Correlation Study for Different Test Medias Used in Fugitive Emission Packings

The most widely used standards for certifying packings in low fugitive emissions applications are API 622 and ISO 15848-1. Despite being a straightforward test, API 622 only permits testing with methane. ISO 15848-1, on the other hand, offers a wider range of mechanical and thermal cycling procedures and also allows testing with both helium and methane. Even though the possibility of using different test media, the standard clearly states that there is no intended performance correlation between the two gases. Hydrogen’s growing role as a clean energy carrier in the global shift toward decarbonization highlights its critical importance for the sealing industry. As hydrogen infrastructure rapidly expands, covering production, storage, and transportation, the need for reliable sealing solutions becomes more urgent. Currently, there is no globally accepted test standard to evaluate packing performance with hydrogen. Due to hydrogen’s small molecular size and high diffusivity, it raises significant challenges to traditional sealing materials and designs. This paper aims to compare different test medias used to evaluate the performance of compression packings. A static sealability test based on the EN13555 standard is proposed to obtain sealability levels on valve packings, and the influence of the test media used is discussed comparing helium, methane and hydrogen. Additionally, a fugitive emission test is performed using the ISO 15848-1 cycling procedure, further comparing the behavior of packings with different gases.