The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive was adopted by the EU in 1996 as Directive 96/61. This provides an integrated approach for a potential pollutant across all media which might be affected. The sealing industry is playing a vital role in assisting all industrial sectors to achieve the legislation requirements of this Directive, by the provision of information and also through its own Sealing Technology BAT guidance note.
Background to the IPPC Directive
The key elements of this legislation are:
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new facilities must be in compliance from 1999 October 30 |
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existing facilities have been given until 2007 October 30 to be in compliance |
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applies to 6 categories of industry: - chemicals - energy - production and processing of metals - minerals - waste management - "other" |
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identifies certain priority polluting substances |
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each facility covered by the legislation is subject to authorisation through permitting |
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permits will be authorised by each Member States' "competent authority" |
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emission limits and permits are based
upon Best Available Techniques (BAT), which must consider: - economic and technical viability - use of low waste technology - use of less hazardous substances - recovery and recycling - consumption of water - energy efficiency - technical characteristics of the installation - geographical location - local environmental conditions |
As a result of wide variations in many of the above considerations, it is recognised that the application of BAT will result in major differences across the EU. Consequently, there is a requirement for an exchange of information, which is the basis for the publication of BAT reference (BREF) notes.
The European IPPC Bureau has been established in Seville to publish the BREF notes. These are (mainly) industry-specific, for all sectors covered by the IPPC Directive, and are available for download from http://eippcb,jrc.es
Sealing
Technology BAT guidance note
Sealing technology is involved in virtually all of the sectors covered
by the IPPC Directive. Yet, only limited information and guidance on sealing options is
available in some of the BREF notes which have been published to date. For this reason,
the ESA has developed a Sealing Technology BAT guidance note,
covering the best available techniques for sealing:
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bolted flange connections |
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rotodynamic equipment |
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reciprocating shafts |
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valves |
The document is available for download as a .pdf file. To read the document once downloaded, you must have Acrobat Reader installed on your system. A free version of this software is available from the Adobe web site at www.adobe.com
To download as a .pdf file, click here... ESA Sealing Technology BAT guidance note (1598 KB)
Life-cycle cost
A key approach within the ESA Sealing Technology BAT guidance note is
the use of Life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis, in order
to define the real cost of a particular technology throughout its lifetime. The life-cycle
cost of a piece of equipment is the total “lifetime” cost to purchase, install,
operate, maintain and dispose of the item. LCC analysis is a useful comparative tool
between a series of technology or operating alternatives and can indicate the most
cost-effective solution, in order that the least long term cost of ownership can be
achieved.
The ESA and FSA Mechanical Seals Divisions have developed a simple, generic LCC software tool for sealing technology (the Seal Life-Cycle Cost Estimator). This tool allows you to estimate life-cycle costs for sealing solutions on a comparative basis to assist in decision-making when specifying capital projects or upgrading existing rotating equipment technology.
