Winter 2021
No.40

● Customer Solutions《Joint Authorship》● Greetings・
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Valqua, Ltd.Representative Director,
Chairman & CEO Toshikazu Takisawa● Introduction to Valqua Technology NewsNo. 40 Winter 2021
Senior Executive Officer, Director of Corporate
Research and Development Group
Mutsuo Aoki・
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Our engagement with improvement of quality
in workmanship within a common certification
system for flange fastening・
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・3

● Customer Solutions《Contribution》

Effectiveness of Flange Tightening Training
and Expectations for VALQUA H&S at thePetrochemical Plant in Linyuan, Taiwan・
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・8

● Technical Papers

Effects of carbon black on compression set
with peroxide cross-linking elastomer・
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・14

https://www.valqua.co.jp● Product Introductions

High heat resistant non-silicone adhesive tape

（Manufactured by Korea Taconic, AGC Group, P-KT:6323）
・19● Product Introductions

Introduction of Flange Gap Gauge・
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・21

● Product Introductions
Examples of Reciprocal Motion Applications of LFR SEALTM・
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・24

● Recent Technology News Back Issues・・・27

Greetings
Valqua, Ltd.
Representative Director,
Chairman & CEO

Toshikazu Takisawa
I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year for 2021.
We sincerely thank our valued readers for your continuing interests in
our magazine.

Winter 2021

Looking back on last year, many manufacturers and service providers were significantly restricted intheir activities due to the global spread of COVID-19. The global economy has recorded a downturn in
activity on par with the Great Depression approximately 90 years ago. However, on the other hand,
there has been an explosive increase in amount of data used for social activities through 5G and theevolution of AI technology, and with the effect of increased demand due to the sudden increase in
teleworking in the industrial field, the situation in industrial areas related to semiconductors is quite
bright. In addition to this market environment with a mixture of favorable and tough winds, the global
situation is increasingly complex geopolitically, starting with the results of the US presidential election
this year and the beginning of retransitioning from "Unilateralism" to "Multilateralism". Now is the time
for businesses to review the actual state of change in their situation from a different perspective andprovide new values to customers and the market, as this is important from now onward.

Our group has worked towards goals in a variety of areas such as developing products, expanding
business projects, and advancing into the overseas market since its founding to create "VALUE" and"QUALITY," which are also the origins of our company name, VALQUA, and contributed to developing
No.40 society and realizing a better life for people. Considering this historical path and the situation that ourcompany is placed in today and in the future, we think that it is important to be determined to act
now and go back to this revolutionary spirit to open new horizons. To actualize this determination, lastyear, we have designated and announced various management targets that clearly aim to contribute toimproving mankind and the global environment as a "company of challenges that tackle the future andthe unknown" as a long-term management plan toward the 100th anniversary of our founding in 2027.
With this background, our group will continue progressing with the strategies for recovery andgrowth in the future along the three-year mid-term management plan,“New Frontier 2022”（NF2022）that started from this term.
In this mid-term plan, we are determined to provide revolutionary solutions that will contribute tomaximizing the performance of our customer’s products and processes by improving technology
development in our entire group through strengthening open innovation to realize H&S concepts. In
realizing this, we position 2021 as the year of transformation, and will evolve our company culture into
a company that strives to boldly attempt new ideas without being bound by previous successes andfearing failure, and wish to achieve healthy and sustainable growth with our customers.
In closing, for this New Year’s greeting, I would like to wish for your continued support and prosperity.
Thank you.
1

Introduction to Valqua Technology NewsNo. 40 Winter 2021

We wish you a Happy New Year of 2021.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all for reading Valqua Technology News.
Since the beginning of 2020, the business environment surrounding the entire world has undergone amajor change due to the spread of the COVID-19. In particular, the emphasis on social distancing has
promoted the development and introduction of ICT-related technologies for working remotely andlabor-saving business activities. However, in retrospect, this direction has already been thought out invarious ways from the perspective of improving efficiency, and even when the COVID-19 problem has
been solved, its value will not be inherently lost. The changes currently occurring should be viewed
as irreversible and we believe that these changes will continue in the future.

In order to respond to such business demands, all divisions related to technology development in ourcompany will further focus on the transformation into a H&S（Hardware & Service）company, which
we have been promoting since the mid-term plan two years ago, and on activities to develop highvalue-added technology solutions especially from the S（Service）perspective. Specifically, as stated in
the three-year mid-term management plan, "New Frontier 2022"（NF2022）, which was launched in
the current fiscal year, we will "further invest management resources in R&D," "accelerate thedevelopment process by utilizing open innovation," and "prepare next-generation R&D infrastructure”.
With these three strategies at the core of our NF2022 plan, we will strengthen our core businesses
from an H&S perspective and ambitiously expand into new business fields. We will work toward thegrowth objectives set out in NF2022 and toward the 100th anniversary of our founding in 2027, andcontinue to strive to become a "company of challenges that tackle the future and the unknown".
In relation to our background of the above, the current issue of Technology News, written with thecooperation by our customers, includes articles on our activities in flange tightening, technologicaldevelopment using external technologies, introduction of H&S-related products and our company’s
products, as well as application examples. In order to provide our customers with safety and security
at their production sites, we are determined to work together with our customers to develop
technologies. We hope that you will read this article as an example of our R&D activities that lead tothe development of solutions that are not limited to our core competence of seal engineering, but also
consider the market needs associated with DX.
We hope you will continue to enjoy VALQUA Technology News as well as our products and services.
Senior Executive Officer, Director of Corporate Research and Development Group

Mutsuo Aoki
2

Winter 2021

The major changes in the environment that we are experiencing will also affect the perspectives andaction plans of businesses in the future, and it is expected that the demand for further labor-saving
and efficiency improvement will increase. Also, in order to respond to such demands, we have further
strengthened our recognition that it is extremely important to break away from the business model ofsimply providing hardware products to the market and shift to a business model that strives toprovide services that contribute to the "value creation（koto-zukuri）" for our customers.

No.40

Our engagement with improvement ofquality in workmanship within a common
certification system for flange fastening
Table1

1. Introduction
For a stable supply of safe and high-quality productAs part of local community through the operation ofyear umber of disasters due to the defects ofNmaintenance control of facilities

Poor
Caused by
Poor
Poor
Poor vessel
corrosionflangeinspection
totalmanagement fastening management inspection management

2018

121

95

18

34

13

281

appropriately control maintenance of facilities.

2017

113

93

29

30

7

272

The fluids we deal with are diverse, which can be either

2016

109

102

20

41

10

282

gas, liquid or solid. Some of them are combustible,

2015

93

60

31

17

21

222

flammable or explosive, or toxic to human bodies and

2014

78

55

19

11

16

179

environment. Therefore, we must definitely avoid any

2013

80

56

28

16

20

200

leakage coming from defects of the flange fastener

2012

65

59

65

8

11

208

2011

67

66

66

8

20

227

petroleum and petrochemical factories, it is essential toWinter 2021

component.
Meanwhile, there are hundreds of thousands of flange

Source：“Summary of accidents related with high pressure gas”
by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

fastener components in the factory. We aim at early
detection of defects in our daily check, and we must
prevent a leakage disaster in the future with the right
However, in reality, there is a tendency that the numberof disasters and accidents“caused by flange fastening”％

control of tightening at flange fastening.

Number

No.40

within Japan is increasing. As shown in Table1 and
２０１８

２０１７

２０１６

and proportion, and remain high in recent years.

２０１５

30% and more of those. They are increasing by number

２０１４

and accidents“caused by flange fastening,”which count

２０１３

been increasing every year. Part of this are disasters

２０１２

to the failure of management control of facilities has

２０１１

Figure1, the total number of disasters and accidents due

Source：“Summary of accidents related with high pressure gas”
by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Figure1 N umber and proportion of disasters attributed toflange fastening

We can suggest that“qualification system”andcrane, scaffolding, and oxygen-def icient operations have“industry structure”are the cause of an increase of

official qualification systems and structures in which

troubles arising from flange fastening.

knowledge and skills are gained systematically including

Regarding the former, the problem is that there is noclassroom education and practical lectures. On the otherofficial qualification system for flange fastening and wehand, flange fastening operation is important, but has noare dependent on technical tradition among operators.

official qualification system. In the current situation, it

For example, all dangerous and important work in thecan be practiced by anyone regardless of theirfactories including welding, non-destructive checking,knowledge or skill.

