#dual-containment-solution-when-looking-for-a-safer-connection
Dual Containment Solution When Looking For A Safer Connection
The Challenge
Safety is a primary concern in all manufacturing processes and is of the utmost importance when working with highly hazardous chemicals, such as Hydrogen Fluoride or Sulfuric Acid. Fitting leaks and tubing bursts are exceptional, yet when they occur they are not only costly to the customer with down time and repair costs, but can damage equipment and more devastatingly, injure personnel.
Traditionally, Furon Dual Containment Fittings have been used to help reduce the possibility of a catastrophic leak by encapsulating the chemical delivery solution into a second redundant tube. In the case of the insert style Dual Containment fittings, a customer highlighted their concern regarding the fact that they primarily aim at containing damage that may occur on the tube and the fitting area, although it is possible for a leak to propagate through the nut threads. In this specific area, the leak could be defeating the purpose of the dual containment fitting. As a result, the customer asked Saint-Gobain to develop a solution to address their specific concern regarding this possibility.
The Saint-Gobain Collaborative Design Services Solution
After evaluating the situation, Saint-Gobain’s Furon product team designed a solution using the FlareGrip® fitting as the secondary fitting with modifications to the primary insert style fitting nut. This modification allows fluid to freely pass between the thread and tube sides of the nut (see drawing). By doing this, a leak on the seal of the primary fitting can be reliably transferred to the secondary tube where it can be safely detected.
The FlareGrip fitting can also leak through the threads if the seal were to fail. To address this, the secondary FlareGrip fitting was modified with an O-Ring behind the nut threads. This adds a redundant level of protection and sealing to the secondary fitting, preventing and further decreasing the possibility of a chemical leak breaching the secondary containment features.
Customer Experience
Saint-Gobain’s customized Furon Dual Containment Fittings with insert style end connections provided the customer an extra level of safety for personnel and equipment protection, offering the ability to use valves, pumps and accessories with insert style fittings in the most demanding environments.
The Furon Dual Containment Fittings stand alone version allows a user to convert any standard flare configuration to dual containment, providing an extra level of safety to any chemical delivery system. The coax construction allows maximum performance, safety and environmental protection in any media application. Dual Containment Fittings are available in Front and Rear seal versions.
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Furon Fittings
FlareGrip® II Fittings
FlareGrip® II Fittings
FlareGrip® II Fittings
