Global bolted joint integrity specialist Hydratight has introduced an equipment rental program which will allow US customers to lower costs of online bolt renewal operations by up to 40%.
Hydratight has previously only provided access to its highly innovative MorSafe™ clamps through its hot-bolting service, which has strictly only been performed by Hydratight technicians. To meet industry demands in a lower-cost market, the company is now offering to train client technicians to properly assess risk in online bolt renewal operations and utilize the MorSafe™ clamps to safely upgrade corroded bolting on live systems.
The MorSafe™ clamps consist of segments, which fully surround the flange and hold it tightly in place while corroded or damaged bolts are removed and replaced. The clamps allow bolt maintenance to be performed without any damage, leakage or interruption to daily production in oil and gas, nuclear and power generation plants. They can be rented in all sizes, with four-inch and eight-inch compatible models most commonly requested.
They are rated to all possible pressures and designed for temperatures between -101ºC (-150ºF) and 250ºC (480ºF). All models are designed to be light-weight, compact and minimise the possibility of disturbing the gasket, by using back-stops to prevent clamp pre-load from being transferred directly to the flange. They are also independently approved for global use by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
This new approach will allow customers to rent the clamps for short or long-term campaigns, decreasing shutdown times, mobilization times, and specialty contractor costs. More importantly, this will increase accessibility to the safest solution on the market for online bolt renewal and reduce the risk of imminent bolt failure across several industries.
Luca Ghiotto, global product manager of specialty services at Hydratight, said: “Customers will benefit from the assurance of using fully-regulated and internationally approved equipment, without the up-front expense or costly payments for specialty service contractors. We are confident that all of our client’s service providers now have access to the safest hot-bolting solution on the market.
“This type of rental program is in demand from customers across multiple industries as they look for ways to be more flexible and lower costs without affecting quality of tooling or technician competency.
“We see potential for growth in these rentals across the US and potentially other locations.”
Hydratight is wholly owned by Actuant Corporation, a diversified industrial company serving customers from operations in more than 30 countries and headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Actuant trades on the NYSE under the symbol ATU. For further information on Actuant and its businesses, visit the Company’s website here.
