- Email: [email protected]
New developments in the fuel cell sector win award
NEWS
Editorial Office: Elsevier Ltd The Boulevard, Langford Lane Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK Tel: +44 (0)1865 843239 Fax: +44 (0)1865 843933 Web: www.sealingtechnology.info Editor: Bob Flitney Tel: +44 (0)1799 501659 Email: [email protected] Programme Editor: Steve Barrett, Email: [email protected] Production Editor: Lin Lucas Editorial advisory board: Yves Birembaut (F) • Cyril X Latty (F) Amrat Parmar (UK) • Richard F Salant (USA) Wolfgang Schöpplein (D) • Shuzo Seya (PRC) Scott Svendsen (USA)
Subscription Information An annual subscription to Sealing Technology includes 12 printed issues and online access for up to 5 users. Prices: 1112 for all European countries & Iran US$1247 for all countries except Europe and Japan ¥147 800 for Japan (Prices valid until 31 December 2009) To subscribe send payment to the address above. Tel: +44 (0)1865 843687/Fax: +44 (0)1865 834971 Email: [email protected], or via www.sealingtechnology.info. Subscriptions run for 12 months, from the date payment is received. Periodicals postage is paid at Rahway, NJ 07065, USA. Postmaster send all USA address corrections to: Sealing Technology, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001, USA Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier Global Rights Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: +44 1865 843830, fax: +44 1865 853333, email: [email protected]. You may also contact Global Rights directly through Elsevier’s home page (www.elsevier.com), selecting first ‘Support & contact’, then ‘Copyright & permission’. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payments through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: +1 978 750 8400, fax: +1 978 750 4744, and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP, UK; phone: +44 (0)20 7631 5555; fax: +44 (0)20 7631 5500. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage Permission of the Publisher is required to store or use electronically any material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Science Global Rights Department, at the mail, fax and email addresses noted above. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.
02129 Printed by Mayfield Press (Oxford) Ltd
2
Sealing Technology
New sealing compound takes the pressure
P
recision Polymer Engineering (PPE) has launched a new multi-purpose perfluoroelastomer compound designed to offer both broad chemical resistance and low compression set. Perlast G75M is intended for application in extreme conditions, including high speed rotation, high temperature and high pressure. A compression set figure of 14% is quoted by the company. Potential applications include mechanical seals and multi-substance chemical plants, where it is suggested for pumps, valves, couplings and fittings with the potential for extended maintenance intervals. The modulus and hardness have been optimised to suit the majority of sealing applications and is available as O-rings up to two metre diameter and as custom shapes. Mick Holland, Global Products Manager at PPE comments: ‘The successful development of a multipurpose compound that excels in both chemical resistance and mechanical performance is groundbreaking news for anyone with high performance sealing requirements. We can’t wait to see how G75M transforms our customers’ applications.’
Contact: Precision Polymer Engineering Ltd, Greenbank Road, Blackburn BB1 3EA, UK.. Tel: +44 1254 295402, Fax: +44 1254 680182, Email: [email protected], Web: www.prepol.com.
Turcon MF6 achieves NSF listing
T
urcon MF6 compound has been listed by NSF International as conforming to the requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 51 – Food Equipment Materials. This material is part of a range of materials specifically engineered for demanding processing environments, including food and beverage production. Based on ultra-clean technology, these proprietary compounds are manufactured from high-purity PTFE grades and additives. They are designed to have a smooth finish, with high gloss and low porosity to avoid the risk of contamination build-up and reduce particle shedding. Each batch of material can be issued with a certificate of conformity and offers compliance to FDA 21 CFR177.1550, 3-A, USP Class VI and NSF/ANSI Standard 51. The materials are available as Variseal, a spring-energized sealing element or in other custom profiles. Contact: Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, Handwerkstrasse 5–7, D70565 Stuttgart, Germany. Tel: +49 711 78640, Fax: +49 711 786 4344, Email: [email protected], Web: www.tss.trelleborg.com.
New developments in the fuel cell sector win award
F
reudenberg Fuel Cell Component Technologies KG (FCCT) has won the f-cell Award 2008 for innovative developments in the fuel cell sector.
A new perfluoroelastomer material from PPE offers low compression set and wide chemical resistance.
