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Valve stem packing tops third-party tests

A James Walker and Co product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 14, 2003

Third-party tests on Supagraf Premier valve stem packing have shown it to be a technically superior fugitive emissions control product.

Third-party tests on James Walker's Supagraf Premier valve stem packing have shown it to be a technically superior fugitive emissions control product.

Emissions levels around the valve stem were so low that they challenged the sensitivity of the helium mass spectrometer used to measure the leak rate.

The highly developed packing, based on a patented form of exfoliated graphite, was tested to Shell procedure SPE77-312 "Industrial valves: fugitive emissions measurement" by the CETIM Laboratory in France.

In a test with a 4in gate valve, Supagraf Premier achieved a Class A rating with helium, at valve body temperatures from ambient to 450C.

This is the same degree of leak tightness normally associated with a bellows sealed valve, and significantly exceeds the requirements of German TA-Luft regulations.

"This confirms that Supagraf Premier is virtually a zero emissions product, as it would be impossible to measure this level of leakage on site", explained Andrew Goulding of James Walker.

"The result was far better than the emission levels generally expected in such a test for either conventional graphite or PTFE-based sealing products".

Supagraf Premier was launched with excellent credentials in 1997.

These included testing and approval by a major oil company, fire safe approval to an extended API607 test method, and sealability evaluation by the Leeds University Valve Testing Centre.

Since then, it has been rated top of its class in independent tests run on behalf of the CAPI Group (Akzo Nobel, Shell, Dow and DSM).

"Supagraf Premier is now the hydrocarbon packing-of-choice at refineries and chemical plants in the UK, Netherlands, South Africa and Australia.

It is also specified by valve manufacturers across Europe", said Andrew Goulding.

"It's an easy-to-fit, length form valve packing that makes economic and environmental sense.

We also supply it as preformed rings and sets".

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