It has been a very difficult year for everyone, the new norm of restricted travel, working remotely and/or from home for most of us has definitely had its challenges and triumphs. The FSA is wrapping up the second and final phase of round robin testing for the SWG Leakage Test Procedure. The results have been compiled and compared and look very promising. For those who are not familiar with the procedure, this will be a leakage test for Spiral Wound Gaskets, however other styles such as kammprofile gaskets can be tested also. The test involves using either helium or methane and has 3 separate temperature cycles to 500°F (260°C) @ to 600psi (41.4 Bar), where leakage measurements are taking at both ambient and high temperature points for each cycle. The standardized reporting format allows for classification of leakage classes for both concentration measurement (methane) and mass flow measurement (Helium) methods.
Final comments made at the annual general meeting a few weeks ago are to be addressed at the next gasket division meeting being held on Dec 3, 2020 at 9:30am. Once completed, it will be sent to the Technical Coordinating Committee for comment/approval. We will be looking to publish this standard in Q1 of 2021 and will be doing a follow-up article in July of 2021 via Pumps & Systems to help promote the standard. A special thanks goes out to all member companies who have contributed and specifically participated in the round testing: Amtec, A.W. Chesterton, Empak Spirotallic Mexicana, Garlock, James Walker & Yarmouth Research Institute. If you have further interest in the test method, please reach out to myself and I would be happy to discuss further.
On behalf of the FSA member companies would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. All the best to you and your families during these uncertain times.
Chett Norton, FSA