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.

Call us or email us. We will be there when you need us-Alliedpipefreezing.

Hot Tapping Procedure

Hot tapping procedures have now become commonplace in several industries and there are several companies that are providing the hot tapping services as well as the equipment. Unfortunately, like in any industry, accidents occur that happen due to improper hot tapping procedures or damaged equipment.

In this procedure, trained and qualified professionals are required who have the knowledge to use the equipment and meet the diverse needs of the industry.  The equipment used for the procedure is safe and reliable and the individuals who are using this equipment must be trained and professional as per the standards of the industry.

Even a slight miscalculation from the side of the workers will result in deep rooted problems. It is important to have an understanding of high pressure systems and to be used in the appropriate manner.

The hot tapping services must be manually operated or assisted and the integrity of the people involved is also important. The workers need to follow a specific code of conduct and keep in with the safety parameters. This holds true for the deep water situations and where the condition of the high pressure lines is unknown. Get in touch with Allied pipe freezing for more information and updates.

Shrink Fitting – A revolutionary way to get the best fit

Are you working in an industry or a process that demands the need for an interference fit? If yes, you must know that the traditional ways of fitting are outdated now with the advent of shrink fitting. Researchers say that the revolutionary method of liquid nitrogen shrink fitting is one of the best and safest methods for assembling as it is inert and therefore considered safe to use in a workshop situation considering there is adequate ventilation.

Before the evolution of this newest method of fitting, there were basically two ways of fitting a component into another – the force fit method or to expand the outer component with heat. Although both these were in use for quite a longer period in industries but they both have disadvantages in that the former can lead to mechanical damage between the two faces and the latter can cause local damage or stress due to uneven or poor heating procedures, as well as the practicalities of heating large frames or housings.

To overcome these issues, shrink fitting was devised to ensure zero damage, as liquid nitrogen has no permanent effect on ferrous or non-ferrous metals. Many studies suggest that this is the most reliable method for interference fit with lesser damage to the metal.

How to fix a dripping hot tap?

This blog will explain to you how to fix a dripping hot tap. If you have a dripping hot tap, then read on to know more about it-

A simple and easy way to stop this is use the process of hot tapping. The process is basically like repairing a cold tap.

The main difference lies in the isolating process. On several old systems, the hot water draws off side of the plumbing and is usually tank fed down to the bottom of the hot water cylinder and usually in low pressure. The feed of the hot water taps is usually through an isolation valve that is present in the airing cupboard, particularly a ¾” or a 22mm gate valve, or a stop tap that is used before or after the hot water cylinder, so as to stop the flow in any of the hot water pipes.

By closing down the suitable valve, the water taps will be isolated from the system. When the valve is shut down, all taps wills top flowing and the washer will be changed as it was before. 

On full sealed and pressurized systems, you must turn off the central heating system by the electric isolation switch.By turning off, both the hot and cold tap will be closed by tuning off the main supply.

Follow these simple tips and get rid of pipes causing problems.