Patent ID: 7845649

Claim:
A method for positioning a pressure vessel first mating surface adjacent to a second mating surface, said method comprising: inserting a seal assembly into a groove defined in the first mating surface, wherein the seal assembly includes a seal member having a body that extends between a first end and a second end, wherein the first end extends substantially perpendicularly from the body in a first direction and along a surface of the first mating surface groove, the body extends outwardly from the first mating surface, the second end extends obliquely outwardly from the body in a second direction; positioning the second mating surface in close proximity to the first mating surface such that the body extending outwardly from the first mating surface is received within a groove defined in the second mating surface, wherein the second mating surface groove includes a side wall and a bottom surface that is adjacent to the side wall and that is oriented such that a pressure induced by at least one of the first mating surface and the second mating surface against the seal assembly positions the seal assembly against the bottom surface to facilitate reducing fluid leakage between the first and second mating surfaces; and positioning a seal filler into the first mating surface groove such that the seal filler is positioned between the second mating surface and the seal member first end, wherein the seal member first end extends between the seal filler and the first mating surface groove bottom surface that extends between a pair of opposed sidewalls defining the first mating surface groove.