Innovative Seal Design for New Rapid Opening Pipeline Closures

High performance seals specialist, Precision Polymer Engineering (PPE) has completed a contract to design and manufacture self-energising lip seals for a new range of rapid opening pipeline end closures for Pipeline Engineering, a leading manufacturer of pigging and isolation equipment to the pipeline industry.

By switching from a traditional O-ring to a self-energising lip seal, Pipeline Engineering is able to offer oil and gas companies rapid opening and improved low pressure sealing over competitor closures. The seal also reduces the machining tolerances needed during manufacture, leading to shorter production lead times for the closures.

Kevin Wilson, project engineering manager, Pipeline Engineering, believes the close collaboration with PPE was critical to the project's success. "We were looking for a fresh approach to closure sealing. PPE was the only company prepared to come up with new ideas," he said.

The self-energising lip seal is designed to push the seal into the closure face, giving consistently high levels of sealing at both high and low pressures. "It is unusual for a seal to perform well at both pressures," comments Wilson. The rapid opening pipeline end closures are designed for one-man operation and can be opened in under 30 seconds.

The self-energising lip seal is made from either nitrile or FKM (fluoroelastomer rubber) in sizes to fit a range of closures from 15 - 150 cm. The FKM material is suitable for use in explosive decompression environments. Steven Wood, PPE's oil and gas industry representative believes Pipeline Engineering's experience has lessons for other companies. "Designing the seal around the application rather than the application around the seal opens up so many possibilities for the offshore industry as Pipeline Engineering has demonstrated," said Wood.