3

C u s t o m e r S o l u t i o n s《 J o i n t A u t h o r s h i p 》

Regarding the latter, the problem is that domestic

Mizushima Refinery of ENEOS Holdings has launched

construction workers are decreasing and aging yearly.

“Mizushima Flange Fastening Committee”together with

As you can see in Figure2, the number of construction

nearby refineries on April 1, 2019 and built a common

workers has decreased by around 30% within the last 20

certification system for flange fastening in the area,

years. Also, as seen in Figure3, 30% of plumbers are 55

which has been operating with efficiency andyears and older, therefore it is inevitable that those witheffectiveness. Following the education and certifying

more experience who we have depended upon for theirsystem of Mizushima, Kawasaki and Negishi Refineries

knowledge and experience will decrease drastically inalso launched an association of flange fastening in thenear future.

Keihin Area together with Raiznext Corporation andWith all these situations, it is an urgent necessity to

Valqua, Ltd., to introduce a common certifying system.

build an education system for flange fastening to secure

They have rolled out the common certifying system on asafety especially for young workers, foreign operators

trial basis at the regular repair work（hereinafter,

and those working on the spot and to improve“Regular repair”）in the accounting year of 2020 and areoperational quality.

advancing its formulation.

（Ten thousand people）

OthersSales person
Sales manager , Clerical worker
Engineer
Silled worker

   Table2

 usiness establishments composing Mizushima
B
Flange Fastening Committee・Mizushima Manufacturing Site, Production Control Division, Asahi
Kasei Corporation

・Mizushima Factory, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc.
（MGC）
・Okayama Office, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation（MCC）
・Mizushima Refinery, ENEOS Holdings

In this report, we describe the summary, results andvalidation of the effect of the certification system for
Source：“Currentsituation of construction industry, construction andbuilding workers”by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism

Figure2

Transition of the number of construction workers

Total（Occupational minor classification）
Construction and civil engineering workers
Plumberflange fastening introduced on a trial basis at the regular
repair conducted in March 2020 at Kawasaki Refinery.

2. Summary of certification
system for flange fastening
To improve the quality of flange fastening, what is
important are operators’ skills who fasten flanges andthe knowledge of supervisors who instruct thisoperation. Therefore, the certification system for flange

85 ～80 ～ 84

75 ～ 79

70 ～ 74

65 ～ 69

60 ～ 64

55 ～ 59

50 ～ 54

45 ～ 49

40 ～ 44

35 ～ 3930 ～ 34

25 ～ 29

20 ～ 24

15 ～ 19

fastening we created has two educational parts,“practical education（practical skills）”and“knowledge
education（classroom learning）,”, with unified educational
contents, and we realized a system in which we can
Source：“Detailed
sample tabulation of the National Census”by
Statistics Bureau of Japan, Ministry of Internal Affairs andCommunications

Figure3

Age group distribution of plumbers

educate with efficiency by standardizing the level of
education.
Also, we issue certificates to approved supervisors and4

Winter 2021

・Mizushima Factory, Zeon Corporation

No.40

Our engagement with improvement of quality in workmanship within a common certification system for flange fastening

operators, which allow them to operate flange fastening
in other business establishments just by showing them.
Overlapped education is not necessary which promotes
efficiency.

participants of education for each level.
Table3

Levels for knowledge education in the certification
system for flange fastening

Educationlevel2-1）Practical education（practical skills）
Practical education aims at learning the behavior of

Level Ⅳ
Level Ⅲ

Targetposition
Educationlecturer

Education item
HPI TR Z110
"Manager"compliance

4hr

HPI TR Z110
"Worker"compliance

2hr
1hr

flanges when fastening them and understanding theLevel ⅡManager

ENEOS standard（classroom lecture + practice training）

operators’ own abilities. Until now, education was

Level Ⅰ

WorkerENEOS standard（classroom lecture）

acquiring senses through instructions of supervisors

Educationtime

5-20minbased on their experience. Now we can quantitatively
confirm the skill level by having the operators have areal physical experience with the bolting simulator

3. Effect of our engagement（Figure4）. With this simulator, it is possible to evaluate3-1）Summary of system operation

skills quantitatively which used to be evaluated

In November 2019, we have conducted education for

Winter 2021

qualitatively. This simulator uses criteria including

level III at Kawasaki Refinery（number of participants :“enough fastening is given to the gasket,”“strength to17）. Education for Level III is given to be approved as

the fastening shaft of each bolt is even,”and“no sign oflecturers. We gave classroom education with education

uneven crush on gaskets.”

content was based on HPI TR Z110（education time : 2hours）.
Contents of education include“control of fastening
gaskets and bolts as fastener parts,”“setting up andprocedure of fastening load and target torque,”“pressure-resistant airtightness test,”“opening offastener part,”and“trouble examples.”No.40

As practical education（practical skills）, we conducted“training on fastening procedure”in accordance with JIS
B 2251, using the bolting simulator, following a lecture inadvance of practical education regarding interactions ofelasticity, causes of uneven fastening and countermeasures
for it as warnings on flange fastening, and thenevaluated each person’s skill（pass / fail）.
After this, we launched operation of this system on a
Figure4

Bolting simulator

trial basis at a regular repair（March 2020）in Kawasaki
Refinery. We gave education for level I to all supervisors2-2）K nowledge education（classroom learning）

and operators engaged in flange operations for works on

For knowledge education, we used educational materials

quiet devices（number of participants：411）. Thiscreated by the Mizushima Flange Fastening Committee,

education was carried out according to the flow asbased on HPITR Z110（Guideline for Flange Fastening

follows by the lecturers who acquired approval of level

Operation Training）issued in September 2018. In

III as given above.

addition, we have set up 4 educational levels（Table3）as

The flow of this education starts with collective

this committee did, to create an efficient educational

education（10 to 20 minutes）which explains“behaviors

system by clarifying the educational contents andof flanges at diagonal /circling fastening,”“importance of5

C u s t o m e r S o l u t i o n s《 J o i n t A u t h o r s h i p 》

setting up,”and“description of interactions of elasticity

conduct a proper fastening procedure.

and uneven fastening”. Following this, the skill of eachparticipant was evaluated by using the bolting simulator3-4）Review of effect of educationand judged as pass or fail. We issued certificates to thoseon comprehensive airtightness test

who passed, which will allow them to do flange fastening

At the very final phase of a regular repair, we conduct a

operations on sites.

comprehensive airtightness test by bringing in nitrogen
within the system for the purpose of confirming
soundness of open parts including devices and plumbing

We received good feedback overall from participants offlanges, and the whole equipment. To be precise, welevel III education, including 90% of them replying that it

conduct a soap bubble test to check leakage of nitrogenraised their awareness of flange fastening and 80%

at the open parts including each flange after bringing insaying they can apply the contents of lectures at

nitrogen and pressure rising. If leakage is detected, more

operations on sites. Also, 60% say they found out

flange fastening is carried out. If leakage cannot besomething new from the contents given to lecturers.

halted despite of that, we decrease the pressure of

Therefore, it was also found effective as an opportunity

nitrogen in the system and conduct the pressure rising

to learn again.

test again upon re - opening flanges, maintaining surfaces

Seventy percent of participants of level I said thatof gaskets and exchanging gaskets.

contents of collective education were clear, and 80%

To validate the effect of education, we inspect“number

replied that the certification method of practical skillsof re - rising pressure system caused by flange fastening”

was good. We had comments such as,“It was goodand compare it with the results of re-rising pressure atbecause changes of axial tension of each bolt at the time

the last regular repair in 2016. As shown in Table4, weof flange fastening were easy to comprehend which

halved the number of re-rising pressure system

made it possible to operate in a short amount of time.”

compared to the last results and lowered the risk ofWinter 2021

3-2）Findings from hearing of the participants

increase of the number of operations and extension of3-3）Findings from analysis of operators’ skills

the procedure, and a certain level of educational effectWe have analyzed operators’ skills, using the bolting

was recognized.

simulator. This simulator maintains a log of fastening

Table4 S urvey on number of re-rising pressure systemcaused by flange fastening

process which makes it possible to confirm characteristics
of operators with fastening（too much fastening, lack offastening or uneven fastening）. For this, we can giveComprehensive
airtightness test
number of strains

appropriate advice on that which leads to improve skills

307

with efficiency.

