The Structural Integrity and Leakage Tightness of Metallic and Non-metallic Piping Joints

全球变暖是当前最大的世界性挑战之一。二氧化硫、一氧化碳、氮氧化物和挥发性有机化合物等主要污染物的逃逸一直受到许多批评，因为这些物质不仅对大气和环境构成重大威胁，而且对人类健康和安全具有很高的风险。这些污染物中有相当一部分来自压力设备泄漏，如压力容器、管道、管接头、法兰、阀门和配件。这项研究计划揭示了不同连接方式的管道系统的完整性和泄漏密封性的复杂性。对要求密封合规的设备的需求不断增加，以及对逃逸排放的新的严格环境法规，导致了一种新的密封技术在世界范围内的发展。随着由聚合物和复合材料制成的非金属管道在家庭、海水淡化、化工甚至核电站服务中的普遍使用，需要开发基于紧密性的管道接头和连接及其鉴定工具的设计方法成为当务之急。密封技术的前沿研究主要集中在开发新的密封材料上，而其合格工具和操作所在的管道接头的设计程序仍处于初级阶段。这项研究计划致力于开发基于性能的实际实验测试程序，以鉴定密封材料并改进管道接头的设计程序。这是通过在我们用于垫圈和非垫圈接头的专用试验台上进行的实验测试来实现的。还将开发分析和数值模型，以捕捉重要趋势。它们不仅将作为预测和优化工具，而且与实验工作相结合，将补充本研究计划中涵盖的管道接头设计和制造所需的参数的微调。为了确保压力容器和管道系统的长期可靠性和安全性，应聘者不仅致力于开发符合实际的测试程序来鉴定密封产品，还致力于实现管道接头现代设计计算中所需的复杂程度。随着新的密封和结构材料的发展，以适应压力容器和管道行业中遇到的广泛应用，需要更新现有标准。这项研究计划旨在解决北美目前使用的代码设计程序的明显差距和缺陷。它提供了改进管道接头符合减少挥发性有机化合物法规的建议。这项工作旨在降低加拿大人的健康和环境风险，并帮助加拿大工业提供尖端的压力容器技术和高素质劳动力的咨询。

Global warming is currently one of the biggest universal challenges. The escape of primary pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds has been the subject of a lot of criticism as these substances represent not only a major threat to the atmosphere and the environment but a high risk to human health and safety. A significant amount of these pollutants comes from pressure equipment leaks such as pressure vessels, piping, tube joints, flanges, valves and fittings. This research program unravels the complexity of the integrity and leakage tightness of the different connection styles of piping systems. The increasing demand for equipment requiring sealing compliance and the new strict environmental regulations on fugitive emissions have led to the development of a new sealing technology worldwide. With the ubiquitous use of non-metallic piping fabricated from polymeric and composite materials for the domestic, desalination, chemical and even nuclear power plant services, the need to develop tightness-based design methodologies of piping joints and connections and their qualification tools becomes a priority. The cutting-edge research in sealing technology is focused essentially on developing new sealing materials while their qualification tools and design procedures of piping joints in which they operate remain rudimentary. This research program treats the development of realistic experimental test procedures based on performance to qualify sealing materials and improve design procedures of piping joints. This is achieved by experimental testing that is conducted in our special purpose test rigs for gasketed and non-gasketed joints. The analytical and numerical modelling will also be developed to capture important trends. They will not only serve as predictive and optimization tools but coupled to the experimental work complement the fine-tuning of the parameters required for design and fabrication of the piping joints covered in this research program. To ensure the long-term reliability and safety of pressure vessels and piping systems, the candidate strives not only to develop realistic test procedures to qualify sealing products but implement the level of sophistication needed in modern design calculations of piping joints. With the development of new sealing and structural materials to accommodate the wide range of applications encountered in the pressure vessel and piping industry, there is a need to update existing standards. This research program seeks to address the glaring gaps and shortcomings of current code design procedures used in North America. It provides recommendations to improve piping joints conformity to regulations on the reduction of volatile organic compounds. This work is an effort to reduce health and environmental risks to Canadians and help the Canadian industry provide leading edge pressure vessel technologies and consulting with a highly qualified workforce.