COMPRESSION PACKINGS 

Product Benefits 

• Suitable for the most abrasive and chemically aggressive industries and applications 
• Meet specialist requirements of potable water, food and oxygen duties 
• Specific packings can cover a range of valve duties thus rationalising product range 
• Suitable for use in poor mechanical conditions 
• Fugitive emission control 

Compression Packings are made from a wide range of materials in many different styles of construction and many different sizes to suit many different service applications. They are generally supplied in boxes, each containing one 8 Metre length. 

Below is a list of the most common styles of construction and the most readily available materials 

Material Choices

With many different material variations there is a packing product for every application, from food, beverage and pharmaceutical PTFE based dry packings to heavily lubricated graphite or aramid fibre packings ideal for duties involving highly abrasive media.  

Correctly identify, and Inform us of, the following parameters, Size, Temperature, Application, Media, Pressure and Shaft Speed and SSP will be able to supply an ideal, reliable and cost-effective packing product to provide ultimate sealing performance. 

Graphite

Using high performance pure Graphite offers high temperature and pressure capability and good chemical resistance for outstanding sealing performance. 

There are many different material versions and combinations used to produce a braided packing with enhanced performance characteristics that will perform in varying and demanding service conditions. These requirements may include very high pressure applications where an Inconel wire reinforcement can be incorporated into the braiding body, or inducing a graphite or PTFE lubricant to increase material density, improve sealing performance and reduce stem wear.  

• High Temperature Applications 
• High Pressure Applications 
• Excellent Chemical resistance 
• Excellent Sealing and Operational reliability 
• Good resistance to abrasion and wear 
• Flexible and compressible 
• Fire Safe 

PTFE

Polytetrafluoroethylene is primarily used for its outstanding resistance to chemical attack, low coefficient of friction, high tensile strength and wide temperature range from cryogenic to + 260⁰C, and have a higher degree of molecular orientation allowing a significantly greater resistance to cold flow. PTFE packing can be used in valve and pumping applications and different versions are available offering added PTFE, Mineral or Vegetable Oil or Graphite lubricants enhancing properties such as rapid heat dispersion in high-speed applications or for difficult applications requiring sealing of aggressive chemicals or where non-contaminated packing is required.

Potential Benefits

• High purity with outstanding chemical resistance
• WRC Approved
• Suitable for Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical applications
• Long life Valve and Pump sealing with minimum maintenance
• Minimal wear on shafts and sleeves
• Very low coefficient of friction
• Suitable for Oxygen Service
• FDA Approved

ePTFE/Graphite : FG50

This highly versatile product adds a new dimension to compression packing reliability and performance. Made totally from WL Gore & Associates’ highly developed GFO^® yarn – combining the benefits of ePTFE, graphite and high temperature lubricants – this cross-plaited packing offers the ideal balance between density, resilience, strength and durability.

• Extended service life – by up to 400% in harsh environments
• Well proven with aggressive media
• High thermal conductivity for cool running
• Low coefficient of friction and minimal shaft wear
• Very good start-up and emergency running characteristics
• Non hardening

Typical applications are valves and pumps handling aggressive chemical media in the petrochemical, pulp and paper, power generation and metallurgical sectors – as well as potable water, and steam at up to 260°C (500°F).

Synthetic Fibres

Braided synthetic packing is a general industry, commercial grade packing and will be an effective sealing agent in mild pump applications having low temperature and moderately low speed characteristics

Potential Benefits 

•  Economic but versatile
• A general valve and static seal packing
• Can be used upto 450⁰C
• Easy to cut and install

Aramid Fibres

Having a very high tensile strength means that Aramid packing will handle all sorts of abrasive particles suspended in the pumping fluid

This is a tough, high performance packing, cross-plaited from texturised aramid yarns impregnated with PTFE dispersion and a silicone based lubricant that resists chemical attack at high temperatures

Aramid packing can also be spun over a hollow or solid central elastomeric core

• Excellent abrasion resistance
• Tough aramid yarn provides dimensional stability and resistance to deformation
• Available lubrication ensures low friction to minimise shaft and sleeve wear

Hi-Temperature Packing

We have a family of products specifically designed to seal applications with extremely high temperatures. One variant, an extremely soft stable fibre, is manufactured from heat resistant fibres spun into a flexible yarn together with a low percentage of glass fibre and Inconel® wire reinforcement. This yarn contains no organic agents or processing additives and is capable of retaining its physical and chemical properties at very high temperatures.

Alternatively, we have packings manufactured from fibrous form, inorganic refractory oxides – silica fibre with no metallic or ceramic content. This group of packings can be impregnated with high-temperature resistant additives incorporating proprietary, high temperature, graphite-based dispersion.

In all, from this family group of packings we are able to offer;

• Suitable for many high temperature duties up to 1000⁰C
• Good chemical compatibility
• Cost effective against normal ceramic packings
• Resistant to wear and abrasion
• Corrosion inhibitor safeguards metallic interfaces from galvanic corrosion
• Thermally stable at high temperatures
• Tough yet flexible for arduous duties

For applications including;

 Autoclaves, Converters, Furnace, kilns and boiler doors

• BOS plant
• Vessel lid seals in steelmaking plant
• Knife edge gate valves for valve bonnet sealing
• Ash slurries, chemical slurries, hot air, dry gases, superheated and saturated steam
• Valves and centrifugal pumps
• Exhaust systems
• Valve stem sealing systems

Specialist Hybrid Packings

These are available using many different material structures and manufacturing methods also combining the addition of selected lubricants. One variant may have a central core of temperature resistant elastomer with tough aramid fibres at the corners to resist abrasion and PTFE/Graphite yarn at the centre of each side to dissipate heat and present low friction.

Another variant may have aramid yarn again at the corners, PTFE yarn at the faces and a strong core of extruded and expanded PTFE cord.

These specialist combination packings are designed to cope with specialised duties and in difficult applications, maybe where high stresses are involved.

• Excellent abrasion resistance
• Excellent extrusion resistance
• Low shaft wear
• Superior compression and recovery characteristics with out of true shafts and spindles
• Dense construction offering excellent sealing properties
• PTFE faces providing low friction

PTFE core provides resistance to high working pressure