ultrahigh temperatures where con-
Original
high-temper- 1000℃ ventional products cannot be used.
Vortex-NM ature use filler
○ Excellent sealing and compression/restoration
properties.

Expanded ○ Can be used at high temperatures up to 800℃.

High-temper-
Vortex-GH 800℃ graphite and × Depending on the conditions, expanded graphite may
ature use
mica be oxidized.

○ Excellent sealing and compression/restoration

General Expanded properties.
Vortex-GR 450℃
purpose graphite
×Cannot be used at temperatures exceeding 450℃.

The GRASEAL® Vortex® Gasket (hereafter “Vor- Table 2 Vortex-NM product specifications

tex-GR”), which uses expanded graphite for the fill- Maximum allowable
℃ 1000
working temperature(Note 1)
er, is used in a wide range of applications because
Water- or
43
of its excellent sealing and compression/restora- Maximum allowable oil-based fluid
MPa
working pressure(Note 1) Gas-based
tion properties. This gasket cannot be used in tem- fluid
26

peratures exceeding 450℃ or in oxidizing fluids,

Main body thickness mm 4.5
such as molten salt, because the expanded graphite
Maximum nominal
is oxidized , destroying the sealing function. diameter(Note 2)
－ 24B

Gaskets of composite types such as Vortex-GH

Gasket coefficient m － 3.00
are used in conditions like the above, where the
Minimum designed
N/mm 2
68.9
oxidization of expanded graphite is suppressed by seating stress y

the mica filler wound around the inner and outer Water- or
34.3
Minimum seating oil-based fluid
N/mm 2
peripheries. Gaskets of composite types can sup- surface pressure σ3 Gas-based
78.4
fluid
press, but not completely prevent, the oxidization
Allowable seating
of expanded graphite; therefore, there are condi- N/mm2 294.2
surface pressure
tions under which these gaskets cannot be used.
API Standard 6FB,
Passed
Third Edition
Note 1: The maximum operating temperature and pressure
3. Outline of Vortex-NM indicate their own individual application limits.
Note 2: For dimensions above 24B, contact NICHIAS.

The new product, Vortex-NM, maintains a long

stable sealing performance in high-temperature that the gasket function is unlikely to degrade and
conditions where conventional Vor tex gaskets that leakage due to a fire is unlikely.
cannot be used. The Vortex-NM filler is an origi-
nal product developed by NICHIAS. It has both
4. Product features
excellent sealing and oxidation resistance proper-
ties. In addition, it is patent pending. The room-temperature sealing and compres-
Table 2 summarizes Vortex-NM product speci- sion/restoration proper ties of Vor tex-NM are
fications. This gasket also passed the API Stand- equivalent to those of Vortex-GR, which is used in a
ard 6FB, Third Edition fire test. Thus verifying wide range of applications because of its excellent

2 NICHIAS Technical Report 2019 No. 4

 [New Product Introduction] Ultrahigh-temperature Use Spiral Wound Gasket: Vortex® Gasket-NM

properties. In addition, because of the excellent oxi- Sealing at room temperature is thus another
dation resistance of the filler, Vortex-NM can also important property. The pass judgment criterion
be used for ultrahigh-temperature ranges of up to in the airtight test was defined as the detection
1000℃ and in molten salt which is strongly oxidiz- limit for the soap water foaming method (i.e. 3 ×
ing (heat transfer salt, hereafter “HTS”). The details 10-4 Pa･m3/s), which sprays soap water on pipes
of the characteristic evaluations are as follows. and detects leaks by the presence of foaming. The
required seating stress to pass the test was then
4.1 Room-temperature sealing and com- compared with Vortex-GR.
pression/restoration properties Figure 4 shows the test results. In Step 3, Vor-
(JIS B 2490 pipe flange gasket sealing property test) tex-NM reached a leakage that passed the airtight
The sealing property test at room temperature test, which was equivalent to Vortex-GR.
of a gasket for pipe flanges with internal pressure
is specified in JIS standards. In the JIS test, the 1 10
Vortex-NM
gasket seating stress is changed step-by-step and Vortex-GR
m3/s
1 10 1

Airtight test pass/

the basic leakage amount and compression defor- fail criterion
1 10 2

mation amounts are measured. Figure 3 shows

Basic leakage amount LPa
s

Airtight test failed

1 10 3
the test conditions and the gasket sealing pressure
sequence. 1 10 4

Airtight test passed

1 10 5

Test conditions 1 10 6

Dimensions JIS 20K 50A

1 10 7

Fluid Helium 0 20 40 60 80 100

Effective seating pressure* N/mm
e
2

Internal pressure 4 MPa

* Seating pressure minus the force with which the internal
pressure is attempting to open the flange
Leakage Soap-film flow meter and helium leak
measurement method detector
Figure 4 Results of JIS B 2490 (Test method for sealing
120 behavior of gaskets for pipe flanges)
(Room-temperature sealing property)
100
Gasket seating pressure

80 4.1.2 Compression/restoration property

N/mm 2

60 The compression/restoration property is anoth-

40 er important characteristic for gaskets. The larger
20 the compression, the more ir regularities are
0 absorbed on the flange sur face, thus securing
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
better sealing. In addition, the greater the
Step S
restoration, the better it can follow the opening of
Figure 3 JIS B 2490 test conditions and gasket seating
pressure sequence the flange during operation, maintaining the
sealing. Figure 5 shows the relationship between
4.1.1 Room-temperature sealing properties the ef fective seating pr essur e and gasket
Before operation is started in a plant or equip- compressive deformation amount. It shows that
ment, an air tight test may be conducted using Vortex-NM is equivalent to or greater than Vortex-
soap water in order to check for leaks in piping GR in the number of compression Steps 1 to 8 and
lines by checking for foaming of the soap water. the decompression Steps 8 to 11.