Number of re-boosting systems
2020 regular
maintenance2020 regular
maintenance
Number of points

2016 regular
maintenance（Reference value）

11

4520

（Same scale as last time）

6

The result of analysis of operators’ skills this time shows

Next, regarding leaked flanges（14 flanges within 6that the ratio of too much fastening is higher, aboutsystems）which were the main cause of re-rising

twice, than that of lack of fastening. Furthermore, whatpressure, we show in Table5 the findings from our

we found from analyzing too much fastening, there wassurvey on the specifications of flanges and gaskets,a higher proportion of operators that fastened some ofreasons of leakage and layout of the scene. We found out

the bolts too much rather than generally fastening of

the main reasons of leakage as the following two：bolts too much. We think this is because of difference・Cleaning of surfaces of gaskets failed as the plumbingof axial tensions rising among bolts with operators’layout did not allow secure clearance between

postures. Regarding uneven fastening（there is a great

flanges when they were open.

variety among surfaces of flanges）, we think the set up
at the initial stage is important and it is necessary to・F astening layout was not good as there were
obstacles, which led to uneven fastening.
6

No.40

Our engagement with improvement of quality in workmanship within a common certification system for flange fastening

Table5
SystemNo.

1

Detailed investigation of the flange responsible for re-pressurization

Size（B）

Class（pound）

Workingpressure
（MPa）

11/2

300

18

ー

11/2

300

18

ー

Cause of flange leakage

Flangeorientation

Tightening
layoutClearance between
flanges

3.35

One-sided tightening

VerticalDefective

Have clearance

3.35

Improper cleaning of the gasket surface

BesideDefective

Have clearance

3.35

One-sided tightening

VerticalDefective

Have clearance

3.35

Improper cleaning of the gasket surface

BesideDefective

Have clearance

6

600

3.35

RJT poor rubbing

BesideGood

No clearance

2

18

ー

2.3

Deterioration due to aging of the gasket surface

VerticalGood

Have clearance

6

300

1.48

Improper cleaning of the gasket surface

BesideGood

No clearance

3

6

300

1.48

Improper cleaning of the gasket surface

BesideGood

No clearance

8

300

1.48

Improper cleaning of the gasket surface

BesideGood

No clearance

6

150

0.42

Improper cleaning of the gasket surface

VerticalGood

No clearance

12

150

0.42

Improper cleaning of the gasket surface

VerticalDefective

No clearance

4

11/2

150

0.42

One-sided tightening

VerticalDefective

No clearance

5

18

150

1.08

Improper cleaning of the gasket surface

VerticalDefective

No clearance

6

1

300

0.35

One-sided tightening

BesideDefective

Have clearance

As measures for these, we will continue engagement

Winter 2021
No.40

learned）are applicable at operation scenes.”

towards eliminating re-rising pressure tests by・We decreased the number of re-rising pressure systems

reviewing the operation manuals and education contents

at the comprehensive airtightness test, compared toso that we can carry out the right operation.

the previous（2016）regular repair.

4. Summary and overview for the future4-2）Overview for the future
ENEOS Holdings is planning to systematize education

4-1）Summary

by introducing the certification for flange fastening as・Certification system for flange fastening allows us towell as bolting simulator in all its refineries from now on.

standardize education and we do not need overlapped

Although it is possible to establish a certification system

education for users and operators.

that is shared within the country and not just for a・We can evaluate skills quantitatively by using thesingle company alone and can operate effectively for thebolting simulator, and with logs of fastening process,convenience of operators, there are many agendas

we can give right instructions to operators.

including unified maintenance of skill data of operators

・We had good feedback from the participants through aand controllers.

hearing regarding system operation（level III, level I）.

We will continue collaborating on this to completely

They say“contents of lecture were clear,”“awarenesseliminate troubles caused by flange fastening in thewith flange fastening was raised,”and“（what we

future in Japan.

Yosuke Koga
Regular Repair PlanningGroup
Kawasaki Refinery,
ENEOS Holdings
7

Shigeo Sakai
H&S Sales Division,
Valqua, Ltd.

Customer Solutions《Contribution》

Effectiveness of Flange Tightening Training
and Expectations for VALQUA H&S at thePetrochemical Plant in Linyuan, Taiwan
1. Introduction
Since our founding, we have worked hard to stabilize

2. Flange Tightening andRemoval related accident

the national energy supply for 74 years. As the number

In recent years, the causes of accidents that occurred

one annual sales in the Taiwan petrochemical industry,during the disassembly of flange joints in thethe public is paying close attention to our occupational

petrochemical industry in Taiwan are as follows.

safety and environmental protection. The business

1．The target of the operation is not clear.

environment faces severe challenges due to the aging

2．Wrong gasket or material.

employees and the personnel shortage. We are

3．‌Flange disassembly residues are not properly

operational performance, and proposing humanresources technical training as a root countermeasure.
To improve operational performance, we haveintroduced a process safety management （PSM）
system, smart industrial security, and promoting
following four systems in industrial safety management
practice.

disposed.
4．‌No hazard analysis / notification for flange
disassembly operations.
5．‌No protective equipment when removing theflange.
6．There is no operational standard for flange removal
and tightening.

No.40

7．Lack of or no training for flange disassembly.

1．‌Build a complete process safety information system.

8．‌Old-fashioned tools are used to remove the flange.

2．‌The work permit shall be combined with the

9．Others.

investigation record of the pre-work tripartite
joint investigation and the graded supervisor.

If an accident occurs due to the above factors cause

3．Create an employee’s job performance passport.

death, injury, shutdown orders, fires due to leaks,

4．‌Investigate the root cause of accidents or equipment

unplanned shutdowns, or environmental protests will

failures.

Winter 2021

proactively grasping this situation, improving

severely damage the company’s management andreputation. Furthermore, employee fatalities andStrengthen basic training in core technology andinjuries can cause families to be displaced, especiallypersonnel（including contractors）. Flange tightening

affecting contractors, a vulnerable segment of society.

training is one of the primary tasks to reduce security

Flange removal work in the petrochemical industry

accidents and equipment leakages.

involves many people and a wide range of operations,from tightening and removing an individual flange totightening and removing piping and heat exchangers,
maintenance of rotary machinery, and cleaning
instrumentation and storage tanks. Therefore, an urgent
need is to implement effective management and provide
8Effectiveness of Flange Tightening Training and Expectations for VALQUA H&S at the Petrochemical Plant in Linyuan, Taiwan

flange tightening and removal training.

understand the effectiveness of standard procedures andthe reasons for implementing them so that they are

3. Overview of our training implementation

convinced to follow the standard tightening procedures.

To ensure the safety of the disassembly and assembly

and utilize it as a reference book for our repair

work of oil refining and chemical plant contractors, ourdepartment. In addition, as of September 2020, a total ofcompany established the "CPC Corporation Contractor

34 training sessions have been conducted for a total of

Equipment Tightening and Removal Training System

848 people. In July 2020, we received an endorsement

Implementation Guidelines"（C5731SHM10）in 2019. In

and public commendation from the Kaohsiung City

addition, the training content of flange tightening was

Government’s Labor Bureau, and were asked to promotecreated by referring to JIS B 2251 Flange Joint

this activity downstream to petrochemical plants in theTightening Method, a Japanese industrial standard

petrochemical industry. The first step has already taken

introduced by VALQUA, and through VALQUA’s training,

place on September 25, 2020, and we will continue tothe relevant knowledge and skills of the trainees incooperate with the Kaohsiung City Labor Bureau toremoving and installing bolts have improved.

implement this training.

