GASKET MATERIAL DATA

Gasket material data is a commercial information and it can be given to our customers to
promote future and existing business if required.

The data information consist of two pages:

Page 1 is a general description of the gasket material, including main features, denotation
and colour code.

Page 2 shows the performance and chemical resistance profile of material. In general, the
properties of the gasket material are proportional to the chequered pattern area of the
diagram and an ideal gasket material would cover the entire area of the circular diagram.

PERFORMANCE PROFILE DIAGRAM

Properties showed in performance profile diagram are grouped into 3 categories:

Segment A: Physical properties (hardness, tensile strength, 24h compression

set)

Segment B: Operation and gasket life (336h compression set and service
temperatures)

Segment C: Storage ability (ozone resistance)

CHEMICAL RESISTANCE PROFILE

The chemical resistance profile diagram shows volume swell at ambient temperature in a
number of different organic chemicals. In order to show the resistance of the gasket
material in different categories of organic substances; the chemicals are grouped as
follows:

Segment A: Oil resistance – non-polar hydrocarbons

Segment B: Organic acids and esters

Segment C: Solvents (ketones, chlorinated and nitrated hydrocarbons)

Segment D: Highly polar, water-soluble alcohol’s and amines

ALFA-LAVAL FOOD GRADE - EPDM RUBBER GASKET
MATERIAL

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Alfa-Laval EPDMF is an ethylene propylene type of gasket material specially

developed for plate heat exchanger gaskets intended for use in food duties. The material
is compounded and manufactured in accordance with FDA regulation § 177.2600.

The material has excellent resistance to water, steam, salt solutions, alkalies and
inorganic acids with exception of strong oxidising agents such as nitric acid and strong
hot sulphuric acid. Resistance to nitric acid is; however, good at conditions specified in
recommended Alfa-Laval cleaning-in-place procedures.

Resistance to non-fatty foods such as, milk and juice is excellent.

The material is not resistant to fatty product such as cream, vegetable oils and animal
fats.

Owing to efficient peroxide curing system ageing and stress relaxation/compression set
properties are very good and do allow continuous service at temperatures between -20˚C
and +140˚C.

Ozone resistance is excellent and storage of gaskets for number of years is as a rule not
critical.

ALFA-LAVAL MATERIAL DESIGNATION

EPDMF, T 113 3030-77, colour marking: 2 grey marks.

CURING SYSTEM

Organic peroxide with co-agents.

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ALFA-LAVAL FOOD GRADE EPDM RUBBER

GASKET MATERIAL

PERFORMANCE PROFILE
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE PROFILE

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ALFA-LAVAL EPDM RUBBER GASKET MATERIAL FOR

GLUED GASKETS

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Alfa-Laval EPDM gasket material, which is aimed for glued gaskets is based on an
ethylene-propylene type of rubber polymer. The feature of ethylene-propylene type of
rubber polymer is the fully saturated hydrocarbon polymer backbone which gives the best
possible thermal and oxidising stability of all pure hydrocarbon elastomers.

The materials is specially developed and tested for plate heat exchanger gaskets. In order
to secure the best ageing and stress relaxation/compression set properties organic
peroxide is used as curing agent.

Resistance to water, steam, salt solutions, acids and alkalies is excellent with exception of
strong oxidising acids such as nitric acid or strong hot sulphuric acid.
Ethylene-propylene is a non-polar pure hydrocarbon elastomer, which readily swells in
each type of non-substituted hydrocarbon. Consequently, the material is not resistant in
crude oil, fuels, lubricating oil, hydrocarbon solvents, heat transfer oils of hydrocarbon
type, asphalt, paraffin etc. Resistance in vegetable oils and animals fats is also not
sufficient.

The elastomer has good and in many cases excellent resistance in polar organic fluids
such as alcohol’s, glycol’s, organic acids, ketones, aldehydes, ethanolamines, low
molecular esters etc.

Ozone resistance is excellent and storage of gaskets for a number of years is as a rule not
critical.

