Hot tapping technology has made access and modification of high pressure lines much easier and safer than ever before. With hot tapping, a high-pressure liquid or gas pipes can be worked on without interrupting service, and without some of the inherent safety risks of previous methods. Hot tapping is vital to many industries; none more so than oil and natural gas drilling.
Hot Tapping Defined
In simple laymen's terms, hot tapping is the process of cutting into a live, high-pressure piping system without having to turn off the flow of material through that system. While work on any high-pressure line poses some element of danger, the hot tapping method has proven to be safe and reliable. And because there is no interruption of service in the line being worked on, it's also proven to be highly cost-effective.
For example, let's assume a scenario in which a local utility needs to repair an ageing gas line. In the old days, service to that line would be stopped, interrupting the flow of gas to all downstream customers. After the line was purged it could be repaired and service restored. A fix taking just 6 to 8 hours could potentially cost the gas company quite a bit of money. With hot tapping however, the pipe can be accessed on either side of the repair area. Using a combination of airtight sleeves and valves, the line can be redirected around the repair area and service left uninterrupted. Workers then have, at least in theory, an unlimited amount of time to repair the gas line properly without any loss of income.
Deep Water Operations
Deep water oil and gas operations are especially grateful for hot tapping technology due to the fact that the nature of their environment makes working on their lines extremely difficult. Hot tapping is useful not only in repairing lines, but also dealing with well blow-outs and other malfunctions. Repairs that one time were next to impossible, are now made that much easier with the use of hot tapping technology.
As a case in point, the Deep Water Horizon accident last year was a classic case of how hot tapping can be beneficial. There were many experts who suggested hot tapping the line and inserting a rubber balloon-like valve that would stop the flow and control the pressure so the well could be plugged.
On the other hand, the nature of deep water operations also means special challenges for the designers of hot tapping equipment and fittings. They must take into consideration not only the pressure of the lines they're working on, but also the pressure of the water itself. This added element makes the need for safe and effective hot tapping work even more important for deep water operations.
As time marches on there will be new industry technologies and innovations that make the access and repair of high-pressure piping systems even safe and easier. Until then, hot tapping provides the best solution to many industries.
Author Resource:
Katrina Wagner has been an engineer in the Hot Tapping sector for many years and is a freelance industry writer.
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