We purchase HANDBOOK from Valqua and distribute

This training includes the following:
１．‌Selection of bolt and gasket specifications（e.g.,materials, dimensions, and tightening force）and

Winter 2021

others（e.g., anti-sticking / anti-seizing agents）.
２．‌Use of bolts and torque wrenches and torque3-1）Training equipment and planning,
Equipment location
The plan and location for conducting the simple practicaltraining are as follows:

calculation.
３．‌Understand the difference between cold bolting andhot bolting through the Valqua technical book
HANDBOOK（50% of the bolt tightening force isconsumed at the contact surface between the nut

No.40

and flange, and 40% is consumed at the nut andbolt thread. , The remaining 10% is effective axial
force, etc.）.
One particular point that can mention is that with the
VALQUA flange tightening training device, theparticipants can check whether the bolts are properly
tightened based on strain gauges and computer
calculations. In addition, verifying the presence ofdiagonal and circular tightening is possible, enabling the

Figure1

Practical test venue

participants to grasp the points they have not understoodso far and understand the standard tightening concept.
At our company, to acquire good tightening techniquesof bolt tightening and removal, we have introduced
Valqua’s flange tightening training equipment. We also
train our employees and contractors to use these devices
to verify the skills of the installers and to help them
9

Figure2

Practical test pipe jointCustomer Solutions《Contribution》

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Winter 2021���������������
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Material room design plan

No.40

3-1-1）T‌ he location of the tightening and removal

unit, foam leak detection unit,

flanges are as follows.

3/ 4 B Yatoi tube, 3 sets each oflarge and small F wrenches,

1．‌Area：Approximately 5m×10m（Figure1）.
※ The room is fully air-conditioned.

hanging sign, steel ruler, steel2．‌3 sets of 150lb×6B flange joint（Figure2）.

brush, tool basket, bolt storage

3．‌Material room ①：‌3 sets of 30L air cylinders,pan, etc.

3 spare cylinders

9．‌Others：‌6 helmets, gloves, fire extinguisher, safetyT he air header is attached tomarkers installation, first aid kit, lockers,

these air cylinders（Figure3）.

etc.

4．‌Material room ②：‌3 sets of air compressor, airheader and hose.
5．‌6 air breathing masks and 3 sets of hoses.
6．‌Tool set：12 of 3/4B ratchet wrenches.

3-1-2）‌Flange tightening experience area andflange tightening hands-on installation

VALQUA is the main planner（Figure8）.

7．‌Accessories：‌6B×150lb×1/8B 3 thin blind flanges,
consumables 6B×150lb non-asbestos

3-2）Training Courses

gasket and spiral gasket consumables.

As a reference in all fields, we introduce our training

8．Other accessories：‌scraper, cleaning and lubrication

courses. The one-day training course is divided into10

Effectiveness of Flange Tightening Training and Expectations for VALQUA H&S at the Petrochemical Plant in Linyuan, Taiwan

Ⅲ．‌Check for pressure test leaks above 3kgf / cm²
and（clean）organize the location.

4. Training effect
The flange tightening and removal training are similar
to the implementation of factory work, but both focus on
Figure4 rder of flangeOtightening

Figure5 Order of bolt removal

pre-work precautions. Next, each member will sign andgain the approval（work will start after confirmation of

Winter 2021

classroom lectures and practical exams. The content of

the construction site, construction details, environmental

the classroom lectures includes explanation of relevant

treatment of the construction surroundings, audit of theaccident cases, hazard recognition of the working

treatment status with blind flanges drawings of theenvironment, use of respiratory protection equipment,

construction piping or equipment, hazard precautions,safety of flange tightening and removal, general

construction methods, etc., and the issuance of aknowledge（gasket selection, piping material andconstruction permit on the same day）
. The contractor’s

specification, bolts, tools, etc.）, and introduction of

pre-work hazard notification and safeguard preparation

process flow chart（P&ID）for employees. JIS B 2251

are more important than the actual work; a lack ofintroduced by Valqua is adopted for the flange

environmental awareness can lead to the threat of death

attachment / detachment training. The flange tightening

as soon as disassembling the flange. For example, anprocedure is to temporarily tighten diagonally（Figure4）

accident may occur during hydrogen sulfide and otherwith four levels of tightening force of 10%, 20%, 60%,
and 100%, and then tighten four times with 100%tightening force（clockwise, Or counterclockwisetightening）. The order of bolt removal is followed by our

No.40

specifications, starting at the bottom of the flange andworking from the bottom up（Figure5）. The "pause
inspection point" is placed at the bottom from where
three bolts are removed to protect the operator.
■ Practical test program：
Ⅰ．Before starting work, check the following.
1．Check the target work（installation of white
construction sign）.
2．Check the measurement value of pipe residues（select protective equipment）.
3．‌Check the processing status of the pipe contents（rechecking safety before installation）.
4．Check the target dimensions, specifications,materials, etc.
Ⅱ．‌While working wear respiratory protection / check
discharge / remove flange / install blinds（yellow
construction signs）/check discharge / remove
closure plate / conduct restoration.
11

Figure6 Three-party joint questionnaire form before construction

Customer Solutions《Contribution》

toxicological work. However, steps such as three-party

These regulations and measures are significant for thejoint investigation and pre-work training before thepetrochemical refining industry. We aspire to become an

actual work are generally not emphasized. In addition,industry leader in industrial safety. We have alreadybecause they are considered unprofitable man-hours andtaken a big step, but in the future, we are working to

do not recognize the danger they pose to the workers,

enable mutual recognition, learning, and dissemination of

the flange tightening and removal training involves

training within the industry.

much effort and the necessary steps to master the

Linyuan Petrochemical Plant revised the labor

practical skills. In some cases, they become unsuccessful.

procurement SOP from the root and applied it to new

Until now, there has been no standardized training

procurement projects from July 1, 2019, and actively

course for flange tightening and removal, and veteranpromoted and participated in processing old projects

employees with long service years have guided workers

with additional methods. Within six months, thebased on their experience. The work procedures are alsoestablishment of "equipment flange tightening anddescribed in our "Piping Construction Standards（aremoval training" was planned and completed, and also

document of the Ministry of Transportation of Taiwan,

the number of successful candidates for contractor

equivalent to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,

dispatch training by September 2020 reached 331

Transport and Tourism of Japan）"（CS-102-0006-5）SOP（Figure7）.

and the related contract work agreements. However, inAt the Lin Yuan Petrochemical Plant, training began

the case of flange tightening, for example, it was difficult

as follows:

many times to tighten temporarily or how many times
to tighten fully, and standard work procedures were● May 7, 2020
Conducted training for new employees.
● May 21, 2020 and June 5, 2020

lacking especially in the case of flange removal. For‌Conducted training for engineers and next

example, the order of removing bolts is from bottom to

executive candidates（Figure8）.

top, from a distant place to the neighborhood, and● August 20, 2020 and September 4, 2020

whether to disassemble diagonally, etc. We solved the‌In the other divisions, "equipment flange

problem with the newly established“CPC Corporation

attachment / detachment and tightening /Contractor Equipment Tightening and Removal

fixing" tour training was conducted in two

Training System Implementation Guidelines”

stages, with a total of 46 participants.

