A breakthrough in high integrity tube connection technology offering instrumentation system designers and installers major performance and time-saving advantages is now available from Parker Hannifin.
Designed for working pressures as high as 22,500 PSI (1,550 bar), the new ‘flared cone’ technology advances the performance of compression style tube connections. It provides users with a simple and reliable means of speeding the assembly of instrument tubing systems for use in higher pressures applications in the oil and gas industries.
Developed by Parker Autoclave Engineers, the new flared cone connection (FCC) technology is a significant advance on the type of ‘cone and thread’ tube connections pioneered by the company.
The new flared cone connections are much simpler to make up (see pic right). Installers can typically complete the task in less than four minutes, after only minimal training. This time-saving can result in significant cost reductions on installations with a large number of tube connections. Flared cone connections are also especially cost-effective in applications where leaks caused by vibration are an issue.
According to Michael O’Keane, Product Marketing Manager for Parker Autoclave Engineers, “Our new FCC technology offers the best of both worlds. It combines the make-up and installation simplicity of compression style connections with the strength of cone and thread, and has more features and higher pressure capabilities than similar technologies.”
Parker Autoclave Engineers’ patent-pending FCC technology is based on a single sleeve compression style system. However, unlike conventional designs, the tube end is flared to prevent any possibility of ejection – and also provides the connection’s primary metal-to-metal seal. When the gland nut is tightened, the inside surface of the anti-ejection flare mates with a cone in the fitting or valve. The compression sleeve then mates with the body of the component to form a second, redundant, metal-to-metal seal. This dual seal approach has a major reliability benefit; in the unlikely event that the primary seal fails, the secondary seal preserves the integrity of the connection. Installing a flared cone connection is simply a matter of screwing the gland nut into the fitting or valve and tightening it to the prescribed torque.
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