Mark Griffo No Comments

FLUOR Selects Argweld® Weld Purging Equipment for Massive Refinery Modernization

FLUOR Selects Argweld Weld Purging Equipment

May, 2010—After reviewing and testing various types of weld-purging systems and equipment, the welding engineers and quality control managers with FLUOR Constructors decided to invest in a large quantity of Argweld® Pipe Purging Equipment and Purge Monitors for the refinery modernization project in Whiting, Indiana.

COB Industries personnel first demonstrated the capabilities of the purge systems a couple of months earlier. The demonstration was conducted for a group of approximately 20 welding engineers and supervisors, piping superintendents and quality control managers. During the demonstration, a section of 8” pipe was purged to less than 1% O2 in less than one minute, which clearly illustrated the potential for huge savings in man-hours and Argon gas that could be achieved with the Argweld® systems, as well as the reliability and simplicity of the Purge Monitors. This resulted in one of the largest orders of Argweld® products that has ever been placed. The order consisted of both standard and high-heat resistant Quick-Purge™ Pipe Purging Systems for a wide range of pipe sizes to be used on Stainless Steel and Chrome pipes up to 42” diameter.

At FLUOR’s request, COB Industries sent personnel back out to the job site to conduct training for the welding supervisors and staff to ensure smooth implementation of the new equipment.

The Argweld® product line has become increasingly popular around the world over the last several years, and has become one of COB Industries’ largest product lines.

FLUOR1 FLUOR2
FLUOR3

If you would like more information please contact Cletus O’Brien at (321) 723-3200 or email to sales@cob-industries.com

Mark Griffo No Comments

COB Industries delivers more custom flange plugs for BP “Marlin” Offshore

marlinplugs

July, 2009—COB Industries recently completed production and testing on a new set of ROV-friendly flange plugs to be installed on the BP Marlin offshore platform. This follows previous orders for the same type of plugs for the Thunderhorse and Na Kika platforms. These plugs have ranged from 4” – 40” diameter.

COB Industries designs and builds these robust plugs with special attention to features that make them easily handled and installed by subsea ROV’s (Remote Operated Vehicles). This involves designing and building handles that the ROV arms can grab and valves and controls that can be operated by the ROV arms and manipulators, as well as being made for long-term subsea use. The plugs are made to seal existing flanged openings on offshore platforms either for repair and maintenance or to help secure the platforms for storms and hurricanes.

Inspectors from BP recently visited COB Industries’ facility in Melbourne, FL to complete specified “Form / Fit / Function” inspection and testing. The plugs passed inspection without incident and are being shipped out this week for deployment offshore.

COB Industries, Inc. is a private company in Melbourne, FL that has been in business for 40 years manufacturing and supplying specialty industrial equipment including pipe plugs, pipe freezing systems, specialized welding products and pneumatic tools.

If you would like more information please contact Cletus O’Brien at (321) 723-3200 or email to sales@cob-industries.com

Mark Griffo No Comments

BP TURNS TO COB INDUSTRIES TO SECURE OFFSHORE PLATFORM

Custom ROV/Flange Plugs

Company in Melbourne, FL Contracted to Develop High-Tech Plugs to be Installed by ROV’s on BP’s Massive Thunderhorse Platform in the Gulf of Mexico

ThunderHorse

Testing was successfully completed recently of a series of custom engineered hydraulic plugs that are a part of a $3 billion refurbishment of Thunderhorse, a semi-submersible BP oil platform located 150 miles southeast of New Orleans. These giant pipe plugs were designed to be installed underwater by multi-million dollar Remote Operated Vehicles, or “ROV’s”. The plugs are used to reinforce existing pipe valves and to help secure the platform in the event of an evacuation due to hurricanes. The plugs incorporate both inflatable seals and hydraulic clamps, and must be able to be controlled by the arms of the ROV’s. Syntactic Foam is also utilized in the body of the plugs to help neutralize negative buoyancy underwater, making them easier to handle. The larger plugs for up to 40” pipe are each worth as much as a new luxury car.

COB Industries, Inc. is a family-run private company in Melbourne, and the testing was completed at their facility under the supervision of a representative from BP. COB Industries has been contracted to supply a series of these plugs ranging from 4 inch through 40 inch.

COB Industries has been in business for 30 years, manufacturing and supplying specialty industrial equipment including pipe plugs, pipe freezing systems, specialized welding products and pneumatic tools.

rovplug1

If you would like more information please contact Cletus O’Brien at (321) 723-3200 or email to sales@cob-industries.com

Mark Griffo No Comments

Qwik-Freezer / Accu-Freeze training in Europe

Qwik-Freezer / Accu-Freeze training in Europe

(October, 2007) COB Industries representatives recently conducted training in the U.K. with the Qwik-Freezer® and Accu-Freeze® Pipe Freezing Systems. The participants in the 2-day training program included distributors from the U.K., South Africa and Norway.