（C5731SHM10）. For tightening, we adopted the strongly● August 2020

supporting JIS B 2251 standard and purchased a‌No.3 Aromatics Unit Group（name of a CPC

VALQUA flange tightening training equipment. By

Corporation work group）/ A total of 50 people

doing so, we can compare the previous tightening

participated in the re-measuring training formethod with the new method, JIS B 2251 standard, in

HEPCO repair contractors of flange tightening

real-time from the radar image on the screen, allowing

and removal operators.

reliable and effective verification. On the other hand,when disassembling the flanges, a group discussion

The actual effect of the project appeared as a great

method was adopted by experts to specify the order ofbenefit during the shutdown maintenance of No.4

detachment. In the case of vertical flanges, three bolts

Naphtha Cracker group（name of a CPC Corporation

should be removed from the bottom to the top and thenwork group）at the end of 2019 and the New No.3

stopped for inspection. Work should continue after safety

Naphtha Cracker group（name of a CPC Corporationis confirmed, and in the case of horizontal flanges, thework group）at the beginning of 2020. The quality oforder of removal was determined to be from the bolt

the contractor’s equipment, the flange tightening andfarthest away from the person.

removal was greatly improved. In addition to reducing
12

Winter 2021

to determine what was correct on-site, such as how

No.40

Effectiveness of Flange Tightening Training and Expectations for VALQUA H&S at the Petrochemical Plant in Linyuan, Taiwan

5. Conclusion
We would like to thank VALQUA for their cooperationin providing flange tightening and removal standards
and training. We hope that more workers andcontractors will receive the training to maximize theirbolt removal and tightening skills and enhancetightening safety. We would like to maximize the bolt
removal and tightening technology and improve thesafety of tightening by training more workers andFigure7

Contractor flange tightening and removal training.

contractors.
In response to the government’s urgent demand forindustrial safety measures throughout the petrochemicalindustry, we will actively introduce leading-edge
technical systems and equipment to fulfill our
responsibility. We will then spread the use of these toprovide substitute training to industry personnel toensure that the petrochemical industry can be managed

Winter 2021

sustainably as a safe industry.

6. References
1）‌CPC Corporation Contractor Safety and HealthManagement Act（2020 / 10 / 20

5731-SHM-01）

2）‌Taiwan National Oil Corporation Piping Installation

No.40

Standard（2018 / 04 / 12 CS-102-0006-5）
Figure8

Flange tightening training

3）‌Ring joint gasket flange installation for Taiwan
Chinese-Oil Corp. Standard

industrial safety incidents, flange tightening training
can reduce the uncertainty of downtime due to leaks（2018 / 02 / 23 CS-102-0003-1）

and reduce the rate of flange leakage of volatile organic

4）‌Taiwan PetroChina Contractor Equipment Removal
Training Program Implementation Guidelines

compounds （VOCs）. Since the training has been
conducted for a short period, it is impossible to quantify（2020 / 07 / 10 5731-SHM-10）

the training effect on reducing flange leakage rate at5）‌VALQUA STC Training Materials

this stage. But we are confident that it will be effective（2019 / 03 / 29Document No. 12015-001）

and hope to be able to prove it with quantitative datain the future.

Kinsei Hayashi
Manager of Industrial Safety Section,
Lin Yuan Petrochemical Plant,
Petrochemical Division,
Taiwan National Petroleum Corporation
13

Technical Papers

Effects of carbon black on compression set
with peroxide cross-linking elastomer

analysis, we can contribute to controlling trade-offs

1. Introduction

between mechanical properties and CS, and to establish

One of the important parameters showing heatguidelines for selection of Carbon in accordance withresistance of elastomer sealing materials is compression

demanded characteristics.

set （CS）. CS is an indicator forthe permanentdistortion in case of loading at a certain temperature fora certain amount of time to the elastomer material incompression, and it is calculated as Figure1. For
example, CS100% indicates that it is completely distortion
Figure1

Calculation of CS

Winter 2021

and highly likely to end up in leakage. It is an effective
measure to check durability of sealing materials.
Usually, carbon black（Carbon）is contained in elastomer
materials as a reinforcing filler, and we can adjust their

2. Experimentmechanical properties including tensile strength and2-1）Preparation of samples

stretch by changing the primary particle-size or theComposition of Carbon mixture in each sample is shown

amount of Carbon added. However, it has become an

in Table1. We chose FKM（VDF-HFP-TFE copolymer）

issue in the product development scenes that there wereand EPDM（ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer）from

often trade-offs between the mechanical properties andamong peroxide cross-linked systems, which are

CS gained from blending Carbon.

especially suitable to be used in high temperature

It is well known that CS is correlated with effective

environments, as the elastomer base materials. We

cross-link density of elastomer in non - Carbon filled

prepared samples that were each blended with 3

system. Therefore, it is possible that this trade-off is also

different particle-sizes of Carbon（HAF: primary particle

related with effective cross-link density. However, we

size is about 28 nm, MAF : primary particle size is about

cannot properly evaluate properly the cross-link density

38 nm, MT : primary particle size about 450 nm）forin Carbon filled system with calculations of a generalboth polymers, and also made non-Carbon filled system

swelling test due to an effect of reinforcement of Carbon,

as the control system. As for blended materials otherand it was an issue that we could not analyze thethan Carbon, we used 2, 5-Dimethyl - 2, 5 - di（tert-butyl

correlation with CS.

peroxy）hexane as peroxide for both FKM and EPDM

Based on this, in this report, we analyzed thesystems, and used triallyl isocyanurate as a cross-linking

relationship between effective cross-link density ofcoagent. The same blending amount was set for each

Carbon-filled systems and CS, using mainly dynamic

polymer system. In addition, with EPDM system, as

viscoelasticity measurements. We also examined theother blended materials, the same blending amount ofcauses of changes in CS of elastomer material with

anti-aging substance, zinc oxide and processing aid weredifferent types of Carbon fillers. We think that with thisadded to each sample.
14

No.40

Effects of carbon black on compression set with peroxide cross-linking elastomer

Table1
SampleCarbon blend compositions and physical properties

F-Control

F-A20

Polymer species

F-B20

F-C20

E-Control

E-A50

FKM

E-B50

E-C50
HAF

EPDM

Carbon black species

─

MT

MAF

HAF

─

MT

MAF

Primary particle size（nm）

─

450

38

28

─

450

38

28

N2 absorption specific surface area（m2/g）

─

7

49

79

─

7

49

79
50

Amount of carbon black（phr）

0

20

20

20

0

50

50

Hardness（JIS A）

57

72

84

86

48

65

70

70

Tensil strength（MPa）

5.2

14.9

21.6

22.5

1.7

9.7

16.6

16.8

Elongation at break（％）

330

245

220

230

185

190

215

230

100% Modulus（MPa）

1.2

2.6

5.9

5.4

1.2

2.6

5.3

3.4

CS（％）at 200℃×72hr

N.D

14.8

17.6

21.2

9.1

13.4

21.4

31.6

Polymers and each blended material were kneaded by

While with EPDM system, the smaller the particle size

8 - inch rolls. Afterwards, 2 mm-wide sheets and CS discof Carbon used, the higher the increase in breaking

pieces（Φ29×12.5t）were created by compression

elongation, FKM system showed a different tendencypressure molding.

and F - Control, which is non - Carbon filled substance,
showed the largest value.

Winter 2021
No.402-2）Evaluation methods

With both FKM and EPDM systems, the smaller theWe have measured hardness, tensile strength, tensile

particle size of Carbon used, the more CS increased andbreaking extension, 100% modulus and CS of eachheat resistance was lowered. In addition, from thesample at 25℃ according to JIS K6253, K6251 andresults of mechanical properties mentioned earlier, it was

K6262. We conducted swelling test by soaking EPDM

confirmed that there is a trade-off relationship between

sample for 72 hours, using toluene as solvent andchanges in CS dependent on the blended Carbon type,calculated effective cross-linking density（vs）using aand hardness, tensile strength and 100% modulus . It

1）

modified Flory - Rehner equation .

should also be mentioned that it was not possible to

We carried out dynamic viscoelasticity measurements

measure CS of F- Control because the sample wasusing DMS6100（Seiko Instruments）under tension

broken by compression at measurement.

mode, rate of rising temperature at 2 ℃/ min, frequency
at 10 Hz, applied distortion at 0.05 % and temperature
range between -50℃ and 150℃ .

