SwRI® upgrades piping component fire test facility

For immediate release

San Antonio — December 26, 2002 — Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI) recently completed a $40,000 upgrade to its Piping Component Fire Test Facility. The facility is used to test valves, valve stem packing, pipe flanges, gaskets and other piping-related components to standards from the American Petroleum Institute (607 and 6FA), International Organization for Standardization, and British Standards Institution. The facility can also be used to perform tests to manufacturer-supplied specifications or to modifications of existing standards.

The upgrade includes a completely redesigned supply system for pressurizing a test fixture and a refurbishment of many other parts of the facility.

These upgrades allow us to provide the client with a better test. We can set up and test valves more efficiently and more safely," said Robert Hart, a research engineer in SwRIs Mechanical and Fluids Engineering Department, who oversees operation of the facility.

Probably the biggest improvement is that we can now offer improved accuracy for external leakage measurements," he added.

External leakage is a pass/fail criterion, and it is not possible to measure it directly since this leakage occurs as steam in the fire. Instead, we infer the external leakage rate from a number of other measurements. By carefully designing our facility, we have improved the accuracy of external leakage measurements."

The upgrade also improves the ability to maintain the required test pressure on the valve when the valve is leaking. Insufficient test pressure is another criterion for
failure," Hart said. Facility capabilities include test pressures from 30 to 10,000 psig and flame temperatures from 1,000 to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Test items up to 24 inches in size can be accommodated.

Hart said new instrumentation provides data that allows clients to determine when their valve begins to leak and to estimate the leakage rate. This important diagnostic information was previously unavailable.

SwRI has performed piping component fire testing for nearly 25 years. Since 1978, more than 900 tests have been performed for both domestic and international clients.

To learn more about SwRI fire testing services for the piping component industry, visit our web site at valvetest.swri.org.

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SwRI is an independent, nonprofit, applied research and development organization
based in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 2,700 employees and
an annual research volume of more than $319 million.