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• Sealing Performance of Beam Tube Flange Connections Under Internal Pressure and External Bending Loads

  1-19

  Usman Aslam

  Kamran Ahmed Khan

  Waqqas Ahmad

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  56

  Pipe flange connections are critical components in nuclear and petrochemical facilities, where reliable sealing and structural integrity are essential for safe operation. In research on open-pool reactors, ion beam tubes represent a specialized application of flange-connected pressure boundaries. This study investigated the structural response and sealing performance of a beam tube–flange assembly using three-dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis. The beam tube was evaluated under two operating conditions: an empty configuration and a configuration subjected to externally applied mechanical loads. Stress analysis indicated that the maximum Von Mises stress in the beam tube remained well below the material yield strength and satisfied the design deformation limit of 3 mm for both loading scenarios. Sealing performance assessment of the flange joint showed a bolt stress variation of 23 MPa, which remained within acceptable design limits. The corresponding gasket stress variation was 0.49 MPa, with maximum and minimum gasket stresses were within the recommended operating range of 1.4–8 MPa. Time-dependent analysis revealed gasket stress relaxation of 3.5% for the empty beam tube and 3.78% for the externally loaded case. The finite element results were validated using analytical models, demonstrating good agreement with discrepancies ranging from 0.01% to 5.8%. The findings confirmed the structural adequacy and sealing reliability of the beam tube–flange assembly under the investigated operating conditions, providing a robust basis for safe design and operation in research reactor applications.