Southwest Research Institute’s (SwRI) flow component testing facilities added a cell for testing valves and other pressure-containing and pressure-controlling products. The new test cell is identical to one completed in July 2012, and was added to meet an increasing demand for the test services.
SwRI has offered these testing services to the oil and gas and chemical industries for nearly 40 years. “This new test cell, dubbed cell C, complements a suite of test facilities housed in one centralized location”, said Shane Siebenaler, manager of the Fluid Dynamics Section in SwRI’s Mechanical Engineering Division. “We test various products to API, ASME, ANSI and ISO standards.”
The cell is capable of evaluating products up to 30,000 psi with gas hydraulic pressure. Other capabilities include cryogenic testing to –195°C, elevated temperature testing up to 400°C, fugitive emissions testing and thermal cycling, among others.
The cell is 15ft wide by 15ft deep by 25ft high, and has a 5-ton crane, a crew access door and a large equipment door. “The door is large enough to allow the use of forklifts for moving in heavy test articles. The cell is also designed to withstand a blast load in the event of a catastrophic pressure release”, Siebenaler added.
