Welding Units designs and manufactures a range of Taper Lok® pressure energised connectors under license. The connectors utilise a male / female interface with a metal seal ring to create a unique sealing mechanism that can accept up to ±2° of angular misalignment, translating into a ±175mm swing on a 5m length of pipe.
This misalignment capability has proven invaluable in previous subsea installations where time is at a premium and the means to facilitate the alignment of an installed pipeline is limited. In the case of Taper Lok®, the divers can draw the flanges together and after ensuring they are reasonably in line, simply tension the bolts. Time savings are considerable, as the necessity to use rigging or airbags to straighten the pipe work is reduced. Also the need to use hydraulic tensioners on one side of the joint as a lever tool to straighten the pipe is eliminated, contributing to safer installation techniques.
The illustration below shows the angular misalignment of the flanges followed by seal ring compression. Proven in the harshest of subsea environments, the product can be designed in a variety of flange types / combinations to meet specific client requirements.
A copy of our project reference list for Taper Lok® connectors can be supplied on request.
Contact us for more information about Taper Lok® connectors.