December 2008
NEWS It won the award for an integrated subassembly that can be manufactured inexpensively and in a function- and quality-assured manner. This significantly increases the functional reliability and durability of the fuel cell. The f-cell Award 2008 comes with EUR15 000 prize money. The company submitted a bipolar plate module with inside-mounted cooling zone and integral seals for consideration in this competition. The sealing technology plays a key role in the development and production of the module. The seals can combine and seal a number of functional parts simultaneously, thereby creating a compact and flexible subassembly. No complex process stages are needed for this innovation. This development meets the requirement for series production of key fuel cell components. The project, which was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, was led by Freudenberg and run in conjunction with two other companies, Schunk and Vliessmann. ‘We are very proud of this award,’ says Dr. Stefan Geiss, head of the Seals for Fuel Cells business unit. ‘With our innovative products, we are advancing developments in the fuel cell sector.’ In addition to the f-cell-Award 2008, Freudenberg recently won another award. The company won third prize in the so-called ‘Poster Session’ with the theme ‘low-viscosity elastomers’ for fuel cell seals. These elastomers will allow for improved processing during seal production. Contact: Freudenberg Dichtungs- und Schwingungstechnik, D69465 Weinheim, Germany. Tel: +49 6201 803631, Fax: +49 6201 883631, Email: gudrun.stadler@freudenberg. de, Web: www.freudenberg-ds.com.
Company News SKF to consolidate automotive seals manufacturing in North America
S
KF has announced plans to transfer the manufacturing of automotive seals products from its facility in Elgin, Illinois, USA to other SKF seals factories in Mexico and the US. This consolidation is considered necessary to remain competitive in the US automotive market. The total cost of these activities amounts
December 2008
to around SKr60 million (US$7.6million), whereof SKr35 million will be taken as restructuring expenses in Q4 this year and SKr25 million during 2009. The annual benefit of the programme, fully implemented from 2010, amounts to around SKr30 million ($3.8million). This consolidation process is expected to take place over a period of 12 months, and will affect about 160 employees out of the 430 employed at the Elgin site. Contact: AB SKF, SE-415 50 Göteborg, Sweden. Tel: +46 31 337 3260, Fax: +46 31 337 1722, Email: ingalill. [email protected], Web: www.skf.com.
Editor’s comment: At the time of writing no information has been made available on the seal operations that may apparently remain in Elgin.
Petroleum Elastomers joins Simrit Oil & Gas
S
imrit Oil & Gas LLC (Simrit), a wholly owned subsidiary of Freudenberg-NOK GP, has announced the acquisition of the assets of Petroleum Elastomers of Houston, a manufacturer of specialized custom sealing components for the oil and gas industry. Petroleum Elastomers produces a wide range of elastomer products but is particularly known for blow out preventers, (BOP), ram packers and spherical packing elements. The company specialises in BOP products operating in extreme conditions, such as snubbing and H2S service, and offers replacement seals for most popular BOPs. Other products include strippers, bonnet seals, top seals and seal kits for the oil and gas industry. ‘The addition of Petroleum Elastomers to Simrit and the Freudenberg-NOK family of companies exemplifies our commitment to grow in the oil and gas industry,’ said Brian Jones, vice president – Oil & Gas of Freudenberg-NOK’s Simrit Division. ‘The company’s products greatly expand our coverage in the oilwell pressure control segment and its workforce brings years of experience to the Oil and Gas team. Likewise, current Petroleum Elastomers customers will now have access to the full array of products we produce in our US, Canada, Norway and Scotland locations.’ All key personnel will remain with Petroleum Elastomers, including Mike Ward, who becomes technology manager and Mike Viator, who will become lead centre manager.
BOB’S BIT
T
he style gurus in charge of editorial content have decided that you would all like an editorial comment column, which now means that you can look forward to some observations from me each month. This is an opportune time to start such a column as in the last month I have attended two meetings at which a major topic of discussion was testing and qualification standards. One was Valve World, reported in the conference section and the second was the ISO TC 131 meetings in London where a draft standard for testing and qualification of O-ring materials was debated. Emission testing of valves, and valve components is obviously a very important topic, but there is the significant problem of proliferation of standards. There is, or I know of; ISO 15848, parts 1 and 2, Shell MESC SPE77/312, API 622, TA Luft/VDI 2440, ISA 93, and ANSI/FCI 91-1. This proliferation causes a significant headache for suppliers, both of sealing products and the valves themselves. The first step is to make sure that we are comparing like with like. The TA Luft/VDI2440 and API 622 are both packing tests in a test rig, they do not qualify a valve. The ISO and Shell tests both test the valve which is surely ultimately important. Some others such as ISA are test methods without specific qualification criteria. It would seem to make sense that what is really required is an effective but sensible pragmatic test and qualification of valves. The ISO 15848 standard is becoming due for five yearly review, so now is the time for both suppliers and users to get involved with their national standards and sort out an ISO standard that could be used worldwide. Proliferation of standards also appears to be happening with elastomer materials. Having published the ISO 3601 geometric standards the Working Group is turning attention to Part 5, the material guidance. This is now being converted to a material qualification standard. There is already an ISO elastomer compatibility standard, ISO 6072, which is very little used. Why introduce another standard when 6072 could be amended to suit? I also found it rather worrying that some of those involved in this work seemed to have little experience of actually applying elastomer testing to real applications. Hopefully common sense will prevail. Bob Flitney
