Sealing for pollution prevention and control

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 10, 2005

Pressure is mounting for process and related industries to comply with the 1996 Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive from the European Council.

Pressure is mounting for process and related industries to comply with the 1996 Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive from the European Council that requires designated industrial installations to be fully authorised for operations 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 be compliant within this 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 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.

Registration is now open for the event, which will be held in Antwerp, Belgium, 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.

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

The opening address will be given by Don Litten of the European Commission, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies.

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

Separate sessions will cover subjects including pumps, joint integrity, flange connection, lip seal applications, lip seal analysis, and elastomer seals.

Presentations will focus on: 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 including best available techniques and computer analyses; maintenance including mean time between failures and learning from failures; novel seal designs and materials; surface coatings, treatments and tribology.

The conference is ideal for engineers involved with the design and application of fluid sealing across a wide range of industries 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, BVAA, Elsevier, ESA and The Pump Centre.