Overview
ISO 15848-2:2015 defines the production acceptance test for industrial valves to control fugitive emissions. It specifies factory-level test procedures to evaluate external leakage from valve stems/shafts and body joints of isolating and control valves intended for use with volatile air pollutants and hazardous fluids. End-connection joints, vacuum service, corrosion and radiation effects are explicitly excluded. The standard is intended for standard production valves whose fugitive emissions requirements are specified by the purchaser.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope precondition: Valves tested in production must be of a design that has already passed type testing per ISO 15848-1.
- Sampling: Percentage of samples is agreed between manufacturer and purchaser; minimum one valve per lot, chosen at random by type, pressure class and nominal diameter.
- Test medium: Helium gas, minimum 97% purity (by volume).
- Leak detection method: Sniffing (helium sniffing) as specified in ISO 15848-1, Annex B. Results are expressed in ppmv (parts per million by volume).
- Test pressure and temperature:
- Default test pressure: 6 bar (unless otherwise agreed).
- Test temperature: ambient, as defined in ISO 15848-1.
- Stem seal (shaft) test procedure:
- Valve placed half-open and pressurized; sniff-test stem/shaft seals.
- Cycle: fully open and close the valve five times under pressure, return to half-open, then re-measure.
- Acceptance based on leakage classes (Table 1):
- Class A: ≤ 50 ppmv (typically bellows or equivalent for quarter-turn valves)
- Class B: ≤ 100 ppmv (typically packings, elastomer or PTFE seals)
- Class C: ≤ 200 ppmv (typically flexible graphite packings)
- If measured leakage exceeds the selected class, the lot fails; corrective actions or rejection follow.
- Body joint leakage:
- Measured at half-open and pressurized after stabilization.
- Acceptance criterion (Table 2): ≤ 50 ppmv.
- Marking and certification:
- Only valves that have passed ISO 15848-1 type qualification and ISO 15848-2 production tests may be marked accordingly.
- Manufacturer can provide a certificate of conformity on buyer request.
Applications and who uses it
ISO 15848-2 is used for:
- Valve manufacturers - production quality control and lot acceptance testing.
- Procurement and QA/QC teams - specification and verification of fugitive-emission performance for purchased valves.
- Plant operators and asset owners in oil & gas, petrochemical, chemical and other industries handling volatile or hazardous fluids - to ensure compliance with emissions limits and to select appropriate sealing technologies.
- Third-party test laboratories and inspectors - to perform standardized factory acceptance testing (FAT) and generate conformity documentation.
Keywords: ISO 15848-2:2015, fugitive emissions testing, industrial valves, production acceptance test, helium sniffing, stem seal leakage classes, ppmv, valve production testing, ISO 15848-1.
Related standards
- ISO 15848-1:2015 - System of classification and type qualification test procedures for fugitive emissions (referenced normative document for sniffing method and classification).
Open preview (PDF)Industrial valves — Measurement, test and qualification procedures for fugitive emissions — Part 2: Production acceptance test of valves