Fluid sealing conference to cover IPPC Directive

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Sep 2, 2004

BHR Group's 18th International Conference on Fluid Sealing will be held from 12th to 14th October 2005 with the theme of "Sealing for pollution prevention and control".

The 1996 Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive from the European Council requires designated industrial installations to be fully compliant and authorised by permit to operate by 30th October 2007.

Adopting "best available techniques" and understanding the implications of the directive in terms of secure and safe sealing technology will be critical for owners and operators if they are to achieve compliance within the current timeframe.

Regulatory and business demands for improved performance and reliability can create upward pressure on the overall cost of ownership and increased requirement for savings.

The challenge facing engineers across the process plant, industrial equipment, machinery and transportation systems sectors is to deploy the best possible cost-effective and compliant solutions to their complex fluid sealing requirements.

To do this they need informed knowledge about the latest developments and an understanding of how advances made in other industries may have significance in their own.

BHR Group's 18th International Conference on Fluid Sealing extends this sequence of highly successful events.

With its theme of "Sealing for pollution prevention and control", the conference will once again draw together information on the latest products, techniques and systems to help delegates achieve the requirements of the IPPC Directive by providing a firm foundation for future developments and insight into the application and exploitation of fluid sealing technology.

The organisers have issued a call for papers for presentation at the event, which will be held in Antwerp, Belgium, from 12th to 14th October 2005.

The conference represents an ideal opportunity for knowledge transfer in formal sessions and through one-to-one contact where engineers from a range of industries can present and discuss industrial applications of fluid sealing, the latest in research and development, and emerging issues and challenges for suppliers and users.

With this in mind, in addition to calling for papers the Technical Organising Committee is planning an IPPC workshop to debate the directive's requirements from operators using mechanical seals, flange gaskets and compression packing.

This is critically important for industrial users seeking confidence in the continuity of their operations under the directive.

With all the leading European sealing manufacturers represented at the event the meeting will provide a key focus for users to demonstrate their compliance, check their obligations or find answers to previously unanswered questions.

The conference will encompass all kinds of sealing devices from rotating to reciprocating seals, flange gaskets and the associated flange assembly techniques.

Contributions are welcomed for all types of elastomer and plastic seals, packings, gaskets, metal seals, pipe couplings, rotary mechanical seals or other types particularly novel solutions, and assembly techniques covering: Cost of ownership and cost savings; leakage and emissions control, including "environmentally friendly" fluids; standards and legislation; health, safety and training; installation and assembly; seal life prediction inc best available techniques and computer analyses; maintenance inc mean time between failures and learning from failures; novel seal designs and materials; surface coatings, treatments and tribology.

Original case study and technical contributions are welcomed on all aspects of the design and application of fluid sealing in industries and sectors including petrochemical, R and D, oil and gas, health and safety, power generation, paper/pulp, defence, pharmaceutical, aerospace, food, automotive/transport, metal industries, fluid power, and mining/mineral extraction.

The event is cosponsored by BFPA, The Pump Centre, ESA and Elsevier.