The training included the theory and principles of pipe freezing, how to address logistical and environmental factors and hurdles, and hands-on training with both Liquid CO2 systems (Qwik-Freezer®) and Liquid Nitrogen systems (Accu-Freeze®). Multiple freezes with 2” pipe and 6”pipe were completed.

Feedback from those involved in the training was very positive, and everyone left with the ability to better serve their customers, and capable of conducting demonstrations and training on their own.

COB Industries, Inc. has been manufacturing and supplying pipe freezing systems for over 35 years.

AF_Training AF_Training1
AF_Training2 AF_Training3
Mark Griffo No Comments

Increased Demand for Accu-Freeze System at Nuclear Plants in Europe

Increased Demand for Accu-Freeze at Nuclear Plants in Europe

COB Industries has been busy lately meeting increased demand for Accu-Freeze® in Europe. The system was installed and training programs conducted by COB Industries personnel at the PAX Nuclear Station in Budapest, Hungary in February 2007. Additional training is being scheduled for later in the year. Cernevoda Nuclear in Romania has also been increasing their use of Accu-Freeze®, and is currently scheduling training programs for the summer of 2007.

Accu-Freeze® is a patented, digitally controlled, portable liquid nitrogen pipe freezing system. This system was designed to meet a specific need in the nuclear industry to control the freeze temperature during a pipe freezing process. The nuclear industry has a general requirement that carbon steel pipe is not to be exposed to temperatures below -40° in order to maintain the structural integrity of the pipe. The Accu-Freeze® system meets this requirement with the ability to set a specific freeze temperature and by automatically controlling the freeze process with a digital controller, solenoid header assembly and thermal sensors placed on the pipe wall.

Accu-Freeze® is currently in use at nuclear facilities across North America, Europe and Asia. It is also used extensively by the US Navy on nuclear vessels and has been used by NASA for repairs on the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.

If you would like more information please contact Cletus O’Brien at (321) 723-3200 or email to sales@cob-industries.com

Mark Griffo No Comments

Sodium Level Solution with Purge Film

Sodium Level Solution with Purge Film

January 11, 2006: Due to the recent rise in concern in the nuclear industry about the high sodium content in many purge dam materials (rice paper), the Nuclear Management Company contacted COB Industries, Inc. about the Argweld® Water Soluble Purge Film. The current MSDS and Chemical Analysis Sheets for the Purge Film did not contain any data on sodium (Na) content. Due to the continuous need for purge dams in their applications, NMC decided to conduct their own chemical analysis in conjunction with another nuclear facility. The test results showed that the purge film contains 9 ppm (parts per million) sodium content. This was well within the acceptable levels outlined by the nuclear facility, and the Argweld® Water Soluble Purge Film and Adhesive was immediately approved for use in purge dam applications.

If you would like more information please contact Cletus O’Brien at (321) 723-3200 or email to sales@cob-industries.com

Mark Griffo No Comments

COB INDUSTRIES INTRODUCES PIPESTOPPERS TEST PLUG KIT

COB INDUSTRIES INTRODUCES PIPESTOPPERS TEST PLUG KIT

PipePlugKit

January 2002 –Introducing our new test plug kit. This handy, compact plug kit will let you test and seal pipe and tube id’s from ½” to 4” (5”, and 6” plugs available separately). Made from chemically resistant nylon these valuable plugs can withstand back pressures up to 100 PSI (depending on diameters). A threaded port through the center of each plug allows the user to attach fill and vent lines. Uses range from pressure testing automotive radiators, to weld purging, foreign material exclusion, and pipe joint/ leak testing. The handy, compact carrying case protects your investment and keeps them neat and orderly.

If you would like more information please contact Cletus O’Brien or Troy Palmer at (321) 723-3200 or email to sales@cob-industries.com

Mark Griffo No Comments

Seabrook Teamwork plant freeze seal technology

Seabrook Teamwork plant freeze seal technology

In the fall of 2000, the Maintenance Department was looking for a more user-friendly and efficient way to conduct freeze seals. Maintenance Supervisor Harold Ham decided to go out in the industry to see if there was any new equipment or technology that would simplify the freeze-sealing process. He contacted a maintenance supervisor at Electric Boat in Groton, Conn., who recommended the Accu-Freeze system manufactured by COB Industries.

seabro1

The Accu-Freeze system utilizes flexible copper tubing that is coiled around the pipe and connected to an electronic controller. A thermocouple at the freeze area provides feedback to the controller to energize a solenoid valve supplying liquid nitrogen through the flexible copper tubing. Once the set points for the controller are set, the system automatically controls the application of liquid nitrogen to establish and maintain the freeze.

The Accu-Freeze system eliminates the need for technicians to handle liquid nitrogen, or to have to constantly hammer a “freeze bag”. This allows the technicians an extra margin of personal safety as well as allowing them to focus their attention on the essential parameters of the freeze.

seabro2

The Training Department recently assisted Ham in introducing the new technology to Seabrook. Bruce Tardiff, a mechanical training instructor, worked with Ham to develop the training necessary to qualify mechanics for the new tooling. During the design phase of the training, a decision was made to look out into the 12-week work schedule to see if the training could be coupled with actual work in the field. In parallel, Tardiff contacted COB Industries to obtain the services of a vendor representative to come to Seabrook and assist in training the technicians.

