Pipe Tapping – The Secret behind Maintenance Work Carried Out On Live Pipelines

Imagine the mess a leaking sewage pipeline will create if it is left unattended for weeks at end! In thickly packed urban areas in the UK where sewage lines from every single household converges into one large sewage pipeline, maintenance workers cannot risk such disasters to happen. Preemptive measures are taken in order to mitigate disaster situations. You might have seen maintenance workers going working on pipelines and wondered what actually went on behind the scenes. Well, here is a glimpse into what happens when maintenance workers carry out what they call Pipeline Tapping.

Putting a cork on the pressure

Actually, the very first thing that happens in pipeline tapping is cutting a hole through the hard shell of the pipeline. This allows for tools to be inserted through the hole that helps in controlling the pressure within. What this does it makes it quite possible to manipulate the pressure acting along the pipeline, letting workers plan out their work better without causing any disruptions.

One continuous process

Everything in pipeline tapping is one single process that begins with the pilot bit cutting through the pipe shell and ends with the removal of the coupon (section of the pipe that is cut and removed). When the cutter has done its job, subsequent phases of the process is carried out. Adding new pipelines or removing a redundant section can be easily done with pipe tapping. So effective are the methods of Pipeline Isolation that it can be safely and effectively used for pipes that are on the surface as well as those that are under water.

Pipe freezing – the magic of liquid nitrogen

Freezing pipe or pipe freezing is a much-used pipeline service technique, wherein the content of the pipeline system is freezed with the help of liquid nitrogen. This leads to the formation of the ice plugs, which then allow the maintenance work, without incurring the costs and down time of a complete system drain out.

The procedure is non-intrusive in nature, and involves isolating a short section of the affected pipeline. However, the procedure can be performed by only skilled men. Here are the major advantages of freezing pipe procedure:

• No need for drainage, venting or refilling
• Pipe freezing can be applied on all the popular pipe materials and pipes containing a wide range of liquids
• Environmentally friendly solution
• Safe and cost effective

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Under the procedure, the skilled men cover the pipeline with a jacket, and then liquid nitrogen is introduced into the jacket so as to freeze the content of the pipeline. Liquid nitrogen has a temperature of - 196°C, which quite effectively solidifies the content, and let the workmen complete their work.

As of now, there are many companies that provide freezing pipe and other pipeline maintenance services at affordable charges. With Google search, you can find out a lot about these companies, and land on their websites to get to know more about their offerings, and which one would make more sense to your specific business requirements. 
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Make pipeline repairs easy with line stopping services

Do you work in the maintenance department of an oil exploration company? If yes, there are chances that you might come across different complex situations where find no ways other than pausing the entire line flow. In such situations, Line stopping services are of great help as they allow engineers to carry out maintenance or other tasks without the need to disrupt the existing flow in the pipe. In technical language, it is a mechanical method of creating a temporary isolation in a live main, where some flow exists and thus cannot be frozen, or a complete shutdown is not an option.

There are several advantages associated with line stopping and it ensures easy work on a live pipeline without creating the chances of a total shutdown or major disruption to services. Another advantage with this process is that this process can be carried out on a range of materials such as Steel, Cast Iron, Ductile Iron, Copper, Stainless Steel, Plastics and Cement Asbestos.

The most typical way to add any section onto a live pipe is to cut and weld a new joint. But with this revolutionary service, there won’t be any issue of total shutdown which could make a serious impact to your business.

Line Stopping – A great way to avoid the complete shutdown

Have you ever worked on a live pipeline active under high pressure? If yes, you can easily determine the working conditions under such situations. Workings on live pipelines possess heavy danger to the lives of people and it is important to take necessary precaution at the maximum. However, with the advancements in technologies have resulted in greater security and safety and one such technique is line stopping which can be defined as a mechanical way of creating a temporary isolation in a live pipe. This is done of pipelines where some flow exists and there is no possibility of complete freezing, or a total shutdown is out of scope.

The best thing about this process is that an engineer can perform various kind of work on the pipeline while not disturbing its flow which also avoids the chances of complete shutdown. It can be done on most common pipeline materials such as Steel, Cast Iron, Ductile Iron, Copper, Stainless steels, Plastics and Cement Asbestos.

A customized fitting is either welded or bolted to the live pipeline using valves. Under pressure drilling is done whenever required to install the line stopping equipment. In case a bypass is required, it is installed during the initial set up which ensures uninterrupted flow in the main line.