Sealing Technology
3
Editorial Office: Elsevier Ltd The Boulevard, Langford Lane Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK Tel: +44 (0)1865 843239 Fax: +44 (0)1865 843933 Web: www.sealingtechnology.info Editor: Bob Flitney Tel: +44 (0)1799 501659 Email: [email protected] Programme Editor: Steve Barrett, Email: [email protected] Production Editor: Lin Lucas Editorial advisory board: Yves Birembaut (F) • Cyril X Latty (F) Amrat Parmar (UK) • Richard F Salant (USA) Wolfgang Schöpplein (D) • Shuzo Seya (PRC) Scott Svendsen (USA)
Subscription Information An annual subscription to Sealing Technology includes 12 printed issues and online access for up to 5 users. Prices: 1112 for all European countries & Iran US$1247 for all countries except Europe and Japan ¥147 800 for Japan (Prices valid until 31 December 2009) To subscribe send payment to the address above. Tel: +44 (0)1865 843687/Fax: +44 (0)1865 834971 Email: [email protected], or via www.sealingtechnology.info. Subscriptions run for 12 months, from the date payment is received. Periodicals postage is paid at Rahway, NJ 07065, USA. Postmaster send all USA address corrections to: Sealing Technology, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001, USA Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier Global Rights Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: +44 1865 843830, fax: +44 1865 853333, email: [email protected]. You may also contact Global Rights directly through Elsevier’s home page (www.elsevier.com), selecting first ‘Support & contact’, then ‘Copyright & permission’. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payments through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: +1 978 750 8400, fax: +1 978 750 4744, and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP, UK; phone: +44 (0)20 7631 5555; fax: +44 (0)20 7631 5500. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage Permission of the Publisher is required to store or use electronically any material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Science Global Rights Department, at the mail, fax and email addresses noted above. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.
02129 Printed by Mayfield Press (Oxford) Ltd
2
Sealing Technology
New sealing compound takes the pressure
P
recision Polymer Engineering (PPE) has launched a new multi-purpose perfluoroelastomer compound designed to offer both broad chemical resistance and low compression set. Perlast G75M is intended for application in extreme conditions, including high speed rotation, high temperature and high pressure. A compression set figure of 14% is quoted by the company. Potential applications include mechanical seals and multi-substance chemical plants, where it is suggested for pumps, valves, couplings and fittings with the potential for extended maintenance intervals. The modulus and hardness have been optimised to suit the majority of sealing applications and is available as O-rings up to two metre diameter and as custom shapes. Mick Holland, Global Products Manager at PPE comments: ‘The successful development of a multipurpose compound that excels in both chemical resistance and mechanical performance is groundbreaking news for anyone with high performance sealing requirements. We can’t wait to see how G75M transforms our customers’ applications.’
Contact: Precision Polymer Engineering Ltd, Greenbank Road, Blackburn BB1 3EA, UK.. Tel: +44 1254 295402, Fax: +44 1254 680182, Email: [email protected], Web: www.prepol.com.
Turcon MF6 achieves NSF listing
T
urcon MF6 compound has been listed by NSF International as conforming to the requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 51 – Food Equipment Materials. This material is part of a range of materials specifically engineered for demanding processing environments, including food and beverage production. Based on ultra-clean technology, these proprietary compounds are manufactured from high-purity PTFE grades and additives. They are designed to have a smooth finish, with high gloss and low porosity to avoid the risk of contamination build-up and reduce particle shedding. Each batch of material can be issued with a certificate of conformity and offers compliance to FDA 21 CFR177.1550, 3-A, USP Class VI and NSF/ANSI Standard 51. The materials are available as Variseal, a spring-energized sealing element or in other custom profiles. Contact: Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, Handwerkstrasse 5–7, D70565 Stuttgart, Germany. Tel: +49 711 78640, Fax: +49 711 786 4344, Email: [email protected], Web: www.tss.trelleborg.com.
New developments in the fuel cell sector win award
F
reudenberg Fuel Cell Component Technologies KG (FCCT) has won the f-cell Award 2008 for innovative developments in the fuel cell sector.
A new perfluoroelastomer material from PPE offers low compression set and wide chemical resistance.
