LABORATORY OF SEALING MATERIALS

Research and development of seals designEN 13555

ASTM F 586-79ASTM F36-03

ASTM F38-00 BVDI 2440 (TA-Luft)

EN 61340-2-3

EUROPARTNER® CALCULATION PROGRAMAN ADVANCED TOOL FOR JOINT DESIGNING

Selection of gasket and calculations of flange and screw joints

EN 1591-1:2013EN 1591-1+A1:2009/ACEN 1591-1:2001EN 13445-3 Annex GWUDT-UC-WO-/19:10.2003ASME Code s. VIIIAD 2000 Merkblatt B7/B8

The software allows to:• Select: medium – about 700 media in the database, options of pressure and operating temperature edition,• Select: gasket type – any, defined by the customer, gasket can be calculated from SPETECH database or from calculation standard,• Select: flange and faying surface type – from standards EN, ASTM, DIN, PN database or edition of own dimensions,• Select: bolt type – from standards EN, ASTM, DIN, PN database or edition of own dimensions,• Select: materials for flanges and bolts – database contains numerous pieces of information regarding characteristic quantities of steel materials, split

acc. to categories and thickness,• Define operating conditions – possibility to define up to 10 operating conditions and determine their calculation parameters, • Exercise close control over performed calculations – separate visualizations for the whole designed joint, key design conditions, preview of main

calculation quantities, graphs of dependences between forces and loads, control of data correctness,• Configure full prints containing input, output and intermediate data. Prints contain drawings and additional remarks and descriptions defined by the

designer.

Advantages:1. Enormous database of geometrical parameters of gaskets, flanges, faying surfaces and screws and characteristic quantities of steel materials allows fast designing without looking these parameters and quantities up in relevant standards.2. Automatic, real time calculation of output quantities that allows continuous control over the correctness of entered data.3. Adapted rule of entered data hints maximization (expert function); however, the program finally does not impose anything. Such functionality gives the designer the possibility to perform necessary modifications of standard components.4. Full a direct control through the critical data panels system, allowing to check the whole project correctness on a current basis.5. Configurable prints which include all input, output and intermediate data. They also contain all important drawings of the joint components.6. The same user interface regardless of the calculation standard used.7. Four language versions: Polish, English, German and Czech.

Contact details:C.S.U.T. SPETECH Sp. z o.o.LABORATORY OF SEALING MATERIALS

Poland, 43-382, Bielsko-Biała, ul. Szyprów 17tel. +48 33 818 41 33, fax +48 33 818 46 79laboratory@spetech.eu, www.laboratory.spetech.euwww.europartner.spetech.eu

Test offer

test temperature range description

EN 13555

Qsmax i EG RT – 800°C DN40 PN40

PQR RT – 800°C DN40 PN40

Qmin(L) i Qsmin(L) RT DN40 PN40

others to be agreed

ASTM F 586-79

determination of coefficient m RT 149/100 mm

determination of coefficient y RT 149/100 mm

ASTM F 36-03

determination of compressibility and elastic recovery

RT e.g., rectangle

ASTM F 38-00

determination of relaxation and creeping

RT – 400°C rectangular samples

VDI 2440 (TA-Luft) flat gaskets

determination of a leakage RT – 400°C DN40 PN40

VDI 2440 (TA-Luft) stuffing box seals

determination of a leakage 500°C DN40 PN40

EN 61340-2-3 resistance

determination of the resistance and resistivity

RT acc. to standard

The Laboratory is equipped in a coordinate measuring arm. Thanks to this mechanism it is possible to make a very precise measurements of flange joints geometry, mostly on physical installations, and create 3D models, e.g.:• flatness of flange face,• non-parallelism of these surfaces,• angular deformation of flanges.Knowledge of exact geometry, especially in case of large diameters, significantly contributes to find a relevant solution of tightness problems.

In cases of large degree of calculation amount complication, FEM methods are successfully used.

LABORATORY OF SEALING MATERIALS

LB – 124/02

www.tuv.com210/A13/5952S P E T E C H S U C C E S S F U L S E A L I N G S Y S T E M S

Growing demands concerning pressure equipment and their particular elements and, to even greater extent, seals, impose upon gasket manufacturers an obligation to provide technical support for product designers and end users. Apart from the tightness criterion, more and more frequently attention is being paid to the emission level in the context of legal regulations regarding broadly defined environmental protection. Documents such as Clean Air Act, TA-Luft and IPPC force the end user to apply BAT (”best available techniques”) also, or maybe above all, in the gasket sector.At the manufacturers’ side it is connected with the necessity to publish in official materials (e.g., catalogues, websites) specific technical information concerning characteristic features of the offered product. Research aiming at development and implementation into use of new, more tight and durable technical solutions in the gasket group is also necessary.Laboratory of Sealing Materials (LSM), operating at SPETECH in Bielsko-Biała as an independent research unit, has since many years been the holder of the certification issued by the Office of Technical Inspection. The Laboratory uses the quality system compliant with the requirements of PN-EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Std. The purpose of LSM activity, inter alia, is to:• obtain the leading position in Poland and Europe as regards testing of both flat and braided sealing materials,• create BAT “best available techniques” in the seal sector,• test new technical solutions and seal designs aiming at their sealing and rheological properties improvement,• test products for compliance with Clean Air Act, TA-Luft, IPPC documentation and other environmental protection regulations,• develop research facilities in accordance with development directions observed in the sealing technology,• provide pressure equipment designers and end users with full information about seals manufactured in SPETECH,• conduct ordered tests both compliant with standards applied in the laboratory and those, the conditions of which are negotiated with the customer.