Hot Tapping Pipelines – An Integral part of industry

Particularly in chemicals and gas industry, pipelines play a very great role in maintaining the efficiency of operations. Therefore, it becomes important for plant workers to ensure their working conditions remain normal throughout the operations. Any kind of mechanical failure can result into several losses. Any kind of maintenance work on pipelines sometimes hampers the work in great way by putting the lines idle. So, here comes the need for hot tapping pipelines that allow engineers to carry out various kinds of maintenance or repair work without the need for total shutdown of operations.

This technique is of great value as it doesn’t cause any kind of hindrance to existing work. In fact, it makes way for continuous operations as pressure is thoroughly contained. Engineers can carry out the job in any particular section of the active pipe without shutting down other sections. This process is limited only by the amount of pressure that has to be restricted.

The high level of flexibility makes it the most sought after process among companies as a way of working on pipelines. This process can be done both manually and automatically, and can be performed on both surface pipelines and sub area pipelines. Hot tapping is typically performed on materials such as carbon steel, stainless steel, cement lined pipe, fiberglass, or plastic pipes.

What pipe freezing is all about?

There are hundreds of industrial applications where pipelines play a crucial in keeping the processes running and active. Any downtime in the pipeline flow may result in huge monetary loss. For example, there is always a scope for maintenance work for which a specific time slot is allocated. The most typical way to carry out any kind of work on a live pipe is to stop the flow and then do the required work in that time period. But today’s competitive industrial environment demands for always up time and zero breakdown. But still accidents never come announced. So here comes the need of a technology that allows engineers to do their regular job on a live pipeline without hindering the running flow in the pipe.

One such process is Pipe Freezing which is defined as an intrusive, controlled method of separating a section of pipe, by solidifying the pipe contents to form a secure ice plug which in turn holds the liquid flow whilst a maintenance work is carried out. The best thing about pipe freezing process is that even a big job can be carried out without causing much disturbance to regular activities at the premises.

During the process, a jacket is fitted around the pipe section to be freeze. There after liquid nitrogen is introduced into the jacket to freeze the contents of the pipe. This process is found to be very effective in industries where shutting down the line even for few minutes can result in severe losses.

Hot Tapping – Playing a vital in oil exploration industry

In today’s digital environment, technology plays a vital role and makes our lives easy. Recently I came to know about hot tapping technology which is used to manage high pressure lines. With the use of this technology, engineers can easily carry out maintenance work on high-pressure liquid or gas pipes without interrupting the flow. Today, this technology is playing a great role by saving lives of hundreds of people working in the industry by allowing easy management of these lines. 

One of my friends works at an oil rig and he told me about each and every aspect of hot tapping and hot tap connection. It is basically a process in which a live pipe connection is cut without having to turn off of material through it. As we know working on high-pressure lines pose greater risks to worker’s lives, this method has proven to be safe and trustworthy. In addition, there won’t be any kind of interruption to the material passing through; it doesn’t hamper the ongoing work. 

Operations like deep water oil and gas exploration are perfect for hot tapping procedures considering the complexity of the work involved. It is not only useful in repairing lines, but also helpful in blow-outs and other malfunctions. There are numerous cases in the past where this technology played a great role in managing the things greatly.

Carry out maintenance work on running pipelines with pipeline isolation

There are numerous cases when the situations demand for pipeline shutdown such as regular maintenance work or any unexpected accident. People start fretting as soon as the line stops and it hampers lots of activities in turn. If that is the case with you, you can analyze the loss it could do to your operations. In addition, your precious time gets wasted on managing things in another way.

In such cases, pipeline isolation emerges out as a great option. This is done by linestopping or pipefreezing. This is a technical process of acquiring the pipeline isolation in a live pipe, so that you don’t have to stop the operations. In other words, you can continue with your maintenance work without any hassles or loss of time while your operations continue as usual. 

The best part of pipefreezing is that it causes zero disruption to running services and nothing gets wasted at all. In addition, this process can be carried out on almost all the pipelines and materials such as iron, steel, concrete, stainless steel etc. Due to its high usability, this is being used on large basis across many industries. 

Though there are many options available other than this - Stopple, shrink fitting, under pressure drilling and a lot more. Typically one particular process in chosen depending on the situation and the industry. All you need to do is to ensure that you are dealing with a prominent and experienced company that will not allow your work to suffer.

What does hot tapping mean?

Hot tapping is also commonly referred to as pressure tapping. It is a way by which you connect to the present pipelines or the containers without the requirement to vacate the section of the connected pipe or the vessel. This means that you can work on the line without the need to shut down the complete system. This process can be really done on the pipes that are carrying the water, sewage, natural gas, steam, chemicals and even the petroleum products.

