When a flange leaks, “insufficient bolt torque” is the most commonly blamed cause. However, this is often just a symptom or the final factor. The true root cause may lie in design, manufacturing, installation, or operation. Establishing a systemic diagnostic framework is essential for effective resolution and recurrence prevention.
Phase 1: Immediate Field Inspection and Information Gathering
- Leakage Pattern: Is it a continuous drip, spray, or only during thermal cycles? Where does the medium seep from (uniformly around the circumference, localized spot, from a bolt hole)?
- Service History: Did the leak occur at initial start-up or after a period of operation? Have there been recent severe pressure/temperature swings or operational changes?
- Preliminary Checks: Use a hydraulic torque wrench or ultrasonic bolt tension meter to check current bolt load distribution. Visually inspect flange faces for damage, corrosion, or foreign material.
Phase 2: Systemic Root Cause Investigation (Prioritized)
- Design Flaws:
- Incorrect Flange Selection: Insufficient pressure rating or material incompatible with the medium.
- Wrong Gasket Selection: y/m values mismatched with service conditions, or material incompatible.
- Incorrect Bolt Selection/Length: Preventing achievement of required preload.
- Manufacturing & Material Defects:
- Flange Facing Quality Issue: Surface finish not to specification, radial scratches, or excessive flatness deviation (warpage).
- Insufficient Flange Rigidity: Excessive deflection under pressure, causing loss of gasket stress.
- Defective Gasket.
- Installation Errors (Most Common Group):
- Incorrect Bolt Tightening Procedure: Failure to use a star-pattern sequence and incremental tightening, leading to uneven gasket loading.
- Flange Misalignment or Offset: Pipe misalignment causing non-parallel flange faces.
- Incomplete Seal Face Cleaning: Residual old gasket material, grit, or grease.
- Improper Bolt Lubrication: Causing friction variation, resulting in a significant discrepancy between applied torque and actual preload.
- Operational & Maintenance Issues:
- Thermal Cycling: Frequent system start-ups/shutdowns causing bolt relaxation or gasket creep.
- Pressure/Temperature Exceeding Design Limits.
- External Pipe Stress: Unanticipated pipe thrust or bending moment acting on the joint.
Phase 3: Root Solution and Prevention
- For design/manufacturing issues, replace components or modify the design.
- For installation issues, develop and strictly enforce a calculated bolt tightening procedure and train personnel.
- For thermal cycling service, consider using disc springs to compensate for bolt relaxation or switch to more resilient gaskets.
- Establish preventive maintenance records for critical flanged connections, documenting initial installation data and periodic inspection results.
Treating each leak as a systems engineering problem for investigation, rather than a simple maintenance task, is crucial for fostering a culture of plant integrity.