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Product category: Couplings, Seals, Gaskets
News Release from: James Walker and Co | Subject: Supagraf Premier
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial Team on 27 February 2008

Supagraf Premier passes TA-Luft
emissions tests

Supagraf Premier, the world-leading James Walker valve compression packing, has beaten the TA-Luft VDI 2440 emission control requirements by a significant margin, gaining an outstanding rating

In independent tests, carried out at the Amtec laboratory in Germany, Supagraf Premier, the world-leading James Walker compression packing, beat TA-Luft VDI 2440 emission control requirements by a significant margin to gain an outstanding rating Recorded gas emission levels in tests at 240C and 400C respectively would not fill a tennis ball, or even a golf ball, in a year

The tests on a set of 56mm OD Supagraf Premier rings were undertaken for Ruhr Oel - a 50/50 joint venture of Deutsche BP and Petroleos de Venezuela - which owns the Schloven and Horst refineries at Gelsenkirchen, plus the Munchsmunster petrochemical plant.

It needed to know the sealing efficiency of graphite valve packings from several suppliers in order to comply with the European Union IPPC pollution prevention and control directive.

Targets of the investigation were to confirm TA-Luft leakage rates less than 10e-4 mbar.l/(s.m) at sealing system temperatures below 250C, and less than 10e-2 mbar.l/(s.m) at above 250C.

The test cycle involved 1000 vertical valve stem movements of 40mm - without live-loading on the packing - whilst sealing helium at 25bar for 24hours.

Leakage measurements after 24 hours at 240C showed 7.0 x 10e-6 mbar.l/(s.m).

"You can visualise this as less gas than will fill a golf ball in a year, measured at ambient pressure" explained James Walker business development manager Brian Milford: "It also demonstrates that Supagraf Premier very easily surpasses the TA-Luft requirements for a high grade valve packing".

After 24 hours at 400C, the leakage rate was 2.3 x 10e-5 mbar.l/(s.m).

Said Brian Milford: "This rate is exceptionally better than the TA-Luft requirements for duties above 250C.

A year of emissions at this level would not fill a tennis ball".

Supagraf Premier has a 10 year record of beating fugitive emission control specifications.

In 1997 it was subjected to over 12,000 valve operating cycles with methane at 40bar and kept emission levels below 500ppm.

In 1999, it came top of its class in comparative tests run by the Materials Technology Centre of Akzo Nobel.

Leakage rates were between six and 100 times less than the competitor's brands - and it lasted 12 times longer than the next best valve packing.

Since then it has twice been certified to TA-Luft requirements - by different customers - and third-party verified for emission control by CETIM to Shell SPE 77/321 Class A specification.

James Walker and Co is a member of the James Walker Group.

This global manufacturing group, with an annual turnover in excess of GBP125million (euro180million), operates through two strategic business units: Sealing Products and Services, and Rail Systems and Products.

It has 50 production, engineering, distribution and customer support sites worldwide and sells in over 100 countries. Request a free brochure from James Walker and Co ...

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