This process can be done on any of the pipes without the need for any particular material. This operation can be performed on the offshore platforms, gas production plants and even in the refineries and even in any other pace where a pressurized tubular system is present.

This is the first step in the hot tapping which is used to make the hole saw so as to make a hole in the pipe where a plugging lead is put inside. It also permits the pressure to be limited, vented and it can even be removed from the live system.

It offers several benefits like it permits varied operations as the pressure is just contained. The work can be performed on that section of the pipe without the need to shut down any other operations.

Hot tapping - the lifeline of oil & gas industry!

Oil & gas industry has seen the growth that only a handful of industries have seen. Every day new pipelines, new oil & gas connections are added to new places, to new customers. The industry players have also learnt new ways to overcome the common problems such as the difficult that would arise when a pipeline would start leading and stopping the entire pipeline wouldn’t be a feasible idea. Hot tapping services have become the standard norm to handle such mishaps.

Under hot tapping, the maintenance team would ensure that the pipeline maintenance and repairs is done in the minimal time and without having to restore to options like complete shutdown. How things would have been had hot tapping not been around for the industry that regularly needs assistance for the damaged, leaked pipelines.

Apart from hot tapping, companies have other options such as Pipe Freezing, Line Stopping, and Shrink Fitting. Please note that hot tapping is also known in the market as Under Pressure Drilling. Depending on the nature of the pipeline, content, and damage caused, maintenance team would choose the most-appropriate method for the repairs.

The good thing is that there are many companies out there in the marketplace that offer these services. So, it should not take you long to find the one that best serves your business interests.

How the systems of hot tapping function?

Hot tapping is a procedure that is also known as pressure tapping and it is a means to connect the present pipelines or any kind of vessel. In this form there is no need to empty out the connected section of the pipe or even the vessel for that matter. This would mean that the work can be completed on the line without the need to shut down the whole system.

This process can be carried over on to the sewage, natural gas, steam, chemicals, petroleum products, and even any other kind of products. This process can also be completed on the offshore platforms, gas production plants, refineries etc.

The first step in the line stopping process is to use a whole saw and to make that hole in the pipe you need to insert a plugging head. This helps in getting the pressure to be contained, vented, and even removed out of the live system.

Hot tapping services give a lot of diverse benefits and firstly it permits to have multiple operations till the time the pressure is totally contained. The work can be done in such a way where the operations need not be stopped in the middle of it. If you’re in need of adding such a pipe to your operations, then you can do that by getting in touch with the service provider.

Hot Tapping – reasons you can’t do without hot tapping

Hot Tapping is not a new concept; but, still there is a large number of gas, water, and chemical companies in the UK that still have no idea about how beneficial hot tapping could be, for them, for their pipes.

Hot Tapping is an innovative method to repair a pipe that is carrying gas, water, or chemicals at high temperatures and under pressure. When complete shutdown doesn’t make sense, Hot Tapping comes into the scene!

With specialised tools, the affected part is repaired by creating a temporary by-pass so that business customers do not have to suffer. Hot Tapping can be performed on almost all sorts of pipes, such as iron pipes, stainless steel pipes, concrete pipes, etc.

Hot Tapping ensures minimal disruption to the work, minimal loss of content, and time. There is a large number of companies that are into Hot Tapping Service. They can work as your extended team. Or, you can outsource all the repairs & pipeline related work to a selected service-provider.

Here is a quick list of Hot Tapping Advantages –
• Minimal down time
• Reduces disruptions on main systems
• Job can be completed without leakage or loss of flow
• Can be used on all pipes such as concrete, plastic, iron, steel, etc
• For pipelines carrying liquids at high temperatures and under pressure

What is Shrink fitting?

At times when in industries an interference fitting is required on some products, then shrink fitting as a method is used. Traditionally, when you’ve to fit a product, then at that time force is applied. Or else the process of expansion of the outer component is done with heat.

To talk about disadvantages, both these methods have their own. The former one causes mechanical damage between the two products that is used. Whereas, the other one can cause local damage or some other kind of stress, due to the poor heating procedures. Other than that the practical aspects of heating large frames or houses, must also be considered.

Every industry using the traditional methods must consider the option of shrink fitting.When this method is used, then the component that is found inside is dipped in the liquid nitrogen bath at -196 degree C.

It is known to be one of the safest methods for assembly. It is an inert process and is also quiet safe to be used in the workshop, for the purpose of sufficient ventilation.The materials that are used in this process do not suffer any kind of damage. The liquid nitrogen that is used does not have any permanent effects on the materials like ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

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