Ham contacted the Scheduling Department and found out that work on relocating Fire Protection Valve, FP-V-230 would require a freeze seal. The freeze seal training was scheduled to coincide with the work on the fire protection valve, offering the class the unique opportunity to not only be trained and qualified on new equipment, but to be involved in all the procedural and programmatic activities related to the freeze seal process as applied on the job. This also satisfied one of the Mechanical Maintenance department training goals of combining training with real work, involving instructors in the maintenance activity, and providing the trainees with a realization of what is required to do the work in “real time”.

The training week consisted of two days in the classroom and laboratory learning how to use the equipment, and fine tuning the procedure on mock-ups that had been created for the laboratory training. The mock-ups had been fabricated with a sight glass at the end of the pipe that allowed the students to watch the freeze develop and acquire a comfort level with the effectiveness of the equipment and process.

The third day of training consisted of setting up the job site in the Turbine Building and attending the pre-job briefing. On the fourth day, the class went into the plant to perform the freeze. The equipment worked flawlessly, resulting in better temperature control and increased personal safety.

The fifth day was spent restoring the work site in the plant and returning to training for a post job critique onthe work and the training. Jim Dupre, Mechanical Maintenance Department Supervisor chaired the critique.

seabro3

If you would like more information please contact Cletus O’Brienat (321) 723-3200 or email to sales@cob-industries.com

Mark Griffo No Comments

COB INDUSTRIES INTRODUCES ARGWELD® PIPE PURGING PRODUCTS

COB INDUSTRIES – ARGWELD PIPE PURGING PRODUCTS

quick-purge300x400

February 2000–COB industries, Inc., Melbourne, Fl. makers of specialty industrial tools for over 25 years is proud to introduce the new Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT, Cambridgeshire, U.K.) line of Argweld® and Techweld™ specialty welding products. The Argweld specialty welding products include: purge bladders, purge monitors, purge film, flexible welding enclosures, trailing shields, purge plugs, and weld backing tape. These products were designed to meet inert gas purging requirements found when welding stainless steel, titanium, and other specialty welding applications. Please contact us at any time to hear more about this exciting new product line.

If you would like more information please contact Cletus O’Brien at (321) 723-3200 or email to sales@cob-industries.com

Mark Griffo No Comments

Space Shuttle Atlantis Gets Help From ACCU-FREEZE

Space Shuttle Atlantis Gets Help From ACCU-FREEZE

The space shuttle Atlantis was on the launch pad ready to go on mission ST-101. A last minute systems check revealed a fault in the Power Drive Unit (PDU, see attached news story Florida Today April 11,00). The PDU is a hydraulic power pump which controls the shuttles’ rear rudder or air brake. A failure of this unit during flight could have catastrophic consequences. Repairing this sensitive system meant scrubbing the launch and rolling the shuttle back to the Vehicle Assembly Building and draining out the hydraulic lines to replace the PDU. This would delay the launch for weeks and cost untold dollars. An engineer from United Space Alliance then came up with the idea of freezing the hydraulic lines feeding the PDU while the shuttle was still in the launch position. This would enable the repairs to be made without draining out the entire system and in turn keeping the launch on schedule. Now the question was how ? This kind of repair had never been attempted by shuttle engineers.

shuttle

Shuttle engineers hit the “web” and to their luck found COB Industries Inc. in Melbourne Florida, only an hour away. COB has been manufacturing pipe freezing systems for industry for over 25 years for customers in the plumbing, nuclear and fossil power generation, nuclear propulsion, municipal water, and many other piping industries.

The job was to freeze six 5/8″ hydraulic fluid lines. These lines were nested in the base of the tail of the shuttle and access was at a minimum. The hydraulic fluid was known to have a freeze point of approximately -150deg. F.

The COB “ACCU-FREEZE” system was chosen as the only viable choice. This system utilizes a digital controller to regulate the flow of liquid nitrogen to perform pipe freezes on 3/8″-12″ ID pipe. Shuttle engineers needed to be able to monitor and control the temperature of their pipes in order to ensure that the freeze was being safely and consistently controlled. The patented “ACCU-FREEZE” system is the only system in the world that meets this criteria.

Three days of testing commenced. Shuttle engineers and management needed to be sure that this new concept would work. After multiple successful freezes in front of shuttle management the engineers and COB were given the green light. On Wednesday April 12th on site and in drenching rain the six hydraulic lines to the shuttle PDU were frozen simultaneously. Due to the inclement weather the replacement had to be delayed, this required the freeze to be held for over 24 hrs. The “ACCU-FREEZE” system performed without a hitch. On Thursday, April 13th the PDU was replaced with a spare from the space shuttle Columbia. Never before had the shuttle program performed an emergency repair of this nature on the launch pad.

If you would like more information please contact Cletus O’Brien at (321) 723-3200 or email to sales@cob-industries.com