Equalizer Flange Spreading Wedge: Drive a Wedge Between
The Problem:
Maintenance of a critical flange joint was required at a large water treatment plant. The plant’s previous method utilised lever bars and jacking equipment to pry the flanges apart. The gaskets on the 1.5m diameter flanges needed to be replaced. Using the manually operated equipment, the process of replacing the gaskets required 7 - 9 hours with a team of 4 - 5 workers. The extensive force was required to separate the 1.5m diameter flanges while it was critical not to cause any damage to the flange faces.
The Solution:
The new Equalizer SW range of flange spreaders can supply up to 20T force, each with a flange gap of only 6mm. By using a total of 3 spreaders - equalling a total of 60T available force, it enabled the workers to ensure that the space around the circumference of the flange was equal. The controlled separation was undertaken from a safe distance so as to keep maintenance staff away from the contaminated content as the flanges were separated.
Due to the particular section of the plant that the flange joint was in, only a short time frame was available to carry out servicing of the flange to replace the faulty gasket. The equalizer spreaders were also used to control the closing of the flange without damaging the expensive new gaskets. Using the Equalizer flange spreaders, the operation only took 2 - 3 hours with 3 workers, minimising the time taken and the number of workers required for the job.
The Result:
Equalizer flange maintenance tools offer very safe, controlled & cost-effective solutions for all flange maintenance procedures.