:: SEAL RING FEATURES ::

Converging Angle Seal Geometry
The Taper-Lok seal ring has unique converging double-tapered angle geometry. The converging 10° & 20° angle design is driven by the basic wedge principle. The seal ring essentially wedges itself between the male nose and the female pocket due to the tapered angles, the bolts push the surfaces against each other thus creating the wedge effect. This “door stop” affect is enhanced as internal pressure builds up behind the seal ring and drives the wedge in tighter, eliminating any leak possibility in the operating condition.

Converging-Tapered Geometry

High Integrity Seal
Many of the performance advantages of Taper-Lok® connectors are derived from the design of its seal ring. The tapered ring configuration and the principle of an area-type seal allow these seal rings to withstand repeated installation, while experiencing only slight plastic deformation. Taper-Lok® seal rings are engineered for use with most pressure classes of a given pipe size, regardless of pipe schedule. Conventional flanges and clamp-type connectors necessitate stocking different seals for both the pipe schedule and pressure rating of the connector within a given pipe size.

Taper-Lok® seal rings have a small lip on the top of them. In the unbolted state the seal ring lip will stand off of the face of the flange. While the flange is bolted up, the seal ring is forced into the female pocket until the lip rests against the flange face. This lip resting against the face is visual proof that the seal is seated correctly.

Wide Area Type Seal
This unique design insures a significant sealing surface contact area between the seal ring and the male and female components, constituting a wide area-type seal. At bolt up condition, the Taper-Lok seal achieves high contact forces over this wide area while the load distribution decreases stress at the seal contact interface. ide area-type seals provide considerably greater sealing contact, and significantly longer “leak paths” than a line-or-point contact seals, characteristic of conventional ANSI, API (RTJ) and clamp-type designs. These features are critical to applications involving lethal services, fugitive emission control, and other critical fluids in high temperatures and/or high-pressure applications.

Taper-Lok®'s area-type seal generally allows the length of the sealing surface to be equal to or greater than the thickness of the pipe. Unlike line-or-point contacting seals, the area-type seal requires any potential “leak path” to be extremely long.

When the components are in the bolted condition, the distance between the flange faces is far shorter than the length of the seal ring, resulting in a “blow-out” proof seal ring. These features are critical to applications involving lethal services, fugitive emission control, benzene and other critical fluids under high temperatures and/or pressures.

The tapered seal ring employed in Taper-Lok® components provides additional benefit due to internal pressure; it is self-energizing. As the system is pressurized, the fully confined seal ring is further wedged into the annulus formed by the mating male and female components, forming an ever-tighter seal. This pressure energizing effect does not impart additional loads on the retaining bolting set. The tapered design and area-type seal are clearly illustrated in the flange cross-section.

Reusable Seal
Taper-Lok high integrity seal rings experience only a slight plastic deformation and are “seated” into place during installation, not crushed and plastically deformed like typical conventional seals. The durability of the area-type seal, combined with its lighter bolt load requirements allows Taper-Lok® seal rings to be reused. In contrast to line-or-point contact seals, Taper-Lok® seal rings only experience slight plastic defamation at the surface to provide a high integrity seal. Taper-Lok seal rings frequently are reused ten to twelve times, depending on service conditions and handling techniques.

Seal Ring Material
Taper-Lok offers a metal-to-metal connection where the seal ring and flange components are made of the same material specified by the customer. Materials generally range from carbon steel, stainless steel, inconel, monel, to platinum. For high cost materials, it may be suggested to overlay the sealing area for cost concerns.

The similar metal connection eliminates concerns related to galvanic corrosion, and varying rates of thermal expansion and contraction between the gasket and hub ends. This compatibility provides for uniform expansion and contraction throughout the bolted connection, further enhancing the integrity and life of the seal. Since the seal ring is generally made of the same material as the mating flanges, thermal expansion/contraction concerns are practically eliminated as well as dissimilar metal concerns.

All Taper-Lok® seal rings receive a factory-applied baked-on molybdenum coating to prevent gauling during installation and provide the required lubricity. A variety of coatings are available to ensure process and temperature compatibility. If a seal ring is reused, it is recommended to add a thin layer of a anti-seize along the seal ring and sealing areas for lubrication during reinstallation. Taper-Lok also offers various materials in transition joints.

Self Aligning, Visible Seal
The tapered angle design is self-aligning by the nature of the components, and offers a significant installation benefit. The male and female geometry of the mating components promotes a self-aligning action during assembly and has virtually eliminated seal ring positioning problems. The female Taper-Lok component holds the tapered seal ring in place for easier and quicker bolt up.
In addition, the seal ring is always externally visible, even when assembled, allowing inspection for proper installation and seal integrity at any time.