Due to very high cross-linking density a certain degree of care is necessary to avoid
mechanic damage – cracking when new or relatively new glued gaskets are exposed to
service temperatures above 130˚C.

ALFA-LAVAL MATERIALS DESIGNATION

EPDM, T 113 3030-79, colour marking: one grey mark.

CURING SYSTEM

Organic peroxide with co-agents.

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ALFA-LAVAL STANDARD EPDM RUBBER GASKET

MATERIAL

PERFORMANCE PROFILE
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE PROFILE

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ALFA-LAVAL EPDM RUBBER GASKET MATERIAL FOR
NOT GLUED GASKETS

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Alfa-Laval EPDMC gasket material is based on an ethylene-propylene type of rubber

polymer. The feature of ethylene-propylene type of rubber polymer is the fully saturated
hydrocarbon polymer backbone which gives the best possible thermal and oxidising
stability of all pure hydrocarbon elastomers.

The materials is specially developed and tested for not glued plate heat exchanger
gaskets. In order to secure the best ageing and stress relaxation/compression set
properties organic peroxide is used as curing agent.

Resistance to water, steam, salt solutions, acids and alkalies is excellent with exception of
strong oxidising acids such as nitric acid or strong hot sulphuric acid.

Ethylene-propylene is a non-polar pure hydrocarbon elastomer, which readily swells in

each type of non-substituted hydrocarbon. Consequently, the material is not resistant in
crude oil, fuels, lubricating oil, hydrocarbon solvents, heat transfer oils of hydrocarbon
type, asphalt, paraffin etc. Resistance in vegetable oils and animals fats is also not
sufficient.

The elastomer has good and in many cases excellent resistance in polar organic fluids
such as alcohol’s, glycol’s, organic acids, ketones, aldehydes, ethanolamines, low
molecular esters etc.

Ozone resistance is excellent and storage of gaskets for a number of years is as a rule not
critical.

The material has very high cross-linking density. In order to prevent mechanic damage –
cracking, gaskets, which are made of this material, must never be glued with GC6 or any
other kind of hard structural adhesives.

ALFA-LAVAL MATERIALS DESIGNATION

EPDMC, T 113 3030-85, colour marking: one grey + one yellow mark.

CURING SYSTEM

Organic peroxide with co-agents.

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ALFA-LAVAL EPDM RUBBER GASKET MATERIAL FOR

NOT GLUED GASKETS

PERFORMANCE PROFILE

CHEMICAL RESISTANCE PROFILE

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ALFA-LAVAL EPDM RUBBER GASKET MATERIAL FOR

NOT GLUED THIN GASKETS

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Alfa-Laval EPDMCT gasket material is based on an ethylene-propylene type of

rubber polymer. The feature of ethylene-propylene type of rubber polymer is the fully
saturated hydrocarbon polymer backbone which gives the best possible thermal and
oxidising stability of all pure hydrocarbon elastomers.

The materials is specially developed and tested for not glued thin plate heat exchanger
gaskets. In order to secure the best ageing and excellent stress relaxation/compression set
properties organic peroxide is used as curing agent.

Resistance to water, steam, salt solutions, acids and alkalies is very good with exception
of strong oxidising acids such as nitric acid or strong hot sulphuric acid.

Ethylene-propylene is a non-polar pure hydrocarbon elastomer, which readily swells in

each type of non-substituted hydrocarbon. Consequently, the material is not resistant in
crude oil, fuels, lubricating oil, hydrocarbon solvents, heat transfer oils of hydrocarbon
type, asphalt, paraffin etc. Resistance in vegetable oils and animals fats is also not
sufficient.

The material has good and in many cases excellent resistance in polar organic fluids such
as alcohol’s, glycol’s, organic acids, ketones, aldehydes, ethanolamines, low molecular
esters etc.

Ozone resistance is excellent and storage of gaskets for a number of years is as a rule not
critical.

The material has extremely high cross-linking density. In order to avoid mechanic
damage – cracking gaskets made of this material must never be glued with GC6 or any
other kind of adhesives.

