Global Gaskets and Seals Market to Reach US$30 Billion by 2017, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global report on the Gaskets and Seals market. World market for Gaskets and Seals is projected to reach US$30 billion by the year 2017, driven primarily by strong gains in end-use industries in developing countries. While developed economies face yet another round of economic uncertainties triggered by downgrades of sovereign debt, fears of escalating contagion in the euro zone debt crisis, political inertia in containing the crisis, strong GDP in emerging economies in Asia-Pacific, Latin America will help sustain growth in the international market.

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) February 22, 2012

As vital machine components, gasket and seals are widely utilized in diverse end-use applications ranging from automobiles, industry machinery (construction & related equipment, general purpose machinery, engines, turbines & power, HVAC & service equipment), to electrical & electronic equipment (instruments, computers, appliances, marine & rail, and aerospace), among others. Leading gasket & seals producing countries worldwide include Canada, Mexico, Japan, China and Germany. Continued and steady incremental technological improvements in mechanical strength, sealing capabilities will trigger demand among end-user industries for high performance and functional products. This demand for improved performance will continue to push manufacturers to stress on R&D to advance their product capabilities. Complex applications in defense and medical sectors will throw up manufacturing and design challenges that manufacturers will need to reckon with. The industry, over the past decade witnessed an unending string of mergers and acquisition with large conglomerates acquiring medium to small-scale players to enhance capacity expansions and complementary technologies.

Performance of key end-use industries, such as, automotive, oil & gas/process/refinery/, aerospace and defense in Europe, the United States and Japan, currently hangs in balance. The overshadowing concerns over the European debt crisis and the ensuing indiscriminate budgets cuts, Japan’s continued struggle with its deep-seated problems of high debt and deflation, and slow recovery of the US economy with its unretractable debt/deficit levels, have bifurcated market sentiments.

Amid conflicting news on the success of Europe’s band-aid strategy including the initial starving of the European markets of credit, and the subsequent reopening of global liquidity lines to bailout banks and spendthrift countries and calm the financial markets, market sentiments continue to swing between hope and concerns. While bearish market sentiments foresee an imminent slowdown in market prospects in these countries, guarded optimism prevails over the financial bailout strategies designed to restore market confidence. Germany’s relative resilience in handling the euro zone crisis is helping strengthen confidence levels. With mixed signals emanating from the unfolding drama surrounding the crisis of the euro, it still remains too early on to forecast the market’s reactive impact on demand for gasket and seals in the region. Bearish views on the market’s outlook in the immediate term, although currently not seen as likely, indicate that Europe’s debt woes can likely flatten the European automotive industry, while the oil and gas industry, which is already witnessing declines in oil demand and prices can soften demand for gasket and seals in the oil & gas/refinery industry in the region.

Font: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/02/22/prweb9217681.DTL

Oil and Natural Gas Power America’s Economy

The oil and natural gas industry contributes significantly to the U.S. economy as one of the nation’s largest employers and purchasers of goods. Even in a struggling economy, America’s oil and natural gas companies continue to provide well-paying jobs, revenue to governments and investment growth for millions of Americans—totaling an economic contribution that challenges Washington’s idea of stimulus.

Consider it the energy stimulus: $476 billion delivered to the U.S. economy in 2010— equal to roughly 60 percent of the 2009 federal stimulus. It’s a stimulus that didn’t need an act of Congress and which, with the right policies, can be repeated over and over—helping to drive broader economic recovery.

The oil and natural gas industry by the numbers:

9.2 million	Number of people directly and indirectly employed by the U.S. oil and natural gas industry.
1.4 million	Number of jobs the industry could create by 2030 with the right government policies in place to expand access to domestic natural resources.
$86 million	Daily amount companies pay to the federal government in royalty payments, rents and bonus fees.
$100 billion	Amount the U.S. oil and natural gas industry has paid to the federal government in rents, royalties and lease payments for production since 2000.
20 percent	Percentage that U.S. energy demand will grow between now and 2035.
$266 billion	Amount the industry invested in new U.S. capital projects in 2010.
$176 billion	Amount of wages paid to U.S. employees in 2010, plus benefits and payments to oil and natural gas leaseholders.
$35 billion	Amount of dividends distributed to American shareholders.

 Font: http://energytomorrow.org/

Happy Valentines Day

Oil Spill Prevention and Response

Each day, America’s oil and natural gas companies safely supply much of the energy that heats and cools Americans’ homes, and fuels our transportation needs. The industry has a long history of leadership, a strong commitment to safety and demonstrated performance.

Under federal law, all companies with offshore facilities must file oil spill contingency plans with The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) and emergency response plans with the U.S. Coast Guard. Companies must ensure that spill response equipment is available and properly maintained, and that employees are adequately trained. Federal and state agencies regularly conduct drills and inspections to ensure response capabilities are maintained at a high level.

