TPi November 2014

developments products &

250 x 250mm branch saddle

Electrofusion equal branch saddle Pipeline services specialist RadiusPLUS has carried out the first installation of its 250 x 250mm MiniMuss equal branch saddle on an existing potable water main feeding approximately 3,000 properties in the Severn Trent Water area of Coppenhall near Stafford, UK. Tim Randle, Radius’s development technician who has been working on perfecting the 250 x 250mm branch saddle, explained, “We’ve developed a fitting with enhanced features to facilitate installation in confined and congested spaces. We’ve come up with a new slimline fitting design which offers a first-class solution for branch connections whilst retaining maximum fusion integrity.”

a flow stopping operation, construct a by-pass and weld a large tee with all the other associated fittings. Our new MiniMuss equal branch saddle offers network operators a solution for under-pressure connection with a much reduced excavation footprint, lower installation time and costs and no disruption to their customers.” MiniMuss, for gasandwater applications, offers advantages for repairs and new connections to lateral pipelines, air valve and hydrant connections, and can also be used to deploy flow stopping tools during repair or diversion operations.

This innovation offers a size-for-size under-pressure connection to lateral pipelines, and is an alternative to standard equal tee installations. The branch saddle can be installed while the pipeline is under pressure, with no requirements for expensive and time- consuming flow stopping operations, and zero interruption to water supply, which helps Severn Trent Water achieve its ‘Always On’ commitment to its customers.

RadiusPLUS’s head of operations, Dave Sykes, added, “This is another exciting UK first development for RadiusPLUS and great news for our gas and water utility customers. Traditionally, where network analysis specifies a full bore connection, the only option available was to carry out

radiusPlus ltd – UK radiusplus@radius-systems.com www.radius-plus.co.uk

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Tube ProducTs INTerNaTIoNal November 2014

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