Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI) recently completed a USD 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 pressurising
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 SwRI’s 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.
