Even when the heat is on, EGC engineers keep cool.

Graphite is considered a high-temperature fluid sealing material. But what happens when the operating temperature exceeds the material’s boundaries? For the engineers at EGC, it’s – pardon the pun – no sweat.

The experience of one Original Equipment Manufacturer illustrates just how cool our engineers stay.

As the Environmental Protection Agency adopted more stringent emissions standards, operating temperatures soared. Aftertreatment pushes hot gas through the system to rid the atmosphere of harmful emissions otherwise known as soot. And it causes temperatures in the whole system to increase – as much as 1,600 degrees F. At those temperatures, traditional flexible graphite is no longer a contender.

So EGC’s engineers began experimenting with ways to handle the heat. They developed a seal that contained a combination of ceramic, silica, vermiculite and other high-temp materials including metal. A fibrous material, a very tight filter of sorts, was added to provide obstruction to the flow of particles. The cavity itself had to expand or contract due to temperature swings while in service. We were looking at 0.040” in a linear format and 2 degrees angular.

We did our testing to simulate actual field conditions both at EGC and the OEM. The result? A seal that did exactly what it was intended to do. With a non-graphite material, the seal fiber is rated at 2,300 degrees F and stood up to extreme temperatures. And, as particulates from the emissions built up in the seal, it acted like a blocking agent and increased its seal ability. When graphite can’t take the temperature, our engineers use other materials that will!

For more hi-temp exploits, visit our website at www.egcgraphite.com or our outage season microsite at www.outageseason.com. Better yet, just call us at 440.285.2535. Our high-temp engineers are standing by.