- Email: [email protected]
EPDM business up for sale with major investments due
COMPANY NEWS
Company News New test rig commissioned at Carco
A
new rotary shaft seal test rig has been introduced at Carco to aid seal development. The test rig capabilities include: • • • • • •
Shaft diameter: up to 500mm. Maximum shaft surface speed: 40m/s. Maximum oil pressure: 5bar. Maximum test temperature: 100ºC. Static eccentricity of up to 2.5mm. Dynamic eccentricity up to 2.5mm.
Contact: Carco Srl, via U.Foscolo 4, I-20060 Basiano (Milano), Italy. Tel: +39 02 9576 0331, Fax: +39 02 9576 0333, Email: [email protected], Web: www.carcoseal.com.
Companies combine to fit dry gas seals
F
lowserve Corp. and Wood Group Light Industrial Turbines Division have announced a cooperative agreement to establish a compressor dry gas seal retrofit program. This agreement will provide compressor overhaul and mechanical seal upgrades to oil and gas operators. The two companies will offer a combination of capabilities and experience to deliver turnkey compressor upgrades. This will include overhauls and performance enhancements. The aim of this cooperation agreement is to provide a one-stop shop for installation, commissioning, repair, service and related auxiliary equipment. “Flowserve offers extensive experience in dry gas seal retrofits, providing turnkey solutions for gas pipelines, refineries and chemical plants,” says John Sears, Flowserve global director of compressor seal sales, retrofits and systems in the Flow Solutions division. “With expertise developed through retrofitting compressors and turbo
November 2007
expanders around the world for more than 25 years, Flowserve designs to customer requirements while reducing or eliminating the need for unit and shaft modifications. The result is reduced lifecycle costs and maximized reliability.” “Wood Group offers extensive experience in compressors and turbines,” according to Iain Murray, president, Americas, Wood Group Light Industrial. “From full overhaul, component manufacture, repair processes and redesign of turbomachinery equipment around the globe, Wood Group strives to provide smarter, faster, safer and flexible solutions to customer needs.” A wide range of services will be provided by the companies. The Flowserve contribution ranges from engineering services and finite element analysis to training and mechanical seal leasing. Wood Group services range from detail design and performance curves to complete turbine packages. Contact: Flowserve Corporation, 5215 N. O’Connor Boulevard, Suite 2300, Irving, TX 75039, USA. Tel: +1 972 443 6500, Fax: +1 972 443 6800, Web: www.flowserve.com
John Crane wins large contract in China
J
ohn Crane China has won a US$ 5.3 million contract from the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) for equipment to be deployed on the new oil refinery at Huizhou in Guangdong province, China. CNOOC is one of the largest state-owned oil giants in China and is the largest offshore oil and gas producer. The CNOOC refinery in Huizhou, which is still under construction, forms part of one of the largest petrochemical projects launched in China in recent years. When complete, the new facility will produce 220 000 barrels of oil per day. The contract includes turbomachinery control panels, seals and couplings. Paul Cox, Group Managing Director of Smiths Specialty Engineering, said: “Successes like this demonstrate our experience of the ‘project partnership’ business
model favoured in China. The products we are providing will help CNOOC to deliver oil to millions of homes and businesses in the region.” Contact: Smiths Specialty Engineering, 765 Finchley Road, London, NW11 8DS, UK, Tel: +44 20 8458 3232, Fax: +44 20 8458 8646, Email: [email protected], Web: www.smiths-group.com.
EPDM business up for sale with major investments due
D
SM has put its EPDM synthetic rubber business up for sale as part of a divestment strategy aimed at increasing the group focus on life and material sciences while also approving major investment in new production technology. The EPDM segment forms the centre of the DSM elastomers focused on the Geleen facility in the Netherlands. With a turnover of some 500m, the business is still estimated to be the largest in the world although it has seen reductions in recent years with the closure of its Addis plant in the USA in 2004. The Sarlink TPE business is included in the planned sell off. The company will retain engineering polymer activities, including nylon and polyester based products. Within a few days of the announcement of the sale the company also decided to invest in the implementation of new advanced catalyst technology in one of the existing EPDM facilities in Geleen. The total investment represents up to 10million with mechanical completion of the plant expected in the 4th quarter of 2008. This new technology, referred to as Keltan ACE technology enables the production of a new class of Keltan EPDM products. ACE is the acronym for Advanced Catalysis Elastomers. New products will contain high amounts of 2-vinyl5-norbornene (VNB) as third monomer and provide good peroxide curing efficiency. High-VNB products are intended to offer
Sealing Technology
5
NEWS / FEATURE new avenues for cost-effective compounding of Keltan formulations that require peroxide curing. The balance of physical properties and high temperature resistance can also be improved. A spokeswoman for DSM commented ‘It is not for sale because it’s not performing well but because it will flourish better under a new umbrella. The investment in the Keltan ACE technology shows that DSM has full confidence in the Elastomers business.’ Contact: DSM Elastomers BV, PO Box 43, NL-6130 AA Sittard, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 46 476 3503, Fax: +31 46 476 0040, Email: [email protected], Web: www.keltan.com.