ALFA-LAVAL MATERIALS DESIGNATION

EPDMCT, T 113 3030-86, colour marking: one grey + 2 yellow marks.

CURING SYSTEM

Organic peroxide with co-agents.

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ALFA-LAVAL STANDARD EPDM RUBBER GASKET

MATERIAL

PERFORMANCE PROFILE
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE PROFILE

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ALFA-LAVAL EPDMAL GASKET MATERIAL

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Alfa-Laval EPDMAL is an especially compounded and processed, ethylene

propylene elastomer for special purposes. It has excellent physical properties and creates
very high sealing force. Gaskets made of this compound are particularly suitable for high-
pressure applications, or when swelling of the conventional EPDM materials could be
somewhat too high.

Resistance in water, steam, alkalies and inorganic acids is excellent. Exceptions are only
concentrated sulphuric acid, nitric acid and extremely oxidising solutions.

The EPDMAL is not an oil resistant elastomer. However, since retaining of physical
properties (Hardness) in swollen state is unique, gaskets made of this compound can be
used also in situations where rare intermittent contamination of the fluid with oil or
hydrocarbons cannot be excluded. Cooling and heating of absorption in gas purification
plant and cooling of wastewater are typical examples of such duties.

Resistance in many polar organic fluids such as alcohol’s, acids, low molecular esters,
ketones, amines, amides, nitriles, and aldehydes is very good. This is not only due to
dissimilar nature of these fluids and the non-polar hydrocarbon EPDM polymer but also
due to excellent physical properties of this material.

Ozone resistance is excellent and storage of gaskets for a number of years is as a rule not
critical.

ALFA-LAVAL MATERIAL DESIGNATION

EPDMAL, T 113 3030-92, colour marking: 3 grey marks.

CURING SYSTEM

Organic peroxide with co-agents.

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ALFA-LAVAL EPDMAL RUBBER GASKET MATERIAL

PERFORMANCE PROFILE

CHEMICAL RESISTANCE PROFILE

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ALFA-LAVAL RESIN CURED BUTYL RUBBER GASKET

MATERIAL

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Alfa-Laval resin cured Butyl gasket material is based on butyl rubber polymer,
which is a copolymer of isobutylene and isoprene.

The material is specially compounded for plate heat exchanger gasket. In order to obtain
the best possible stress relaxation/compression set properties a phenolic resin is used as
cross-linking agent.

Main advantage of this type of elastomer is very low diffusivity of gases and excellent
resistance to mechanic damage (cracking) at high temperatures.

Since butyl is a non-polar pure hydrocarbon type of elastomer, media resistance

properties are very similar to EPDM rubbers.
The elastomer is not resistance against oils and hydrocarbons, but it has good resistance
in many polar organic solvents such as alcohol’s, acids, aldehydes, ketones and low
molecular esters. Resistance to water, steam, salt solutions, alkalies and acids is very
good. The elastomer is, however, not resistant in strong oxidising environment such as
nitric acid, chromic acid, hot strong sulphuric acid and similar fluids.

The main disadvantage of butyl rubber is presence of unsaturations in the polymer

backbone. Considerable part of these unsaturations is consumed during vulcanisation
reaction with the phenolic resin. Remaining unsaturations provide reactive sites for
oxidative attack during operation of the heat exchanger. These oxidative reactions usually
result in cleavage of the polymer chain – the rubber polymer depolymerizes.
Consequently, at specific conditions such as high temperature (above 80˚C) and high
humidity the rubber mass becomes soft and plastic. Sealing force is lost and catastrophic
gasket failure can occur. This limits considerable the maximum temperature of
continuous operation. For these reasons the material should not be used in district heating
and similar duties.

Ozone resistance is excellent and storage of gaskets for a number of years is not critical.

ALFA-LAVAL MATERIAL DESIGNATION

IIR, T 113 3031-79, colour marking: one yellow mark.

CURING SYSTEM
Phenolic resin.

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