Lightweight Piping Isolation Test Tools Ensured Safety during Maintenance Shutdown
Customer
Location
Challenge
During a shutdown, it is important to conduct effective piping isolation. If a pipe run is isolated and drained of its product but left uncleaned and open, it poses potential risks such as residual vapour finding its way to tees and flanges during hot work, which would be very hazardous.
An oil and gas service company in Malaysia needed piping isolation and testing solutions for four processing units across two project sites. It was required for a scheduled maintenance at one of the sites, while the other site needed it urgently to mitigate an emergency. The previous piping isolation method that was used resulted in flaws in the pipeline integrity, causing leakages and costing the site to run at a lower capacity.
They needed a safe and reliable solution that was easy to operate.
Solution
To recommend the right tools for the job, the Enerpac team held discussions with the company to understand their requirements, in areas such as pipe material, thickness, and condition, i.e. traces of scale etc. The processing units had pipes ranging from 10” to 16” in diameter.
To handle the pipe diameters and schedules used in oil refining and petrochemical industries, service companies traditionally needed an extensive number of tools. However, the individual tools in the Enerpac Mechanical Isolation and Test Tools (MITT) Series cover up to 6 different pipe schedules, allowing a vast number of applications to be carried out with up to 33% fewer tools. Compared with others on the market, the MITT Series offers the potential to work on many more applications. This is achieved through the higher working pressure of the tools (up to 4500psi), and their shorter length which makes them suitable for use within elbows and tees.
After pipe cutting, the MITT tool is inserted and seals are activated to maintain a vapour barrier. Residual vapour within the piping is vented to a safe area and eliminates a build-up of back-pressure. Hot work is then carried out safely. The MITT tools were also used for pressure testing and the commissioning of a new pipeline.
The company was pleased with the lightweight and slim design, which was about 1/5 of the weight of the tools they used previously. Setup and disassembly of the MITT tools were also easier and required less manpower and time, enabling them to carry out 32 welding procedures in 1 week.
The Enerpac MITT tools are a safer, cost-effective, and more convenient inline piping isolation and testing solution.
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