June 17, 2019 — Southwest Research Institute engineers will give in-booth presentations detailing fluid dynamics research and testing at the 2019 Valve World Americas Expo in Houston from June 19 to 20.
“SwRI’s fluids engineering department works in a wide range of industries, including space exploration and oil and gas,” said Angel Wileman, who heads the Institute’s fluid dynamics group. “At Valve World Americas, our engineers will give a great overview of the Institute’s impressive array of research capabilities in this arena.”
Over the two-day expo, SwRI will give three presentations. Each presentation will be held in the booth and will last about 10 minutes. The first will discuss the design considerations that should be addressed when creating a pressurized flow loop for safety and overpressure protection. This will include an explanation of why designing a safe flow facility in a pressurized situation starts long before pipe is assembled, followed by an in-depth review of potential pressure sources, permissible actions and potential failure modes. The presentation will include case studies on the application of overpressure protection for single-phase liquid and gas flow facilities.
The second presentation will focus on fugitive emissions testing best practices. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the refinery industry was the fourth largest greenhouse gas emission source in 2017. Therefore, it’s critical that new refinery valve designs focus on reducing fugitive emissions. These new valve designs must be tested at realistic conditions to correctly quantify emissions and validate performance. As fugitive emissions testing has evolved to meet changing regulations, new test procedures have introduced new challenges for test facilities. SwRI engineers will discuss the safety and quality-related challenges associated with fugitive emissions testing and proven methods to safely acquire valuable test data.
The final presentation will address best practices for valve fire testing. With more than 25 years of experience conducting valve fire testing, SwRI will outline its extensive fire testing capabilities, including a demonstration of piping diagrams of a fire test stand and instrumentation. Also, because fire testing involves tremendous safety hazards, SwRI engineers will share lessons learned regarding the safe completion of the test procedure.
The Valve World Americas Expo and Conference is aimed at bringing together the leading minds driving innovation and excellence in the fields of valve manufacture, use, maintenance and more. The event focuses on connecting researchers, experts and industry professionals in the valve community. More than 4,000 people are expected to attend.
Visit Southwest Research Institute at the 2019 Valve World Americas Expo and Conference at Booth No. 1701.
For a full schedule of SwRI’s presentations, visit https://www.swri.org/event/valve-world-americas-expo-conference.
To view SwRI’s Fluids Engineering Webinar Series, visit https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0_x4NBJPpPrQCgAJNah38FfCUDy9XN0M
For more information, visit Fluids Engineering or contact Joanna Carver, +1 210 522 2073, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.