Due to the holiday period, activity across the Divisions was reduced. However, several key developments occurred.
Packings Division:
Some members of the Packings Division attended the CEN TC197 WG3 meeting to discuss progress on the Packings Standard, initiated by the ESA. Progress has been made, and a draft of the CEN standard will soon be ready for balloting. Meanwhile, the ISO 15848 CO1 test with tighter-tolerance sintered PTFE discs has begun at Amtec, with results expected shortly. Additionally, testing at DHBW Mannheim University continues, focusing on different packing materials for hydrogen applications. The plastic-free packaging solution provided by Burgmann Packings has been tested by some end users, and feedback from other ESA members will be discussed at the next Division meeting. 
Expansion Joints Division:
The Division is continuing its collaboration with our website developer to implement the configurator tool for selecting standard fabric expansion joint solutions on the divisional website. Progress has also been made on the training presentation “Introduction to Fabric Expansion Joints,” which was reviewed by our Danish members. A new structure and voiceover script have been added.
Mechanical Seals Division:
The Mechanical Seals Division is reviewing two documents on mechanical seal emission performance, which will be published on the website and Knowledgebase once finalized. The containment seals training course has been completed and will be reviewed by members at the next meeting. An article on diamond-coated face seals has been submitted to World Pumps magazine and will be published soon, with another article ready for future publication.
Flange Gaskets Division:
A paper comparing helium and hydrogen emission results for PTFE-based gaskets was published in the September edition of Valve World. For the plastics reduction project, pricing quotes for alternatives to plastic spacers in spiral wound gaskets using silicone and biodegradable plastic have been received. However, these alternatives are still significantly more expensive than the current solution. Further feedback from members will be needed to determine the next steps. The third training course on gasket selection is nearly finished, and work has begun on the next chapter, focusing on gasket installation procedures.
Elastomeric & Polymeric Seals Division:
The Division is setting up a new work program with CETIM for the Arrhenius project, aimed at predicting the lifetime of elastomeric seals. One aspect of this project will involve aging tests with hydrogen. A position paper regarding tariff codes for FKM and FFKM seals has been drafted and will be discussed at the next Division meeting.
Ralf Vogel,
Technical Director, ESA