The DVGW

Your network of excellence in the gas and water industry

The DVGW supports the gas and water industry in all technical and scientific areas. The main focus of the Association’s work is on safety and hygiene as well as environmental and consumer protection. The DVGW elaborates technical rules designed to promote the technical self-management of the German gas and water industry, thus ensuring the safe and secure supply of gas and water according to the highest international standards. The Association, which was founded in 1859, currently has approximately 14,000 members. The DVGW is free from economic and political influences.

www.dvgw.de/english-pages

DVGW Research Center at Engler-Bunte-Institut of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
DVGW Research Center at Engler-Bunte-Institut of KIT
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Testing of a wrapping material
Materials testing
Bubble formation during a leak test
Leak test on a pipe joint © Matthias Bitsch

Materials for gas-conducting components and auxiliary supplies that are primarily used in gas supply and gas installation are tested according to national and international standards in the Test Laboratory Gas.

Besides testing non-metallic materials, such as used elastomers as sealing and diaphragm materials, gaskets based on synthetic fibres, graphite, PTFE or cork rubber as well as liquid gas, laboratory and safety hoses and corrosion protection coatings, testing also extends to auxiliary supplies, such as lubricants for gas fittings, sealants and leak detection compounds as well as odorants.

Hydrogen – energy source of the future

To study how hydrogen interacts with materials, we develop test methods and conduct tests with hydrogen and hydrogenated natural gas (e.g. permeation tests).

 

Our employees collaborate in research programmes to establish the basis for test standards. The most recent research projects are:

The specialist material testing laboratory of the Test Laboratory Gas has test equipment for, among other things:

  • Tensile strength and elongation at break
  • Hardness, compression set in cold and heat, stress relaxation of elastomers
  • Resistance to ozone
  • Tightness and relaxation behaviour of gaskets
  • Elution in various media
  • Ageing of materials
  • Mechanical strength
  • Cathodic disbondment
  • Specific electrical insulation resistance
  • Peel strength
  • Burst pressure of reinforced diaphragms and coating materials
  • Elasticity and resiliency
  • Flash point determination
  • Viscosity determination
  • Surface tension of liquids
  • Material characterisation (FTIR, DSC, TGA)
  • Permeation
  • Elastomeric sealing and diaphragm materials (e.g. DIN EN 549, DIN EN 682, DVGW G 5406, DIN EN 681-1)
  • Gaskets based on synthetic fibres, graphite, PTFE and cork rubber (e.g. DIN 3535-6, DIN 30653, DIN 3535-5)
  • Liquid gas, laboratory and safety hoses (e.g. DIN EN 16436-1)
  • Lubricants for gas fittings (EN 377, DIN 3536)
  • Sealing materials for thread connections (EN 751-1 / ..-2 / ..-3)
  • Sealing profiles (DIN 30654)
  • Foam producing solutions for leak detection (DIN 14291)
  • Odorants (DIN EN 13734)
  • Cold-applied plastic, petrolatum or bitumen tapes (e.g. DIN EN 12068, DIN EN ISO 21809-3)
  • Heat-shrinking materials as sleeves, hoses, formed parts, repair patches (e.g. DIN EN 12068, DIN EN ISO 21809-3)
  • External coatings (e.g. DIN EN ISO 21809-1)
  • Sleeves for subsequent sealing of pipes (DIN 30658-2)
  • Inliner for repairing gas pipelines (DIN 30658-1)

Find out about the organisations with which the research center is accredited here

Contacts
Specific questions on testing corrosion protection coatings
Jörg Riedl
Gastechnologie ∙ Materialprüfung ∙ Prüfingenieur
Phone+49 721 608-41290
Materialprüfungen mit Wasserstoff
Sonja Lutz
Gastechnologie ∙ Materialprüfung ∙ Prüfingenieurin
Phone+49 721 608-41290