Victrex opens new PEEK plant
V
ictrex plc has opened a new polymer manufacturing plant at its main production facility in Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire, UK to support future
demand for Victrex PEEK polymer and PEEK-based products. It will provide further security of supply to customers, increasing production capacity by approximately 50% and establishing a second stand-alone source of the polymer. The company has invested £32 million in this facility which has the ability to produce 1450 tonnes per annum increasing Victrex’s total production capacity for these products to 4250 tonnes per annum. To support the new plant opening Victrex has also increased its production workforce by eight and opened three new apprenticeship positions. “The opening of this new plant has been much anticipated,” said Dave Hummel, Chief Executive Officer of Victrex plc. “In recent years, we have seen a significant increase in worldwide demand for our materials. We believe it is imperative for our capacity to stay ahead of demand so customers have ample supply of high quality products.” The new plant is a stand-alone facility that can operate completely independently of the existing facility, but it uses the same core technology. This independence is considered to be a vital back-up feature that will ensure the security of supply. The company has also introduced a new high performance, high temperature material the Victrex Max-Series polymer. This new product line is designed to perform in the most demanding
environments, specifically in applications requiring a combination of high temperature mechanical performance and dimensional stability. The new materials are a blend of Victrex PEEK polymer and genuine Extem UH thermoplastic polyimide (TPI) resin from Sabic Innovative Plastics. It is designed to fill a gap in the high temperature materials market by providing a melt-processable, ultra-high temperature material combined with chemical resistance, high purity, and controlled coefficient of thermal expansion. The Max-Series was created to address these challenges and with ability to perform at temperatures in the range of 150-275ºC. The new product will initially be launched with two grades: MAX-Series M1000 and MAX-Series M2000, containing different proportions of PEEK and TPI resin. Victrex is identifying opportunities for the product across a wide range of markets and applications, including the oil and gas and semiconductor sectors. Downhole and subsea electrical connectors and seals have been identified as specific targets. Contact: Victrex Plc, Victrex Technology Centre, Hillhouse International, Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire FY5 4QD, UK. Tel +44 1253 897700, Fax +44 1253 897701, Web: www.victrex.com.
How should we rate the temperature capabilities of elastomers? Bob Flitney Some suppliers appear to be rather optimistic with the temperature ranges claimed for elastomer materials. This can lead to very expensive failures and in the long term could potentially cause a loss of confidence in elastomer seals, this may even have happened in some cases. The establishment of some sensible guidelines is long overdue. Perhaps the elastomer seal industry should take the initiative to protect its own reputation.
Introduction In the February 2004 newsletter I tried to make the case for some rational approach to the publication of low temperature properties of elastomers for seals.[1] I know from comments that some responsible suppliers agreed with the intent of this article, but there has been little overall change in attitude. In fact the overall question of elastomer temperature specifications, at both low and high temperatures, is still causing a lot of problems. In that article I commented that specification of 6
Sealing Technology
high temperature limits had improved, but now I am not so sure. From my own recent experience optimistic specification of elastomers, at elevated temperature and pressure, has caused some very expensive failures. This has provided some useful consultancy work to the benefit of the editorial bank balance, but it is work that really should not be necessary. There is also the danger that those using rather optimistic data may gain some short term business at the long term expense of the whole industry.
It is worth repeating my introduction to seal research work in 1970. This involved an aerospace specification nitrile that was rated for use from −40°C to 135°C. Some tests for one week at 135°C rendered the material rock-solid, so we learnt that this temperature limit should be treated with considerable respect. After an overnight soak at −40°C the seals leaked copiously until they had warmed up. This experience initiated my rather jaundiced view of elastomer material specifications. The problem is that this experience is still being repeated, not in the laboratory but on large high duty equipment which is very expensive both in terms of breakdown costs and lost revenue. Some of the problem is that temperature limits are often set by polymer scientists who have a thorough knowledge of the chemistry of the materials, but little appreciation of the functional requirements. However, within OEM companies the design engineers who are probably quite familiar with
November 2007
Company News New test rig commissioned at Carco
A
new rotary shaft seal test rig has been introduced at Carco to aid seal development. The test rig capabilities include: • • • • • •
Shaft diameter: up to 500mm. Maximum shaft surface speed: 40m/s. Maximum oil pressure: 5bar. Maximum test temperature: 100ºC. Static eccentricity of up to 2.5mm. Dynamic eccentricity up to 2.5mm.
