Sealing conference is timed for IPPC Directive

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 13, 2006

BHR Group's 19th International Conference on Fluid Sealing will be held in Poitiers, France, on 25th and 26th September 2007.

With less than 12 months to go there is now an urgent need for industrial installations to ensure that they are fully compliant with the 1996 Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive from the European Council and authorised to operate before the deadline of 30th October 2007.

The directive has serious implications for any organisation that fails to comply and, despite good progress to date, there is still much to be done.

Adopting "best available techniques", maximising cost benefits and establishing green credentials 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.

The challenge remains for engineers across the process plant, industrial equipment, machinery and transportation systems sectors to deploy 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 19th International Conference on Fluid Sealing extends the sequence of these highly successful events.

Drawing on the achievements of its predecessors the conference will once again bring together the world's leading experts to create the ideal forum for exchanging information on the latest products, techniques and systems.

Over the years the conference has established a reputation for presenting new and innovative developments and it never fails to provide valuable and interesting information and novel insights into old problems.

The organisers have issued a call for papers for presentation at the event, which will be held in Poitiers, France, on 25th and 26th September 2007.

The 2007 event will run in conjunction with the annual EDF-LMS Workshop, hosted and organised by the Universite de Poitiers on 27th September 2007, which is renowned for exploring new concepts in sealing technology.

Industry continues to demand ever increasing capabilities.

It challenges seal manufacturers to push the boundaries and develop new products.

For example, the need to replace chromium in applications has led to more sophisticated coatings for elastomer and dynamic seals.

Materials capable of operating in explosive atmospheres are in greater demand and users are under continuing pressure to seek out the best tools for measuring life cycle costs.

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, inc "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 Sealing Technology, European Sealing Association (ESA) and the British Valve and Actuator Association (BVAA).