Easy Tapper™ has established a respectable position in the pipeline and petroleum industries, by offering newly designed portable lightweight equipment for general and speciality applications. In recent years, typical hot tapping has taken on new dimensions and Easy Tapper has been in the forefront with innovative new technologies and equipment.
The industry has turned to Easy Tapper for technology triumphs in the safe and proper handling of subsea petroleum products. Recently, the highly refined Easy Tapper EZ-5.7S hot tapping machines were used to offload over two million gallons of diesel fuel from the USS Mississinewa, a World War II aviation gas and diesel fuel tanker that was sunk by a Japanese suicide submarine in 1944, in the Ulithi Atoll lagoon, which is situated in the South Pacific. The spokesman for the recovery team states: “Our divers have access to other machines, but this is the one they like. They’re really very happy with the machine.”
Operator benefits include:
- lightweight versatility;
- smooth working action;
- reliable performance; and
- easy machine maintenance and service.
Easy Tapper machines are currently offered with a nickel electroplated finish, or whatever is needed for the application, including all stainless steel versions.
Figure 1: Diver uses an Easy
Tapper EZ-5.7S to Tap the Hull of
the USS Mississinewa to Off-load
Diesel Fuel
Easy Tapper leads the industry with the development of packaged water jet hot tapping machines. The tap connection is integrally sealed and attaches directly to the branch line valve, as with other conventional style hot tapping machines. However, the typical carbide toothed hole saw (used to drill through the wall of the main line) has been replaced with a high pressure water jet nozzle. A power package is used to develop the high pressure required for cutting out the coupon. Generally, cutting pressures will range from 30,000 to 60,000 pounds per square inch (PSI) depending on the application. An abrasive compound is injected to expedite the cutting results. The Easy Tapper model WG-624 is offered as a packaged unit for hot tap sizes 6” to 16” for ratings up to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 1,500lbs.
Power packages are offered in a variety of combinations, as required by the customer. Electric, diesel or gasoline motors can be used to develop hydraulic working pressures, as some models use hydraulic cylinders to advance the cutter against the system pressure. Additionally, the force generated for cutter rotation is generally applied through an electric, hydraulic or pneumatic drill motor.
Figure 2: The EZ-LP2 Series Hot Tapping Machine
with Hydraulic Power Package
Category:
Transportation
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