The ESA Divisions convened in person at the AGM meetings held in Seville between 14-16 April. The following projects and activities were discussed.
The students from DHBW Mannheim have completed the packing tests. They evaluated five graphite packing sets using hydrogen and repeated one test to verify its repeatability. In the coming month, they will write their diploma thesis in German, which will also be translated into English. The tested packings exhibited higher leakage values compared to the initial test conducted in 2024. We will investigate the reasons for this discrepancy and continue testing the remaining four packing sets on a project basis. The paper draft for the Valve World Conference in December received positive feedback from the steering committee of the Valve World Conference. It has been accepted and will be presented at the conference in December.
The draft standard document prEN 18183, created by the Division, has been revised. The German and French versions need to be updated prior to the final vote on this standard proposal.
Additional work is necessary to enhance the packing installation training course. Ideally, a video demonstrating the installation process for valves and pumps should be included.
A new HTML conversion of the expansion joints configurator has been developed by the IT department of one of our members. This version will undergo review by the Division members prior to being hosted on the Division webpage.
The creation of the training module named "Introduction to Fabric Expansion Joints" is still in progress.
The revised version of API 682, incorporating all feedback from the first ballot, is scheduled for completion in June. The anticipated release of the final standard is set for early 2027.
To date, the Division has published two training courses. The third course, focusing on single mechanical seals, has been completed, and the voiceover recording is currently underway.
During the AGM meeting, the position papers related to this Division were reviewed. It was agreed to organise a special meeting to discuss and update all documents that have been published on the ESA website.
The two training modules regarding gasket installation and flange gasket assembly have been successfully uploaded to the ESA Knowledge base and are now live.
The planned ESA-funded research initiative focused on evaluating gasket aging in a hydrogen environment at Cetim was a topic of discussion during the meeting in Seville. Currently, there is minimal interest in conducting aging tests at elevated temperatures. Instead, members are more inclined towards cryogenic testing, which is not yet feasible at Cetim.
Work is ongoing regarding the update of the Glossary of Terms for gaskets.
A draft article concerning leakage tests with various test media in accordance with EN 13555 has been prepared by Spetech and is set to be published in the June issue of Valve World.
The report on the previous Arrhenius aging project is almost finished. Work on a numerical simulation of the aging process for elastomers using Python is ongoing.
The aging tests for FKM materials in both air and hydrogen environments are making progress. The hydrogen tests experienced delays due to the move to the new dedicated hydrogen testing facility at Cetim. These tests will commence shortly. Additionally, FFKM samples for testing at elevated temperatures will be provided.
The training module titled "Introduction to Elastomeric Seal Applications" requires further review.
The update for the ESA website is close to completion. The updated Division pages are implemented and will be evaluated by the members.
Ralf Vogel,
Technical Director, ESA