TPi January 2017

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January 2017 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL 43
products & developments
Purging large diameter pipes for welding
Waiting for pipes to be purged ready for
welding can take hours, depending on
the diameter of the pipe being welded
and the method chosen for purging.
Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT)
designs and manufactures a range of
QuickPurge® inflatable pipe purging
systems that reduce waiting times.
The company was recently tasked with
a special project in the USA, where
pipes with 90° elbows up to 54" Ø were
required to be purged.
Georgia Gascoyne, CEO at HFT, said,
“We manufactured QuickPurge systems
with longer sleeves so that they could
easily be pulled around the sharp
bends in the pipework. The welders
were previously spending half a day
purging the pipe, which was costing a
considerable amount in time and gas
costs. With the help of QuickPurge the
pipe was purged down to 100 ppm
ready for welding in just 55 minutes. The
dramatic savings in time and argon paid
for the system in just one weld.”
QuickPurge has an additional gas input
line, which means extra purge gas can
be introduced for applications such as
this, achieving a faster purge down
to the lowest oxygen levels, which is
suitable for larger diameter pipes where
quality welds are required.
The design of the QuickPurge system
means that zero-colour welds can be
achieved, and there will be no loss of
corrosion resistance caused by oxidation.
Using IntaCal® combined with the
integrated PurgeGate® device makes
it possible to safely inflate the dams
with argon gas, for purging the space
between the dams where the weld joint
is located. With PurgeGate, burst dams
are prevented in the event of undue
pressure increase or accidental flow
increase of the purging gas.
All systems are manufactured as
standard with a hose for connecting
a Weld Purge Monitor®, which can
read oxygen levels down to as low
as 10 ppm, depending on the model.
Materials used in the manufacture
of QuickPurge are resistant to the
higher weld temperatures present, and
they do not outgas, preventing weld
contamination.
For pre-heated chrome steel and high
strength stainless steel pipe joints,
HFT designs and manufactures the
HotPurge™ range for a higher and
longer temperature exposure.
Huntingdon Fusion Techniques – UK
Technical manual for water network
design and use
Molecor has published the Technical
Manual Of Network Design And Use for
TOM® PVC Oriented Pipes.
The manual collects exclusive
technology applied to its production,
and the properties of the pipes;
range, features, benefits, applications,
fitness for use and sustainability;
and offers a wide range of practical
cases in mechanical and hydraulic
calculations, in order to help users in
the design of water pressure networks.
The new technology allows manu-
facturing of pipes with nominal
diameter of 500, 630 and 800mm up
to 25 bars pressure.
Molecor claims that TOM PVC-O Pipe is
the best solution for the conveyance of
water under pressure due to advantages
such as resistance to impact, high
hydraulic capacity, better performance
to water hammer, high chemical
resistance, complete water tightness,
head loss and easy installation. The
pipes are manufactured in a wide range
of nominal pressures (12.5, 16, 20
and 25 bars), and diameters from 90
to 800mm. The technical manual can
be downloaded via the company’s
website.
Molecor Tecnologia SL – Spain
HFT’s QuickPurge systems