The laboratory possesses necessary research facilities and qualified staff implementing an appropriate research programme within the framework of applicable procedures. Due to the fact that SPETECH is the parent company of SMTL, conducted tests focus mainly on seals manufactured by this company. This tests results are reflected in SPETECH publications and, in particular, in characteristic quantities of these gaskets, presented by the company.

Test methods

Based on EN 13555A stand used for such tests as: upsetting test, determination of compressive strength, creeping and settling tests and finally, determination of leakages. It is also used to determine calculation coefficients for EN 1591-1:2009 and ...:2013 algorithms. The tests are performed under changing loads and temperatures, with the possibility of rapid heating (up to 800°C) or cooling. Appropriate procedures are carried out with the use of modern testing equipment, fully controlled by computer software. Samples are ring-shaped. In addition, it is possible to conduct other tests and experiments, e.g., testing of packing or O-ring leak-tightness. To be agreed with the customer.• Qsmax and EG at ambient temperature• Qsmax and EG at temperatures elevated to 800°C• PQR at ambient temperature• PQR at temperatures elevated to 800°C• Qmin(L) and Qsmin(L) at ambient temperature• Other to be agreed

Stand capabilities:• arbitrarily set and regulated system rigidity, performed with a special

presscontrolling algorithm,• possibility to test samples up to the diameter of Φ120mm,• maximum test pressure 300 bar,• maximum pressure force 1000 kN,• maximum test temperature 800°C,• minimal discovered leakage (helium spectrometer) 5*10-12 mbar/(l*s),• research media: helium, nitrogen (others using the burette system),• displacement measurement conducted centrally in the axis,• possibility to modify the test algorithm as regards time, temperature, pressure, load

and their rise time.

Based on ASTM F 586-79 Both the method and the relevant test stands allow us to specify numerically the coefficients used in the determination of assembly and operational tensions for the needs of the algorithms in compliance with ASME Code s. VIII and EN 13445-3. The test also allows us to determine the level of tightness of a flat gasket in the class range up to 0.1 mg/(m*s). Since the shape of sample corresponds with the shape of gasket (ring), it is possible to conduct the tests of seals being structures composed of a number of materials (e.g., spiral gasket).Obtained results are used in the SPETECH Research and Development Department and with the application of experimental-iterative methods developed there, coefficients for calculation standards – other than ASME – are defined. And so, for example, coefficient m is converted into σm, and coefficient y into σr.

Test methods

Based on ASTM F 38-00 B Std.The method allows us to determine the quantity of relaxation along with creeping. Tests are performed with the use of appropriate tooling, and the temperatures used in testing are RT (room temperature), 100°C and 400°C. Of course, it is also possible for other tempe-ratures ranging from RT to 400°C to be used in tests. Due to the nature and design of the very test stand, it is impossible to test seal constructions, and just rectangular sections cut of materials used in flat gaskets may be tested. The stands allow us to test various materials, from soft elastomer to pure metal ones. The tests are aimed at numerical determining of rheological behaviours of material, especially at elevated temperatures.Based on ASTM F 36-03The stand is designed to specify the value of compressibility of soft materials used for seal building. It also allows us to determine elastic recovery and energy of deformation. Both parameters, compressibility and elastic recovery, are of fundamental significance in the process of selecting a flat seal. They state the extent to which a seal is able to “fit” to the faying surface and how it will work in conditions of operation and related displacements of joint components.Based on VDI 2440 (TA-Luft) – flat gasketStand to determine the flat sealing leaks. The results are compared with the require-ments of TA-Luft standard and if condition are met the labolatory issues the certificate of conformity. The test is carried out at room temperature, the medium is helium and the leak measurement is used helium spectrometer.Based on VDI 2440 (TA-Luft) – stuffing box sealsStand to determine the parameters of stuffing box seals. The work of a stuffing box is simulated. The input data are: stress, work pressure (helium), temperature stem stroke. The result of a test is the value of a leakage after a number of the cycles of the stem. If the result met the TA-Luft requirements the laboratory issues the certificate. Maximum test temperature is 500°C.Based on EN 61340-2-3Determining the resistance and resistivity of seal materials. The values are useful in the design of devices operating in environments described by the ATEX directive.

SummarySPETECH Sealing Materials Testing Laboratory conducts tests of flat seals in accordance with currently used standards of sealing material characteristic quantities determination, and hence, becomes a part of the ”best available techniques” term. Application of modern testing methods and the Quality Management System based on EN ISO/IEC 17025 guarantee designers and users that information with which they are provided shall allow them to select proper seal, also in terms of applications compliant with Clear Air Act, TA-Luft and IPPC.Now a day, the Laboratory is the only and wellknown testing laboratory of this type in Poland which possesses such a big number of test procedures connected with seals. Applied methods allow to test almost all currently used flat gasket materials, and test results are used in design works on pressure equipment. They allow for effective and, above all, safe selection of the flat gasket, especially in places, where safety reasons are on the first place. Continually developed and improved measurement procedures and updated Quality Management System guarantee objective test results and high quality of rendered services.

LABORATORY OF SEALING MATERIALS LABORATORY OF SEALING MATERIALS LABORATORY OF SEALING MATERIALS

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0 24 48 72 96 120 144 168 192 216

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Course of test SPETOPAK® WGR-TA 12 Test number: 328

400⁰C

Left bolt force

Right bolt force

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y=f(VLS)

26,3

2,6

9,89

7,65,83

3,35

1,51

m [1]

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0,00737 0,07368 Leakage VLS [cm3]0,7368 7,36795

Sample test chart F 586-79 – determination of the m factor

Leakage test stand acc. to VDI 2440 (TA-Luft) stuffing box seals

Test stand acc. to ASTM F 36-03

Test stant acc. to ASTM F 586-79

Test stend – EN 13555 – Qmin(L), Qsmin(L)

Test stand acc. to EN 13555

View of the helium spectrometer

Test stend – EN 13555 – software