(128f) Cold Service Bolted Joint Reliability

Throughout the ethylene manufacturing process, the range of cold section thermal changes may be secondary to that of the hot section, but they are not without challenges. Contraction upon cooling can cause leakage if bolted joint conditions are not adequate or simply if the gasket cannot recover towards the flanges. Sealing two flanges of dissimilar metallurgy, for example an aluminum cold box flange mating to a steel process flange, presents additional challenges with differential thermal contraction upon cooling. This paper discusses options for maintaining sealability as well as their relative level of effectiveness.