Common Hazards Associated With Pipe Freezing

Hot tap into valves on wellheads, tubing, trees, and on almost any application needed, with no interruption of service. Pre-planning for the job includes evaluation, procedure, equipment and safety measures because the job is not without its hazards. Risks and hazards extend beyond injury to technicians in some serious cases; Freezing Pipe incidents can lead to product loss, emissions or disruption of service to customers. What are these incidents that have been known to disrupt services and lead to loses?

Physical injuries

As in any workplace that deals with metallic objects, technicians working in a hot tapping environment are vulnerable to the physical risks of falls and trips, accidents that are caused by heavy objects falling on the feet among many other things. These can be easily avoided with a little care and adherence to workplace guides put in place by work safety and care governmental organizations. Debris flying from solid parts can very easily enter the eye or nose of a technician. Apart from that there are other hazards as well. 

Burns caused by exposure to high temperatures
 

Hot metal parts or the heat emanating from the hole-saw is enough to cause serious scalding on the skin and despite protective gear a Pipe Freezing technician may be exposed to hazards of burns if they position themselves too close to the source of heat. In very serious cases, sparks flying from welding devices have been known to catch fire. Hot chunks of metal that get caught up in clothes can cause a fire. Rolled up sleeves and frayed clothes are even at a higher risk of catching fire.

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.

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.

Think Hot Tapping Services When Shutdown is not Viable (or Possible)

Yes, it is very much possible to install a connection to a live pipe, without resorting to a complete shutdown. Yes, you heard it right. And, the trick here is to use Hot Tapping Services. Must have heard about it, haven’t you?

Under Hot Tapping, or Under Pressure Drilling, the purpose is to do some modifications or maintenance work to a live pipeline or pipelines. And, under this process, there is no need to resort to a complete shutdown. Just imagine the kind of losses one can incur, if operations need to be stalled for the maintenance work! In addition, ‘Hot Tapping’ can be done on almost any type of pipe, including Iron, Steel, Plastic, and Concrete, whilst the system is in operation.

Allied Pipefreezing: A leading provider of Hot Tapping Services in the UK

We’re here for many years, serving industries in the UK, with our state-of-the-art onsite pipeline isolation and intervention services. Our wide spectrum of services include Hot Tapping Services (or Under Pressure Drilling), Pipefreezing, Line Stopping, Tank Tapping, and Wall Tapping.

Line Stopping: Re-routing while operations continue

Line stopping is a fantastic way of obtaining a positive isolation in a live pipeline, and in a situation where shutdown is not possible. A bypass can be created for maintaining the flow of operations. And, thus, there is no disruption of services. It is to be noted that Line stopping can be used on almost all pipes, such as Steel, Copper, Plastics, Cement, and Cast Iron. 

See below for all benefits that Line Stopping offers:

• No need for shutdown
• No interruption to customers and industry
• Can be used on almost all types of pipes, such as Iron and Steel
• Can be applied to all types of pipe contents, such as liquid and gasses
• No drain down and associated waste problems

At Allied Pipefreezing, we understand your needs better. We really do. And, we offer smart solutions for all your problems. We examine the situation and offer the tailor-made (and most appropriate) solutions.

We’re a nation-wide specialist provider of onsite pipeline isolating and intervention services. From pipe freezing, under pressure drilling to wall tapping, line stopping and hot tapping, we offer you it all, at highly competitive prices.

Hot tapping services – The best way to add an intersection into a running pipe

Many people think of hot tap services as pressure tapping. It is generally the process of adding an intersection into an existing pipe without restricting the flow of any gases of liquids in the pipe. This process is carried out very carefully as a small error can lead to serious complications. 

In the conventional method of adding an intersection, one needs to shut down the entire pipeline. However in case of hot tapping services, you don’t need to stop the services as it works even if line in active. As a result, the downtime brings down to zero. The pilot process can continue in other parts of the processes without interrupting the flow of the crucial chemicals stored in the pipes. 

There is only one drawback of hot tapping services that the pressure within the pipes must be of 15,000 PSI. This is acceptable for pipes that are four inches in diameter and pipes that are four feet in diameter, as long as the pressure is below than the maximum limit then a hot tapping clamp will be used.    

According to experts, hot tap connection and services are not meant for huge industrial applications. One important thing not to forget is that never try to do it yourself. Always seek the help of a professional to carry out this task.