TPi November 2015

Fittings, flanges, valves & connectors

Broken links. Severed ties. Missed connections. Disconnects.

The language spans industries, and it always spells trouble. But perhaps nowhere does it imply such consequences as in tube and cable installations, where the penalty in lost value from a ruptured connection is proportionately more severe than elsewhere. Proportion is also a factor with the devices under review here – the fittings, valves, flanges and connectors that perform precautionary service in inverse ratio to their size. Even in an sector known for its specialists, the people who design and manufacture these products must be perfectionists. When tubes are to see service in corrosive environments, or at elevated pressures and temperatures, nothing but guaranteed soundness of the connections will serve the purpose.