3-2）Correlation between effective crosslinking density and CS
Although it is well known that CS is correlated with

3. Results and discussion

effective cross - linking density measured by swelling3-1）Relationship between mechanicaldifferent with Carbon-filled system. Figure2 shows theproperties and CS

test in non - Carbon filled system, the situation isrelationship between effective cross-linking density

Table1 shows mechanical properties and CS of eachand CS measured by swelling test of EPDM system

sample. These are the results from blending 20phr ofsamples produced in this experiment.

each Carbon in FKM system and 50phr in EPDM

It cannot be said that there is a correlation between

system.

effective cross - linking density and CS from theseWith both FKM and EPDM systems, the smaller the

results. We consider this is due to the reinforcement

particle- size of Carbon used, which is said to be better in

effect of Carbon.

reinforcement in general, the higher the increase in

Cross - linking density is calculated in swelling tests

hardness and tensile strength. Although 100% modulus

according to the degree of swelling of the sample

also showed similar tendencies, it decreased with HAF

soaked in good solvent. Therefore, we consider that it

filled substance with the smallest particle size.

would be difficult to calculate accurate effective cross-15

Technical Papers

Figure2 R elationship between effective cross-lining density
and CS from swelling test

linking density if natural swelling is disturbed byreinforcement property of Carbon.

Figure3

Relationship between tanδ and temperature in
EPDM systems

Winter 2021

3-3）Relationship between dynamic
viscoelasticity properties and CS
Since the past, there is loss tangent,（tanδ）, as anotherindicator to show cross-linking density in non - Carbon
filled system, which can be acquired by dynamic
viscoelastic measurements. For example, Imoto andcoworkers 2） reported the higher the cross-linking

No.40

density, the lower tanδ on the higher temperature side
becomes. They said that the lower the cross-linking
density is, the more terminal molecular chains whicheasily flow increase, and the larger tanδ becomes, whichreflects energy loss due to forced vibration.
Iwabuki and coworkers3） report a good correlation
between tanδ within the high temperature range andthe cross-linked component amount（or uncross-linked

Figure4

Relationship between tanδ at 150℃ and CS

component amount）obtained by pulsed NMR despite
any type of filler. The tanδ within a high temperaturetanδ becomes, which we consider is exhibiting therange reflects relaxation due to the movement ofreinforcement property of Carbon. On the contrary toterminal molecular chains even in Carbon - filled systems,

the peak value, the smaller the particle size of Carbon

and this can be an effective measure when analyzing theadded, the higher the value of tanδ on the highcorrelation between effective cross-linking density andtemperature side, which is regarded as reflectingCS.

relaxation due to the movement of terminal molecular

Figure3 shows the relationship between tanδ andchains.

temperature in EPDM system samples. The smaller the

Figure4 shows the relationship between tanδ and CS atparticle size of Carbon used , the lower the peak value of150℃ in FKM and EPDM systems respectively. Unlike
16Effects of carbon black on compression set with peroxide cross-linking elastomer

the results of Figure2, tanδ increases according to thefor free radicals4）. This means that increase of tanδ inincrease of CS both in FKM and EPDM systems, whichaccordance with increase of the total surface area oftells us there is a correlation. If we assume tanδ at 150℃

Carbon which was confirmed in Figure5 could havereflects the amount of relaxation due to the movement

occurred because peroxide radicals, which was anof terminal molecular chains, we consider that increase

initiator for cross-linking, was trapped due to theof tanδ means decrease of effective cross-linking density

increase of defect areas on the surface of Carbon in

led to increase of CS. In addition, it suggests a possible

elastomer and effective cross-linking density has

effectiveness of tanδ within the high temperature range

decreased.

as an indicator of cross-linking density in Carbon - filled

Together with the results of Figure4, this leads us tosystem.

conclude that increase of the total surface area ofCarbon in elastomer inhibits cross - linking reaction with3-4）Relationship between the total surface
area of Carbon and tanδcross - linking density.

Figure5 shows a relation between the total surface area

Thus, when we design the recipe, since adding too muchof Carbon filler in each sample and tanδ at 150℃ . The

Carbon or small particle-sized Carbon increases CS, it istotal surface area of Carbon was calculated bynecessary to consider and determine appropriate Carbon

multiplying the nitrogen absorption specific surface area

type and blending amount while considering the balance2（m /g）for each Carbon shown in Table1, by theWinter 2021
No.40

peroxide, and increases CS by decreasing the effectivewith mechanical properties.

compound amount（g）.
As a result, we found that tanδ increased according to
the increase of the total surface area of Carbon filler for

4. Conclusions

both FKM and EPDM systems and had a good

We found the following through analysis of thecorrelation.

relationship between CS of peroxide cross-linked FKM

The basic structure of Carbon is a graphite structure,and EPDM in Carbon-filled systems and effective cross-however on the surface, it possesses defective areas

linking density using dynamic viscoelasticity.

including oxygen, hydroxyl groups and structures in（1）
 The results of dynamic viscoelasticity

which graphite has undergone ring cleavage bymeasurements suggest the smaller the particle sizehydrogenation, which are reported to become receptorsof Carbon filler in both FKM and EPDM systems,
the higher tanδ（150℃）increased and the larger
the relaxation due to the movement of terminal
molecular chains.
（2）
 tanδ
（150℃）has a good correlation with CS in
both FKM and EPDM systems, and CS increased
as tanδ increased, suggesting the possibility of anincrease of CS in not only in non - Carbon filled but
also in Carbon filled system with decrease ofeffective cross-linking density.
（3）
 With increase of the total surface area of Carbon
filler, tanδ（150℃）increased. This brings us to theconclusion that increase of the total surface area ofCarbon in elastomer inhibits cross-linking reaction

Figure5 R elationship between the total surface area of filled
Carbon and tanδ at 150℃
17of peroxide and that decrease of effective crosslinking density would bring increase of CS.

Technical Papers

5. Acknowledgment

6. References

This report analyzed a limited number of Carbon types.

1）‌Edited by the Society of Rubber Science andFor planning better guidelines of Carbon selection, weTechnology, Japan:“Rubber Test Methods”New

think it is necessary to conduct a more multifaceted

Edition, 211, The Society of Rubber Science andanalysis that analyzes more varieties of Carbon and uses

Technology, Japan（1980）

other analysis methods, which we plan to carry out inthe future.

2）‌Minoru Imoto et al.: Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi, 41,1103（1968）

Finally, to proceed in this study, we were given a lot of
support and advice from Junji Mizukado, Group Leaderof the Chemical Materials Evaluation Group, Research3）‌Hitoshi Iwabuki et al.: Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi, 75,409（2002）
4）‌V. A. Garten, D. E. Weiss: Aust. J. Chem., 8, 68（1955）

Institute for Sustainable Chemistry, National Institute ofAdvanced Industrial Science and Technology. We thankhim very much.

Winter 2021

Ryosuke Nishi
Elastomer Team,
Product Development Department,
Research and Development Division

No.40

18

High heat resistant non-silicone
adhesive tape

（Manufactured by Korea Taconic, AGC Group, P-KT:6323）
2. Background

1. Introduction

Winter 2021
No.40

The performance required of masking tapes is higher

Due to the increased adoption of lead-free solder alloy inthan ever before due to the higher integration ofrecent years, the temperature of the mounting process iselectronic circuit boards caused by the recent trend

said to be 230℃ , and masking tape that can withstandtoward smaller and larger capacity information

this temperature is essential. Generally, polyimide tapeterminals and the adoption of lead-free solder alloy tocoated with silicone adhesive is used for masking tape

reduce substances of environmental concern. Generally,（confirmation required）, but the normal grade is 200℃ ,silicone adhesives are used for high-temperatureand even the heat-resistant grade is 260℃ . However,adhesive tapes, but since silicone adhesives are usually

since a silicone adhesive（polysiloxane）is used, low-

not recommended for temperatures above 200℃ andmolecular - weight siloxane decomposes when used atsilicone volatile components are noted as a cause ofhigh temperatures, and this causes problems such as

contamination of semiconductor chips, there is a need forcontamination of the wafer surface and contact failure inmasking tapes with non-silicone adhesives and improved

electronic circuits.

heat resistance.