Following the Gulf oil spill, the industry has taken several steps to improve our safety mechanisms, including joining forces to build and deploy a rapid-response containment system. This system is pre-engineered, constructed, tested and ready for rapid deployment in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Its primary objective is to contain spilled oil with no flow to the sea.

The industry has also created the Center for Offshore Safety, which draws on lessons learned from successful and existing safety programs, applying the best elements of these programs to accommodate the unique challenges of offshore oil and natural gas operations.

New technologies and better training position our industry as a global leader as we continue to yield improvements when it comes to protecting our nation’s health and environment through spill prevention. Spills are rare, but when they do happen, the oil and natural gas industry and the U.S. government work together to employ the world’s leading response capabilities and minimize environmental harm.

The industry’s primary spill response objectives are to:

1. Prevent the spill from moving onshore
2. Reduce the impact on marine life
3. Speed the degradation of any unrecovered oil

The industry spends millions of dollars annually to fund the entities that rapidly deploy spill response vessels, skimmers, booms and dispersants should a spill occur. The industry is committed to a goal of zero injuries and zero incidents. Every incident or release is incentive to improve technology, training, operations procedures, and industry standards and best practices.

Onshore, the industry has a number of programs intended to enhance worker safety and spill prevention. For example, the E&P Onshore Operations Program provides training on critical safety issues found at onshore sites. For more information about industry programs, view this fact sheet.

Font: http://energytomorrow.org

 

LS Series Graphite Sheet Material

Lone Star graphite sheet is made from exfoliated graphite flake with high carbon content. It is chemically treated, expanded under high temperature and pressed for rolling.

Style LSP is expanded graphite sheet material that is the ideal gasket material for low pressure and high temperature applications. Style LSP can also be used as a layering material for Camprofile gaskets and Corrugated Metal gaskets.
Sheet Sizes: 39” x 39” & 60” x 60”
Sheet Thicknesses:1/32, 1/16, 1/8

Style LSF is expanded graphite sheet that is reinforced with a 316 stainless steel foil insert. Style LSF is ideal for use in flange connections involved in piping and machinery.
Sheet Sizes: 39” x 39” & 60” x 60”
Sheet Thicknesses:1/32, 1/16, 1/8

Style LST is expanded graphite sheet reinforced with a perforated stainless steel layer. LST is used in high pressure, high temperature conditions and is useful in applications for both the chemical and petrochemical industries.
Sheet Sizes: 39” x 39” & 60” x 60”
Sheet Thicknesses: 1/32, 1/16, 1/8

KamproStar Gaskets

KamproStar Gaskets are manufactured utilizing a precision machined serrated insert sealing element with V-like cut grooves designed to entrap a sealing compound to create many individual seals across the face of a flange. The sealing element can be used stand alone in the case of a tongue and grove application or can incorporate a centering ring, either fixed or loose depending on the specific application.

KamproStar Gaskets offered by Lone Star are available in three profiles. The components can be produced from virtually any machine-able material and can incorporate a variety of sealing faces selected based on media and temperature compatibility.

KamproStar Style L profiled gaskets are commonly used for applications involving gaseous materials and high temperature differences in the inner and outer rings.

KamproStar Style TG profiled gaskets are most often used with tongue and groove and male and female flanges.

KamproStar Style F profiled gaskets are made for flat or raised face flanges and designed with built in centering rings.

Corruflex Corrugated Gaskets

Corruflex GMC (Graphite Metal Corrugated) Gaskets utilize a corrugated metal core with graphite sealing faces. This age old design has proven to be an excellent choice when seeking high sealing performance with low bolt stress. The corrugated core material can vary depending on the temperature and media compatibility. Lone Star offers as a standard 24 gauge 316 Stainless Core and .0312” thick graphite faces.

Types Include:

• GMC Graphite Faced
• PMC PTFE Faced 

Flange Insulation Kits

Corrosion has long been natures most destructive element, but with Lone Star flange insulation products this costly profit robbing item can all but be eliminated. Lone Star engineered insulation products, of consistent high quality, can be used to control and confine electrolytic corrosion in almost every piping system.  Lone Star insulation products are manufactured from materials with superior high dielectric strength, low water absorption and chemical stability to maintain the high quality required in refinery and chemical plant applications. Hydrocarbon exposure, weathering and salt water are no problem for Lone Star insulating materials.  Lone Star quality assurance and high production rate allow our customers to economically protect and lengthen the service life of equipment with little or no down time due to electrolysis. 

Lone Star manufactures a full line of standard flange insulation sets including Type F (Ring) gaskets, Type E (Full Face) gaskets and Type D (API Ring Joint) gaskets. Lone Star Type F and E gaskets are manufactured from 1/8″ thick fabric based phenolic (Nema Grade CE) sheet with either no coating (plain faced) or a Nitrile rubber coating on both faces. Type F & E gaskets are also available in Compressed Non-Asbestos with superior electrical insulation qualities.