December 2008
NEWS It won the award for an integrated subassembly that can be manufactured inexpensively and in a function- and quality-assured manner. This significantly increases the functional reliability and durability of the fuel cell. The f-cell Award 2008 comes with EUR15 000 prize money. The company submitted a bipolar plate module with inside-mounted cooling zone and integral seals for consideration in this competition. The sealing technology plays a key role in the development and production of the module. The seals can combine and seal a number of functional parts simultaneously, thereby creating a compact and flexible subassembly. No complex process stages are needed for this innovation. This development meets the requirement for series production of key fuel cell components. The project, which was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, was led by Freudenberg and run in conjunction with two other companies, Schunk and Vliessmann. ‘We are very proud of this award,’ says Dr. Stefan Geiss, head of the Seals for Fuel Cells business unit. ‘With our innovative products, we are advancing developments in the fuel cell sector.’ In addition to the f-cell-Award 2008, Freudenberg recently won another award. The company won third prize in the so-called ‘Poster Session’ with the theme ‘low-viscosity elastomers’ for fuel cell seals. These elastomers will allow for improved processing during seal production. Contact: Freudenberg Dichtungs- und Schwingungstechnik, D69465 Weinheim, Germany. Tel: +49 6201 803631, Fax: +49 6201 883631, Email: gudrun.stadler@freudenberg. de, Web: www.freudenberg-ds.com.
Company News SKF to consolidate automotive seals manufacturing in North America
S
KF has announced plans to transfer the manufacturing of automotive seals products from its facility in Elgin, Illinois, USA to other SKF seals factories in Mexico and the US. This consolidation is considered necessary to remain competitive in the US automotive market. The total cost of these activities amounts
December 2008
to around SKr60 million (US$7.6million), whereof SKr35 million will be taken as restructuring expenses in Q4 this year and SKr25 million during 2009. The annual benefit of the programme, fully implemented from 2010, amounts to around SKr30 million ($3.8million). This consolidation process is expected to take place over a period of 12 months, and will affect about 160 employees out of the 430 employed at the Elgin site. Contact: AB SKF, SE-415 50 Göteborg, Sweden. Tel: +46 31 337 3260, Fax: +46 31 337 1722, Email: ingalill. [email protected], Web: www.skf.com.
Editor’s comment: At the time of writing no information has been made available on the seal operations that may apparently remain in Elgin.
Petroleum Elastomers joins Simrit Oil & Gas
S
imrit Oil & Gas LLC (Simrit), a wholly owned subsidiary of Freudenberg-NOK GP, has announced the acquisition of the assets of Petroleum Elastomers of Houston, a manufacturer of specialized custom sealing components for the oil and gas industry. Petroleum Elastomers produces a wide range of elastomer products but is particularly known for blow out preventers, (BOP), ram packers and spherical packing elements. The company specialises in BOP products operating in extreme conditions, such as snubbing and H2S service, and offers replacement seals for most popular BOPs. Other products include strippers, bonnet seals, top seals and seal kits for the oil and gas industry. ‘The addition of Petroleum Elastomers to Simrit and the Freudenberg-NOK family of companies exemplifies our commitment to grow in the oil and gas industry,’ said Brian Jones, vice president – Oil & Gas of Freudenberg-NOK’s Simrit Division. ‘The company’s products greatly expand our coverage in the oilwell pressure control segment and its workforce brings years of experience to the Oil and Gas team. Likewise, current Petroleum Elastomers customers will now have access to the full array of products we produce in our US, Canada, Norway and Scotland locations.’ All key personnel will remain with Petroleum Elastomers, including Mike Ward, who becomes technology manager and Mike Viator, who will become lead centre manager.
BOB’S BIT
T
he style gurus in charge of editorial content have decided that you would all like an editorial comment column, which now means that you can look forward to some observations from me each month. This is an opportune time to start such a column as in the last month I have attended two meetings at which a major topic of discussion was testing and qualification standards. One was Valve World, reported in the conference section and the second was the ISO TC 131 meetings in London where a draft standard for testing and qualification of O-ring materials was debated. Emission testing of valves, and valve components is obviously a very important topic, but there is the significant problem of proliferation of standards. There is, or I know of; ISO 15848, parts 1 and 2, Shell MESC SPE77/312, API 622, TA Luft/VDI 2440, ISA 93, and ANSI/FCI 91-1. This proliferation causes a significant headache for suppliers, both of sealing products and the valves themselves. The first step is to make sure that we are comparing like with like. The TA Luft/VDI2440 and API 622 are both packing tests in a test rig, they do not qualify a valve. The ISO and Shell tests both test the valve which is surely ultimately important. Some others such as ISA are test methods without specific qualification criteria. It would seem to make sense that what is really required is an effective but sensible pragmatic test and qualification of valves. The ISO 15848 standard is becoming due for five yearly review, so now is the time for both suppliers and users to get involved with their national standards and sort out an ISO standard that could be used worldwide. Proliferation of standards also appears to be happening with elastomer materials. Having published the ISO 3601 geometric standards the Working Group is turning attention to Part 5, the material guidance. This is now being converted to a material qualification standard. There is already an ISO elastomer compatibility standard, ISO 6072, which is very little used. Why introduce another standard when 6072 could be amended to suit? I also found it rather worrying that some of those involved in this work seemed to have little experience of actually applying elastomer testing to real applications. Hopefully common sense will prevail. Bob Flitney
Sealing Technology
3