In oil and gas refining, protecting the integrity of critical joints is vital to maintaining productivity and efficiency. It helps to ensure the safety of employees and the surrounding community. Ongoing technological developments consistently improve the ability to keep the fasteners used in these critical joints at their appropriate tension. The latest product from Valley Forge & Bolt, a domestic manufacturer of patented bolting products for critical applications, offers a prime example of a manufacturer committed to helping refineries perform their functions more efficiently while also improving safety.
The new product is the latest meter for Valley Forge's SPC4, Load Verifying System, the SPC4 406A Electronic Meter (VF# SPC4-ASM-406A). It is specially designed for accurate performance in heat, humidity and other demanding conditions.
The SPC4 system encompasses fasteners equipped with Valley Forge load-indicating technology along with a wide variety of meters to fit a range of applications and environmental conditions. The meters, including analog, digital or Wi-Fi versions, measure tension directly from within the fastener to +/-5 percent accuracy. The 406A meter joins this complete offering.
The 406A meter works as part of the SPC4 system to provide clamp load data for critical bolted joints. The 406A was even called upon to act as the final word in bolt tensioning accuracy at a recent test of torqueing devices conducted in Houston, the heart of the oil and gas industry.
Flange testing rigs were set up to replicate a refinery environment using a variety of torqueing devices to install the SPC4 studs. During and after installation, the SPC4 406A meters -- able to provide accurate load data in seconds -- measured and displayed the direct tension in each SPC4 stud.
The SPC4 system was trusted for this testing exercise because it provides the most accurate information possible about the actual load within critical bolted joints. In practical applications, this information is used to make both installation and maintenance faster and to provide higher accuracy relative to the target load in order to create more effective maintenance schedules and give crucial, early insights into fastener and equipment behavior that might lead to premature failure, allowing it to be corrected before problems arise. The net gain is increased productivity, performance and safety combined with savings of time and money.
The SPC4 406A Electronic Meter is specifically designed for accurate performance in heat, humidity and other demanding conditions.
Bluetooth compatibility provides scalability for remote data monitoring and data-logging capability. This opens up even more maintenance planning options, as it creates an ongoing record of load percentages across a refinery's critical joints -- a record that ultimately forms the basis of a reference document for machine health over time, down to the bolt.
For more information, visit www.vfbolts.com or call (800) 832-6587.
