Pipeline Lamination Effect On Freeze Plug

The pipe freeze plug expands along the length of the pipe and the result is stress free ice.

Pipeline lamination effect on freeze plug.

Tests have been carried out with plugs holding in excess of 8 000 psi. The basic theory behind a freeze plug is the cooling of the outer wall of the pipe to such an extent that its contents usually water form a plug inside the pipe adhering to the wall and creating a solid isolation. Pipe freeze plug technology is a simple cost effective method to perform pipeline maintenance or modifications without draining. This dimensional change of the pipe is small and only lasts as long as ea tapping services maintains the pipe freeze plug but it is one of the reasons why pipe freeze plugging can be used to hold back thousands of pounds of line pressure.

Using liquid nitrogen ift isolates your problem area in the pipeline or vessel by freezing the product inside the pipeline to form a solid plug. The pipe ruptures when the pressure builds beyond its designed pressure rating. This allows for very little drain down or refill having to bleed problematic air out of pipes during refills and in many cases no system downtime. The pipe freeze plug then conforms to this shape having large ends on either side of a narrower middle.

Ruptures occur when the ice plug forms expands and causes pressure to build between the plug and a dead end. Freeze plugs can also be used to locate small leaks during hydrotesting by reducing the length of pipeline by half with every isolation. To accomplish the freeze a jacket cryogenic. Once the freeze plug is set we are able to determine which side the leak is on eliminating half the pipeline.

Pipe freezing is a non intrusive cost effective and quick method to perform pipeline modifications without draining the system. Koppl pipeline services method of pipe freezing sometimes causes concern to those individuals that have dealt with ruptured piping due to freezing. When water freezes within piping it develops an internal freeze plug which grows outward in both directions of the pipe id. Using liquid nitrogen or co2 to isolate the problem area in the pipeline by freezing the product inside the pipe to form one or more solid ice pipe freeze plugs.