NICHIAS Technical Report 2019 No. 4 3

 [New Product Introduction] Ultrahigh-temperature Use Spiral Wound Gasket: Vortex® Gasket-NM

100 Test conditions

Vortex-NM
90 Steel material Inconel 600
N/mm2

Vortex-GR
80
Dimensions JPI class 300 2B
70
e

Seating pressure 78.4N/mm2(flange inner -surface control with spacer)

Effective seating pressure

60
Fluid Nitrogen
50

40 Internal pressure 1 MPa

30 Leakage
measurement method Pressure drop method and mass flow meter
20

10
Gasket
0
Flange
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 N2 gas
Gasket compressive deformation amount a mm
Bolt hole
Figure 5 Results of JIS B 2490 (Test method for sealing
behavior of gaskets for pipe flanges)
(Compression/restoration property)
Spacer

4.2 Heating cycle sealing property

Left: Image of flange bottom surface Right: Image of fastened flange
Gaskets are more prone to leakage due to loose
bolts when the operation is at a standstill (i.e. the
Temperature
flange fastened section is cooled) than during op- 50 hrs 50h hrs 100 hrs 200 hrs
1000
eration when they are continually heated. Thus, in Room
temperature
order to evaluate the heat-resistant sealability of Cumulative 50 hrs 100 hrs 200 hrs 400 hrs
Time
heating time
the gasket, a heating cycle seal test of repeated Conducting the sealing test (heating is followed by bolt refastening)

heating to 1000℃ and cooling to room tempera- Figure 6 Test conditions and heating program
ture was conducted. Afterwards it was compared
with oxidation-resistant filler product A, which was
a conventional product manufactured by a compet- 600

itor (hereafter “Competitor Product A”). Figure 6 500

Vortex-NM
Competitor
Leakage amountml/min

Product A
shows the test conditions and the heating pro-
400
gram. At an ultrahigh temperature of 1000℃, the The leakage amount
exceeds 1000 ml/min,
300
making it unmeasurable.
seating surface pressure of the gasket decreases
200
due to relaxation of the bolt stress. By inserting a
spacer between bolts to mitigate this effect, adjust- 100

ment was made so that the specified surface pres- 0

0 100 200 300 400 500
sure would be applied to the gasket even if the Heating time h
bolts relaxed.
Figure 7 Results of heating cycle sealing test
Figure 7 shows a chart of the leakage amounts
in the respective cycles. The leakage amount of
Competitor Product A increased due to heating, 4.3 HTS resistance
making it unmeasurable, whereas Vor tex-NM HTS, a strongly oxidizing fluid, causes expand-
demonstrated stable sealing without increasing ed graphite filler to disappear independently of the
the leakage amount even during a 1000℃ heating fluid temperature. Thus Vortex-GR cannot be used
cycle. for HTS. Vortex-NM, however, can be used for

4 NICHIAS Technical Report 2019 No. 4

 [New Product Introduction] Ultrahigh-temperature Use Spiral Wound Gasket: Vortex® Gasket-NM

Product name Vortex-NM Vortex-GR

Filler Original filler Expanded graphite filler

Before immersion

After 200 hrs Disappears and cannot

immersion at 450 be recovered

Weight reduction rate 5 Unmeasurable due to disappearance

Test conditions
Sodium nitrite 40 wt%
HTS Sodium nitrate 7 wt%
Potassium nitrate 53 wt%
Immersion conditions 450 200 hrs

Figure 8 HTS immersion test results (*immersion test of filler alone)

such fluids. In order to evaluate the HTS resistance, for a long period of time both at ultrahigh temper-
the original Vortex-NM filler and the Vortex-GR fill- ature and for HTS which cause oxidization to ex-
er were immersed in HTS at 450℃ for 200 hours panded graphite filler.
before the fillersʼ weight reduction rates were We will continue to develop products that meet
measured. Figure 8 shows the test results. After customer needs. We welcome your feedback and
testing, the expanded graphite filler disappeared requests.
completely, whereas the original filler neither oxi- For inquiries or questions about this product,
dized nor disappeared and only exhibited bind- please contact the Piping / Equipment Parts Tech-
er-derived weight reduction. This demonstrates nology Development Department of the Industrial
that the Vortex-NM filler is resistant to HTS. Products Division.

*T OMBO is a trademark or registered trademark of

5. Conclusion NICHIAS Corporation.
*GRASEAL and Vortex are registered trademarks of
This report introduced the spiral wound gasket NICHIAS Corporation.
*The measurements presented in this report should be
Vortex® Gasket-NM, which can be used in the ul- used only as a guide and not as guaranteed values.
trahigh-temperature range of up to 1000℃. Vor-
tex-NM is a new spiral wound gasket with signifi- *Due to the components of the material, this product
may generate a trace amount of silicon fluoride gas
cantly improved sealing compared to conventional when heated above 500℃. Please see the SDS for your
oxidation-resistant fillers. Vortex-NM can be used risk assessment.

NICHIAS Technical Report 2019 No. 4 5