Ring Type Joint - RT J

These gaskets are essential to ensure the safety and reliability of connections in offshore oil and gas systems, reducing the risk of leaks and failures in subsea operations.

• SBX gaskets are compatible with API BX-type flanges but are designed to provide greater safety in subsea installations.

• SRX gaskets are used in flanges compatible with RX, but optimized for high-integrity connections and subsea applications.

The Offshore Oil & Gas industry imposes strict requirements on these gaskets due to the critical conditions and corrosion risks typical of the subsea environment. To distinguish subsea Ring Type Joints from topside versions, the suffix “S” is added, indicating the presence of a through-hole in the gasket cross-section to equalize pressure, preventing pressure lock during subsea assembly.

SBX and SRX Style gaskets are specifically designed for use in all relevant equipment and in compliance with API 17D. API 17D defines two options for the pressure relief holes, referred to as Option A and Option B. Apart from this feature, API 17D-compliant SBX Ring Type Joints remain identical to API 6A-compliant BX Ring Type Joints.

When the flanged connection is assembled, bolt tightening presses the flange against the conical sealing surfaces located on the outer diameter of the IX Seal Ring. This type of joint is typical of compact flange systems, designed to operate under extreme pressure and temperature conditions, ensuring high sealing performance in reduced spaces.

The compact flange assembly incorporates two sealing barriers: a primary one, provided by the IX Seal Ring itself, and a secondary one, resulting from the mechanical stress applied to the flange heel during tightening. As with API Ring Type Joint gaskets, IX Seal Rings are manufactured with extremely tight tolerances and under strict quality controls to ensure precise matching with the sealing surfaces.

The choice of materials plays a crucial role in ensuring mechanical strength and chemical compatibility, especially in environments subject to chloride, H₂S, or CO₂ corrosion. To facilitate identification and prevent errors during installation, IX gaskets are marked with a color code indicating the metal type, in accordance with NORSOK L-005 standards.

IX Seal Rings represent a highly reliable solution for offshore plants, pipelines, and critical applications in the oil & gas industry.

Unlike common flat gaskets, the Lens Gasket is characterized by a convex surface that mates with the concave counterpart of the flange, ensuring an extremely secure metal-to-metal seal. This configuration provides high sealing integrity even under intense thermal cycling and in operating conditions with very high pressures and temperatures. The operating principle is based on the controlled deformation of the gasket, whose spherical surface is uniformly compressed into the flange seat, generating a narrow and reliable contact area. The system is mainly defined by the DIN 2696 standard, although it can be adapted to other flange standards through geometric modifications. This standard specifies not only dimensions but also material requirements and typical operating conditions.

As with all metallic gaskets, it is essential that the material of the Lens Gasket is softer than that of the flange, so that plastic deformation is concentrated on the gasket and not on the flange surface, ensuring reusability and preventing permanent damage. This hardness difference, combined with proper bolt load distribution, allows effective sealing without overloading the contact surfaces. The materials permitted by DIN 2696 mainly include carbon steels and stainless steels, but special alloys can be used on request for applications involving aggressive chemicals or more demanding requirements. Lens Gaskets are used in highly critical fields, such as reactors, chemical plants, and high-pressure systems, where reliability, repeatability, and compatibility with extreme thermal cycles are essential requirements.