Nuclear Gaskets

Itamarjr

Whether or not a gasket needs to be safety-related depends upon where it is used. It's hard to give a general answer, because (1) different countries have different requirements and (2) different plant designs or systems have different requirements.

In the U.S, nuclear plants have to follow Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Part 50, which applies to currently licensed operating reactors, contains a number of requirements which would apply. So before you start a wholesale downgrading of gaskets, you would need to determine if its parent component was safety-related. Then you'd need to decide whether the gasket actually performed a safety-related function (often it doesn't, but not 100 percent). Then you'd have to decide whether the gasket could be procurred commerically and used as-is, or whether it could be procurred commercially and would need to be upgraded (i.e., some type of review required to make sure it would perform satisfactorily in service), or whether you had to buy a safety-related component with the full pedigree.

Patricia Lougheed

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Itamarjr, I would add there are few things more expensive that a cheap gasket.

Perhaps you should contact Flexitallic, Garlock, or any other major manufacturer with your exact requirements.

Regards,

Mike

Another very important criteria is the (potential) LOSS of of safety criteria for your plant when you start mixing safety-related and non-safety-related common materials.

Yes, it is expensive to keep all your common gaskets safety-cerified.

Now, consider what will be the impact WHEN (not "if" but WHEN!) somebody mixes up your non-safety gaskets and valves and bolts and seating materials and disks and packing material with your safety gaskets three, four, five yers from now.

How many (VERY EXPENSIVE) safety valves and flange connections will you have to rip apart and rebuild just to save a few dollars on (relatively) cheap gasket material.

Most have found that it is much cheaper to issue common material from the nuclear tool crib, so ALL potentially safety-related material is KNOWN to be from the qualified source.