Patterson-Kelley Company, headquartered in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, manufactured shell-and-tube heat exchangers, lube oil coolers, and heat transfer equipment for industrial steam power plant and naval propulsion plant applications throughout the mid-twentieth century. Patterson-Kelley heat exchanger assemblies were installed in United States Navy steam propulsion plants as lube oil coolers for main propulsion turbine bearing oil systems, as feedwater heaters in the feedwater heating train, and as process heat exchangers in the auxiliary systems of destroyers, cruisers, and auxiliary ships. According to asbestos litigation records, Patterson-Kelley heat exchanger assemblies incorporated asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at heat exchanger channel cover flanges and at tube sheet connection faces, creating exposure for Machinist’s Mates who performed heat exchanger maintenance operations in naval vessel engineering spaces.

Patterson-Kelley Heat Exchanger Asbestos

Patterson-Kelley heat exchanger assemblies incorporated asbestos in cover and connection sealing:

  • Channel cover and bonnet gaskets — Patterson-Kelley shell-and-tube heat exchangers incorporated asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at the heat exchanger channel cover or bonnet flanges sealing the tube bundle ends. Machinist’s Mates removing Patterson-Kelley heat exchanger channel covers for tube cleaning, tube inspection, or tube bundle removal encountered and replaced the asbestos-containing channel cover gasket materials during each heat exchanger maintenance access
  • Tube sheet and shell flange gaskets — the tube sheet connection flanges and shell-to-channel flange faces on Patterson-Kelley heat exchangers incorporated asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at the heat exchanger shell and channel connection faces. Machinist’s Mates performing heat exchanger disassembly for tube bundle removal or internal inspection encountered asbestos-containing shell and channel flange gasket materials
  • Heat exchanger inlet and outlet nozzle gaskets — the inlet and outlet nozzle connections on Patterson-Kelley heat exchangers incorporated asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at the nozzle flange faces where the heat exchanger connected to the shell-side and tube-side process piping. Machinist’s Mates disconnecting Patterson-Kelley heat exchangers from the process piping system encountered asbestos-containing nozzle flange gasket materials during heat exchanger removal

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Patterson-Kelley Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy heat exchanger maintenance. Machinist’s Mates who maintained Patterson-Kelley heat exchanger installations in naval vessel engineering spaces and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.