Contact: Carco Srl, via U.Foscolo 4, I-20060 Basiano (Milano), Italy. Tel: +39 02 9576 0331, Fax: +39 02 9576 0333, Email: [email protected], Web: www.carcoseal.com.
Companies combine to fit dry gas seals
F
lowserve Corp. and Wood Group Light Industrial Turbines Division have announced a cooperative agreement to establish a compressor dry gas seal retrofit program. This agreement will provide compressor overhaul and mechanical seal upgrades to oil and gas operators. The two companies will offer a combination of capabilities and experience to deliver turnkey compressor upgrades. This will include overhauls and performance enhancements. The aim of this cooperation agreement is to provide a one-stop shop for installation, commissioning, repair, service and related auxiliary equipment. “Flowserve offers extensive experience in dry gas seal retrofits, providing turnkey solutions for gas pipelines, refineries and chemical plants,” says John Sears, Flowserve global director of compressor seal sales, retrofits and systems in the Flow Solutions division. “With expertise developed through retrofitting compressors and turbo
November 2007
expanders around the world for more than 25 years, Flowserve designs to customer requirements while reducing or eliminating the need for unit and shaft modifications. The result is reduced lifecycle costs and maximized reliability.” “Wood Group offers extensive experience in compressors and turbines,” according to Iain Murray, president, Americas, Wood Group Light Industrial. “From full overhaul, component manufacture, repair processes and redesign of turbomachinery equipment around the globe, Wood Group strives to provide smarter, faster, safer and flexible solutions to customer needs.” A wide range of services will be provided by the companies. The Flowserve contribution ranges from engineering services and finite element analysis to training and mechanical seal leasing. Wood Group services range from detail design and performance curves to complete turbine packages. Contact: Flowserve Corporation, 5215 N. O’Connor Boulevard, Suite 2300, Irving, TX 75039, USA. Tel: +1 972 443 6500, Fax: +1 972 443 6800, Web: www.flowserve.com
John Crane wins large contract in China
J
ohn Crane China has won a US$ 5.3 million contract from the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) for equipment to be deployed on the new oil refinery at Huizhou in Guangdong province, China. CNOOC is one of the largest state-owned oil giants in China and is the largest offshore oil and gas producer. The CNOOC refinery in Huizhou, which is still under construction, forms part of one of the largest petrochemical projects launched in China in recent years. When complete, the new facility will produce 220 000 barrels of oil per day. The contract includes turbomachinery control panels, seals and couplings. Paul Cox, Group Managing Director of Smiths Specialty Engineering, said: “Successes like this demonstrate our experience of the ‘project partnership’ business
model favoured in China. The products we are providing will help CNOOC to deliver oil to millions of homes and businesses in the region.” Contact: Smiths Specialty Engineering, 765 Finchley Road, London, NW11 8DS, UK, Tel: +44 20 8458 3232, Fax: +44 20 8458 8646, Email: [email protected], Web: www.smiths-group.com.
EPDM business up for sale with major investments due
D
SM has put its EPDM synthetic rubber business up for sale as part of a divestment strategy aimed at increasing the group focus on life and material sciences while also approving major investment in new production technology. The EPDM segment forms the centre of the DSM elastomers focused on the Geleen facility in the Netherlands. With a turnover of some 500m, the business is still estimated to be the largest in the world although it has seen reductions in recent years with the closure of its Addis plant in the USA in 2004. The Sarlink TPE business is included in the planned sell off. The company will retain engineering polymer activities, including nylon and polyester based products. Within a few days of the announcement of the sale the company also decided to invest in the implementation of new advanced catalyst technology in one of the existing EPDM facilities in Geleen. The total investment represents up to 10million with mechanical completion of the plant expected in the 4th quarter of 2008. This new technology, referred to as Keltan ACE technology enables the production of a new class of Keltan EPDM products. ACE is the acronym for Advanced Catalysis Elastomers. New products will contain high amounts of 2-vinyl5-norbornene (VNB) as third monomer and provide good peroxide curing efficiency. High-VNB products are intended to offer
Sealing Technology
5
NEWS / FEATURE new avenues for cost-effective compounding of Keltan formulations that require peroxide curing. The balance of physical properties and high temperature resistance can also be improved. A spokeswoman for DSM commented ‘It is not for sale because it’s not performing well but because it will flourish better under a new umbrella. The investment in the Keltan ACE technology shows that DSM has full confidence in the Elastomers business.’ Contact: DSM Elastomers BV, PO Box 43, NL-6130 AA Sittard, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 46 476 3503, Fax: +31 46 476 0040, Email: [email protected], Web: www.keltan.com.