Insulation Kits
Flange insulating sets are packaged for one flanged joint, including gasket, sleeves and washers. Each flange set is securely packaged in a cardboard box, clearly labeled as to size, ASA Rating, style and material.Either polyethylene or phenolic sleeves are available with these insulating sets. Polyethylene sleeves are standard and will be furnished unless otherwise specified.

Type D (API Ring Joint) – gaskets are insulating ring joint gaskets made to fit the ring groove of Ring Type Joint flanges. The Type D central gasket is made of medium weave fabric-reinforced phenolic, manufactured to ASA (ANSI) gasket dimensions. Properties are similar to those of phenolic flat central gaskets and are available in the basic octagonal shapes. Oval shapes can be ordered by special request. When installing Type D gaskets, it is also recommended that tape be wrapped around the outside of the flange to prevent foreign material from lodging between the exposed portions and causing “shorting out” of the flanges. Alignment pins should be used whenever possible to assure proper alignment of flanges when installing all flange insulation sets. Pins should be a minimum of 3/32″ (2.38mm) larger than the bolt size.

Type E (Full Face) – gaskets are designed for full protection of flanges, and have the same outside diameter as the flange. Each gasket has precision-located bolt holes. Upon installation, it is recommended that tape be wrapped around the outside of the flange to prevent foreign material from lodging between the exposed portions and causing “shorting out” of the flanges. All Type E gaskets are easily centered with the flange inside diameter. Gaskets with slightly larger outside diameters are available on request.

Type F (Ring) – gaskets are designed to fit the raised face portion of flanges. The outside diameter of the gasket is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the bolt hole circle. The outside diameter is designed for alignment by the insulating sleeves. The central gaskets are available in the same materials as Type E. Upon installation, it is recommended that tape be wrapped around the outside of the flange to prevent foreign material from lodging between the exposed portions and causing “shorting out” of the flanges. 

Compressed Non-Asbestos Sheet Material

Lone Star offers a selection of compressed gasket sheet materials manufactured utilizing the hot calendared process. This process combines select fibers and fillers blended with suitable heat resisting binders which are vulcanized into sheets of homogeneous composition and uniform thickness for a wide variety of sealing applications.

Style 8033 SBR, Aramid Fiber is made by combining aramid and mineral fibers bonded with (SBR) an elastomeric copolymer consisting of styrene and butadiene. It is engineered to have controlled swell properties in oil used in applications throughout the automotive, chemical and industrial processes.
Sheet Sizes: 60” x 60” & 60” x 120”
Sheet Thicknesses:1/64, 1/32, 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4”

Style 8137 NBR, Aramid Fiber is a gasket material blended of aramid fiber and nitrile (NBR) elastomer. This special formulation exhibits effective sealing characteristics in a wide variety of applications in the following industries: Water and Waste Water, Oil and Gas, and Pulp and Paper.
Sheet Sizes: 60” x 60” & 60” x 120”
Sheet Thicknesses:1/64, 1/32, 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4

Style 8137M is a compressed non-asbestos sheet gasket material produced from aramid fibers, reinforced with a woven wire mesh and bonded with a nitrile rubber (NBR).
Sheet Sizes: 60” x 60” & 60” x 120”
Sheet Thicknesses: 1/16, 3/32, 1/8

Style 8445 NBR, Carbon Fiber is a premium grade gasket material produced by a hot calendar roll process. The material consists of high performance carbon fibers blended with a nitrile (NBR) elastomer binder. It has excellent resistance to steam and strong alkaline media.
Sheet Sizes: 60” x 60” & 60” x 120”
Sheet Thicknesses:1/64, 1/32, 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4”

TetraStar Sheet Material

Lone Star TetraStar Sheet Material is made from PTFE material which is suitable for a wide variety of sealing applications. It is known for its exceptional mechanical and electrical properties, as well as its chemical resistance and durability.

Style 4902 is restructured PTFE gasket material is a high performance blend of Glass Microspheres dispersed throughout the PTFE. This unique construction results in a highly compressible material ideal for fiberglass or plastic flanges.
Sheet Sizes: 60” x 60”
Sheet Thicknesses:1/64, 1/32, 1/16, 3/32, 1/8

Style 4908 is restructured PTFE gasket material is a blend of barium sulphate dispersed throughout the PTFE. This general purpose grade is well suited for applications involving hydrofluoric acid, alkalis, solvents, fuels, and many other medias.
Sheet Sizes: 60” x 60”
Sheet Thicknesses:1/64, 1/32, 1/16, 3/32, 1/8

Style 4911 is restructured PTFE gasket material is a high performance blend of Silica dispersed throughout the PTFE. This construction is ideal for applications involving strong acids and alkalis..
Sheet Sizes: 60” x 60”
Sheet Thicknesses: 1/64, 1/32, 1/16, 3/32, 1/8