Non-silicone masking tapes have traditionally had

Our company has been selling masking tapes using non-problems such as low heat resistance of the adhesive,

silicone adhesives, and we have started handling a grade

residue after use, and foaming due to decomposition gas,with further improved heat resistance, which isbut since they do not generate siloxane, they are

introduced in this report.

expected to contribute to ensuring reliability in themounting process（SMT ; Surface Mount Technology）of
circuit boards, which will become increasingly dense in
the future.

3. Product specifications
The adhesive tapes introduced here are all made of a
Figure1

 roduct photo of high heat-resistant non-siliconePadhesive tape
Table1polyimide base material that is coated with a non-silicone
adhesive（Table1）.

Types of heat-resistant adhesive tapes
Type A

Type B

Type C

Substrate（polyimide）

μm

25

25

25

25

Adhesive

μm

38

38

38

39

Peel Strength（SUS）

gf / 25mm

Min 200

Min 300

Min 200

Min 350

Max. working temperature

℃

200

200

260

160

Thicknessconventional product※ This is a product under development and specifications are subject to change.

19

Product Introductions

4. Features

5. Conclusions

In the following, we will examine the heat resistance ofThis product was designed as a masking tape for theType C, which has the highest heat resistance.

solder reflow process of surface mounting（SMT）of

After standing in an oven at 260℃ for 2 hours, as shown

rigid and flexible boards, but as stated, no residue wasin Table2, residue due to deterioration of the adhesive

observed under 260℃, and the product has sufficient

can be seen in the conventional product, but no residue

capability for masking applications.

can be seen in "Type C" with improved heat resistance

By all means, it has been confirmed that since a non-（Table2）.

silicone adhesive is used, no siloxane is detected in thedecomposition gas and we believe that this product will

Table2 R esidue check of heat-resistant adhesive tape after
heat test at 260℃ for 2 hours
After heating

Enlarged pictures

be useful in other applications where contamination bysiloxane is a problem. In addition to the solder reflow
process described in this article, we can also expect tosee the product used in wire bonding, thermosetting

conventional
product

mounting processes, dicing, and packaging processes.
Furthermore, the adhesive tape is introduced as amasking tape made of polyimide in this article, but it
could also be coated for other base materials such as

Type C

silicone release tapes for the heat-sealing process.
In addition, no residue was observed in the actual test in※ All data and values in this document are representative

a solder bath（285℃ , 10 minutes）（Table3, Figure2）.

values under a certain environment. It is necessary toTable3 R esidue check of heat-resistant adhesive tape after
solder bath test
After heating

confirm the suitability of the product when using it.

No.40

Enlarged pictures

Before solder bath
Masking area（after solder bath）
Non-masking area（after solder bath）

Takeyuki Suzuki
Figure2IR absorption spectroscopy before and after solder
bath test

Winter 2021

fluoroplastic tape, therefore it is possible to consider non-High-performance Plastics
Group
20

Introduction of Flange Gap Gauge

Figure1

Photo of product appearance

Figure2

Photo of product storage

Winter 2021

1. Introduction

gap（inside）measuring jaw

For the safe operation of various plants, periodic
inspections, reliable repair work, and record
management are essential. However, in recent years, thethickness（outside）measuring jaw

problem of technology inheritance due to the retirement

No.40

of veteran workers and the decrease in practicalstep（depth）measuring jaw

opportunities due to the extension of regular repair
intervals have occurred. Under such circumstances,
there is a growing trend to use digital technology to

Figure3

Product dimensions（unit: mm）

maintain and manage plants facing ageing.

2-2）Main specifications

This paper introduces the "Flange Gap Gauge," a digital

Table1 shows the main specifications.

caliper with a measurement data transfer function usefulfor dimensional measurement.

2. P roduction dimensions andmain specifications
2-1）Production dimensions
Figure3 shows the production dimensions.

Table1

Flange Gap Gaugepart number

No. FGG-01

size

168.5mm×90mm×27mm

weight200g
0 ～ 25mm［Minimum gap（inside）is about 2mm］
±0.1mmrange
accuracy
Minimum display unit
Operating environment
temperature
Battery
charging time

21

Main specifications

product name

0.1mm
0 ～ 40℃
Continuous use time about 10 hours
about 70 minutes

Product Introductions

3. M
 ain functions and featuresof the product

Table2

Example of data output of measured values3-1）Easy measurement and digital recording
Using the same measurement methods as ordinary
calipers, data can be sent to a device by pressing thedata transmission button.
A large display and backlight are used to make it easierto read measured values and a fixed value mode isequipped, which records values held for 0.5 seconds orlonger during measurement.（Figure4）3-3）Three measuring points
There are three measuring points, flange gap（inside）
measuring jaw, thickness（outside）measuring jaw andstep（depth）measuring bar, that enable measurement
display

Figure4

data transmission button

Display and data transmission button

according to the application（Figure3）.
3-4）Portability
The product is equipped with a strap that prevents

Measurement data can be displayed on a smartphone,falling during measurements and a rubber jacket totablet, or other device installed with the free dedicatedimprove the grip for stable measurements.

※®

application , using the Bluetooth function to show theresults of measurement values or output as a CSV file.

Please refer to the instruction manual for other details

The file can then be transferred to a PC to support theand measurement methods. It can be viewed andcreation of reports（Figures5, 6 and Table2）.

downloaded from the catalog download page on our
website.

※ The dedicated free application is "TRASAS Admin,"provided by KYOTO TOOL CO., LTD.

4. Usage opportunities
4-1）Flange fastening management
Gap measurement between flanges may be performed

insallas a completion inspection of flange fastening work. As
smarthone,tablet

Figure5

Flange Gap Gauge

Linkage with terminal

awareness of safe plant operation has increased in recent
years, plant owners have been requesting contractors to
perform gap measurements, and contractors have been
adopting this method to differentiate themselves fromtheir competitors.
However, the current measurement methods often use
ordinary calipers and taper gauges, and there areproblems such as reading error of measured value,erroneous recording, and troublesome report
preparation.

Figure6

Example of result display of measurement data

The digital caliper "Flange Gap Gauge" is a measurement
22

Winter 2021

3-2）Data display and output

No.40

Introduction of Flange Gap Gauge

tool that can solve these problems.

5-2）Shortening the work timefrom measurement to report creation4-2）Various product inspections
It can also be used to manage data on the measurement①Simplification of recording and inputting measurement
results leads to shorter work time

results of gaps（inside）,thicknesses（outside）,and steps（depth）in various other measuring opportunities.

6. Conclusions
We believe that the Flange Gap Gauge introduced in this

5. Effects

article is a helpful measurement tool for managing flange

The following effects can be expected from the use of

fastening that leads to safe and secure plant operation.

a Flange Gap Gauge.

We will continue our efforts to provide products that cancontribute even more.

5-1）Prevention of human error① Elimination of value reading errors and recording
errors during measurements② Elimination of mistakes when entering records
into a PC

7. References
1）KYOTO TOOL CO., LTD.: TRASAS Admin User’s
ManualWinter 2021

※ Bluetooth® is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.（USA）.

Masafumi Ina
H&S Sales Headquarters
Technical Solution Group

No.40

23

Product Introductions

Examples of Reciprocal Motion Applicationsof LFR SEALTM
1. Introduction

unique shape.
⑶ Improvement of pressure resistance

Since its development and launch as a low-torque seal

In order to prevent the seal from protruding into

for rotary applications, LFR SEALTM has been used

the gap between the axis and the seal, the shapemainly in the circular tables of machine tools, and hasof the seal is designed to prevent protrusion,

received a good reputation with our customers. In

thereby improving pressure resistance.

order to further expand the application of LFR⑷ Longer life

SEALTM, we have considered the application of LFR⑵ Low-torque and ⑶ improvement of pressure

SEALTM as a seal for reciprocating machinery. In thisresistance achieved longer life.

report, we introduce the results of evaluating LFR
by air pressure under reciprocating motion

test conditions.