Victrex opens new PEEK plant
V
ictrex plc has opened a new polymer manufacturing plant at its main production facility in Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire, UK to support future
demand for Victrex PEEK polymer and PEEK-based products. It will provide further security of supply to customers, increasing production capacity by approximately 50% and establishing a second stand-alone source of the polymer. The company has invested £32 million in this facility which has the ability to produce 1450 tonnes per annum increasing Victrex’s total production capacity for these products to 4250 tonnes per annum. To support the new plant opening Victrex has also increased its production workforce by eight and opened three new apprenticeship positions. “The opening of this new plant has been much anticipated,” said Dave Hummel, Chief Executive Officer of Victrex plc. “In recent years, we have seen a significant increase in worldwide demand for our materials. We believe it is imperative for our capacity to stay ahead of demand so customers have ample supply of high quality products.” The new plant is a stand-alone facility that can operate completely independently of the existing facility, but it uses the same core technology. This independence is considered to be a vital back-up feature that will ensure the security of supply. The company has also introduced a new high performance, high temperature material the Victrex Max-Series polymer. This new product line is designed to perform in the most demanding
environments, specifically in applications requiring a combination of high temperature mechanical performance and dimensional stability. The new materials are a blend of Victrex PEEK polymer and genuine Extem UH thermoplastic polyimide (TPI) resin from Sabic Innovative Plastics. It is designed to fill a gap in the high temperature materials market by providing a melt-processable, ultra-high temperature material combined with chemical resistance, high purity, and controlled coefficient of thermal expansion. The Max-Series was created to address these challenges and with ability to perform at temperatures in the range of 150-275ºC. The new product will initially be launched with two grades: MAX-Series M1000 and MAX-Series M2000, containing different proportions of PEEK and TPI resin. Victrex is identifying opportunities for the product across a wide range of markets and applications, including the oil and gas and semiconductor sectors. Downhole and subsea electrical connectors and seals have been identified as specific targets. Contact: Victrex Plc, Victrex Technology Centre, Hillhouse International, Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire FY5 4QD, UK. Tel +44 1253 897700, Fax +44 1253 897701, Web: www.victrex.com.
How should we rate the temperature capabilities of elastomers? Bob Flitney Some suppliers appear to be rather optimistic with the temperature ranges claimed for elastomer materials. This can lead to very expensive failures and in the long term could potentially cause a loss of confidence in elastomer seals, this may even have happened in some cases. The establishment of some sensible guidelines is long overdue. Perhaps the elastomer seal industry should take the initiative to protect its own reputation.
Introduction In the February 2004 newsletter I tried to make the case for some rational approach to the publication of low temperature properties of elastomers for seals.[1] I know from comments that some responsible suppliers agreed with the intent of this article, but there has been little overall change in attitude. In fact the overall question of elastomer temperature specifications, at both low and high temperatures, is still causing a lot of problems. In that article I commented that specification of 6
Sealing Technology
high temperature limits had improved, but now I am not so sure. From my own recent experience optimistic specification of elastomers, at elevated temperature and pressure, has caused some very expensive failures. This has provided some useful consultancy work to the benefit of the editorial bank balance, but it is work that really should not be necessary. There is also the danger that those using rather optimistic data may gain some short term business at the long term expense of the whole industry.
It is worth repeating my introduction to seal research work in 1970. This involved an aerospace specification nitrile that was rated for use from −40°C to 135°C. Some tests for one week at 135°C rendered the material rock-solid, so we learnt that this temperature limit should be treated with considerable respect. After an overnight soak at −40°C the seals leaked copiously until they had warmed up. This experience initiated my rather jaundiced view of elastomer material specifications. The problem is that this experience is still being repeated, not in the laboratory but on large high duty equipment which is very expensive both in terms of breakdown costs and lost revenue. Some of the problem is that temperature limits are often set by polymer scientists who have a thorough knowledge of the chemistry of the materials, but little appreciation of the functional requirements. However, within OEM companies the design engineers who are probably quite familiar with
November 2007