TA Luft / VDI 2440 vs ISO 15848-1 – What is the difference between the standards?

TA Luft / VDI 2440 vs ISO 15848-1 – What is the difference between the standards?

Ramén Ball Sector valve recently became certified according to the German directive TA Luft / VDI 2440 and the international standard ISO 15848-1. Both standards seek to classify valve performance regarding fugitive emissions leakage to atmosphere. But how do they really differ? We sort it out for you in the comparison below.

TA Luft / VDI 2440

  • Is a German national directive with the associated test procedure VDI 2440. This directive was established in 1964 and until 2006 it was the only acknowledged industry standard for valves used to classify fugitive emissions leakage to atmosphere.
  • The directive specifies how much a stem or gland is allowed to leak, though it is not specified under which circumstances. Instead, it is up to the manufacturer to test the parts under the conditions that they think the product is manufactured for. This can be considered by many to be arbitrary as it will then be up to each individual manufacturer to decide under which conditions leak tests are performed.
  • TA luft does not specify for how many mechanical or thermic test cycles the valve have to undergo in order to pass testing.

ISO 15848-1

  • Is an international standard that was established in 2006. This standard was implemented due to an increased demand for sustainable valves. The lack of a harmonized standard to verify and classify the environmental impact of leakage to atmosphere from valves was the main motivator behind it.
  • In contrast to TA luft, to which some might be considered arbitrary, the ISO 15848-1 is a much more stringent in which the terms and conditions of testing is clearly stated. The testing can be conducted in three different classes where temperature and pressure are varied between room temperature and test temperature, as well as atmospheric pressure to PN pressure.
  • Many consider that the testing procedure for this standard better indicates what the the overall performance of the valve, since all valves are tested in the exact same manner.

Quality assurance at Ramén Valves

Read more about how we assure the quality of our products here. The TA Luft and ISO 15848-1 certificates is another important marker in how much we value delivering high quality and highly sustainable products to our customers.

Information source is the Swedish industry association Armaturföreningen.