⑸ Improvement in ease of installation
The seal has a double pressure seal shape with nospecific direction to prevent incorrect installation. By
making it a single structure of elastomer and resin

2. F eatures of the LFR SEALTM
low-torque seal for rotary applications

material, it has the equivalent ease of installation as
an O-ring.
installation as for O-rings.

2-1）Design concept

No.40

The design concept of the LFR SEALTM is shown in⑴ - ⑸ . This concept solves the problem of conventionalrotary seals, which has been a challenge. Figure 1 shows
the structure of the LFR SEALTM. The base material isan elastomer with excellent elasticity, and the sliding

Figure1

Structure of LFR SEALTM

surface is covered with a low-friction resin material,
which is simultaneously molded into a single structure.

2-2）Comparison of rotational torqueThe specifications of LFR SEALTM and rotary torque

Design concept

comparison packing are shown in Table1. The packing is⑴ Small space

for axis diameter of φ30mm, and it was measured at a

In consideration of versatility, the seal mounting

rotational speed of 100 rpm and air pressure of 0 to 0.5

groove is the same as the groove dimensions of theMPa.

standard O-ring for motion（JIS B 2401 - 1 P series）.

The results of rotational torque measurement are shown

It is smaller in space than conventional slipper seals.

in Figure2. It can be confirmed that LFR SEALTM has⑵ Low - torque

Winter 2021

SEAL

TM

low-torque compared to O-rings and U - packings.

Low - torque was realized by placing a resinmaterial with a low coefficient of friction on thesliding surface with the axis, and by designing a
24

Examples of Reciprocal Motion Applications of LFR SEALTM

Table1①

Table3Specifications of comparison packing

Comparison packing Cross-sectional
No.
（Model）
shape
LFR SEAL（LFR30）

Evaluation test conditions

Material

Item

Conditions

NBR+
PTFE with filler

Shaft diametar

φ30mm

Stroke

200mm

Speed

150mm/s

Gas

Air

Pressure

0.5MPaO-ring（P30）NBR③

U-packing（UPR30）

NBR④

Σ-ring（Forφ30）

NBR+
PTFE with filler⑤

X-ring（R30）

NBR

MotionLubrication
condition

200mm stroke、4,500cycle
Apply grease to the packing and shaft.
For your reference：Amount of grease
10cc/packing per 1pc
Apply a thin layer of grease to the shaft.

Torque［N・m］②

Winter 2021

Pressure［MPa］

Figure2

Measurement results of rotational torque

3. Reciprocating motion test conditions

Schematics of the testing machine

The sliding of the axis is designed to reciprocate with a
servo cylinder（STP servo cylinder manufactured byand comparison

Horiuchi Machinery）. The groove size of each packing ispackings are shown in Table2. The packing was for axis

designed to match the groove size of each evaluation

diameter of φ30mm. The evaluation packings were thepacking.

The specifications of LFR SEAL

No.40

Figure3TMsame type as the packings used in the rotational torquemeasurement in section 2 - 2）
. The evaluation test
conditions are shown in Table3, and the schematics ofthe testing machine is shown in Figure3.

4. Reciprocating motion
evaluation test results
The results of the characterization are shown in Table4.

Table2

Specifications of comparison packing

packing Cross-sectional
No. Comparison（Model）
shape

Material

The measurement results of leakage amount and sliding
resistance are shown in Figures4 and 5.
The amount of leakage of LFR SEALTM was small at①

LFR SEAL（LFR30）NBR+PTFE with filler②

O-ring（P30）

NBR

be used under reciprocating conditions. In addition, at③

U-packing（UPR30）

NBR

was larger than that of U - packing and other comparable

Σ-ring（Forφ30）

low air pressure, the sliding resistance of LFR SEALTM
products.

④（Composite packing ofO-ring and PTFE resin
processed product）

NBR+
PTFE with filler⑤

X-ring（R30）

NBR

25

less than 0.05 cc / min, and it was confirmed that it could

Product Introductions

Table4
No. Comparison
packing

5. Summary

Characterization results

Leakage(Standard leakage
Compared with
3.4cc/min or less)

Sliding
exothermic
resistance Presence of temperature
stick-slip(Compare with［℃］※ 1
U-packing)We believe that LFR SEALTM can be used as a seal for①

LFR SEAL

Good

Large

None

25℃

reciprocating motion without any sealing problems.

②

O-ring

Good

Large

None

25℃

However, since the design concept of LFR SEALTM is③

U-packing

Good

─

None

26℃

such that it can be used for hydraulic pressure at 14④

Σ-ring

Good

Large

None

26℃

MPa without protrusion, the sliding resistance value may⑤

X-ring

Good

Large

None

26℃

be large when used for air pressure applications.

※1

Ambient temperature of testing machine：23℃

6. Conclusion
In this report, we introduced the evaluation results of
LFR SEALTM under air pressure and reciprocating
conditions. We are also planning to do an evaluation test
under hydraulic pressure and reciprocating conditions.
In the future, we are planning to conduct evaluation
under high - pressure hydraulic environment, which is
LFR SEALTM’s specialty, and introduce examples of its

Figure4

Leakage measurement results

If you are interested in LFR SEALTM as a rotary seal,
reciprocating seal, or "rotary & reciprocating" seal, pleasecontact your nearest LFR SEALTM sales representative.

Winter 2021

use in reciprocating motion, so please look forward to it.

7. References
1）‌Akihiro Nagano: VALQUA Technical Journal, No.30,
9-13（2016）2）‌Low Friction Seal for VALQUA Rotation, Catalog,
LA08,（2017）
Figure5

Measurement results of sliding resistance※ LFR SEAL is a registered trademark of VALQUA Corporation.
※ Registered as a Japanese design.

Tetsuya Tokumaru
Research and Development Division
Research and Development Department

26

No.40

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● Customer Solutions《Contribution》
Approaches to Improving Construction Quality with Hand Nutrunners（Plug type air-cooled heat exchanger）
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28

No.40

Aim for earth and people friendly production

Sheet Gasket
VALQUA HEAT RESIST SHEETTM（ＨＲＳ）
Sheet gasket that can be used at high temperatures of 1000°
Cor higher. It does not contain RCF (Refractory Ceramic Fiber)
and is exempt from the Regulation of Industrial Safety and
Health Law.
● Operating temperature range: -200 to 1200℃ ● Maximum pressure: 1.0MPa*Please refer to our catalog for details.

UNIVERSAL HYPERTM（ＵＦ300）
Sheet gasket that can be integrated in chemical lines.
In addition to stability at high temperatures and long-term use,chemical resistance has been improved, greatly expanding therange of applicable ﬂuids.
It can be used for both strong acid and strong alkali lines.
● Operating temperature range: -200 to 300℃ ● Maximum pressure: 3.5MPa*Please refer to our catalog for details.

ThinkPark Tower 24F
2-1-1 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-6024, Japan
Contact : VALQUA, LTD. https://www.valqua.com
TEL：(81)3-5434-7376
FAX：(81)3-5436-0562

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【Main Number】【Sales Group】

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TEL : (86)21-5308-2468 FAX : (86)21-5308-2478
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【Head Oﬃce】
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No.40 Winter 2021

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FAX : (65)6352-2653

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TEL : (66)2-324-0400
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【Head Oﬃce】
TEL : (84)220-357-0078 FAX : (84)220-357-0079【Hanoi Branch】 TEL : (84)24-3222-2213 FAX : (84)24-3222-2216*The VALQUA trademark stands for VALUE and QUALITY.
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