New Look Bolt-Up- a Calculated Success
Calculating torque and tension figures for a huge range of bolted joints gets a lot easier this month - with the relaunch of Hydratight's updated Bolt-Up online service.
Bolt-Up (www.boltup.com) is the free version of Hydratight's industry-leading Informate software suite which features Informate Professional, the long established advanced calculation package and Informate Connect Hydratight's new addition to the joint integrity market.
New Informate Connect is a state-of-the-art online package that can be customised for each company or asset group. This gives the option of a private, branded, standard operating tool for torque and tension calculations, covering hundreds of material and flange combinations. Informate Connect becomes the repository for a company's standard bolted joint specifications, procedures and technical documents. The software can even be primed with in-house bolting stand¬ards or bolt loads, which are then available by secure log on through an internet connection.
At the heart of the software is the Informate calculation engine. "Extensive research and analysis has gone into preparing "leak free" bolt loads for each flange standard, explained Hydratight's technical development manager, Chris Tudor. "We then had our process independently validated.
"The correct load to maintain a flange leak free in service needs to consider all of the factors on the joint. Percentage bolt yield alone does not give the full picture - on certain flanges 50% yield is too high and can give flange rotation or gasket crushing, On others it is too low and will not maintain a joint free of leakage throughout its service life"
New Bolt Up provides recommended loads and residual stress calculations for ANSI, API, Norsok and JIS Flanges, Techlok and Grayloc clamp connectors, a large selection of bolt materials and lubricant types, and many flange materials and gasket types.
Bolt-Up provides tool pressures for all Hydratight's industry-leading torque wrenches and tensioning tools, including subsea and topside AquaMAX and HydraMAX types, designed to provide the high bolt loads and minimum tool footprint required for the increasingly popular compact flanges designed to the Norsok L005 standard.
"In developing new versions of our software under the new Informate Connect platform, Bolt Up has been extended and improved and is even more useful to engineers than before. It is extremely difficult for anyone to keep abreast of all the different materials, flange types, lubricants and gasket materials, so Bolt-Up does it all, and is easier to use for those who just want a quick, expert answer," said Hydratight global software manager, Martin Lawson.
"Hydratight engineers know the critical importance of correct calculations as part of joint integrity. Our calculations are derived from research and contribution to flange standards and approved codes such as ASME VIII or EN1591 with the added benefit of over 30 years' experience in a range of industries," said Hydratight's technical services leader, Robert Noble.
The Bolt-Up site also gives easy access to all Hydratight's product and service brochures and technical inform¬ation, standard templates, data sheets and enquiry forms.
Informate Connect is part of Hydratight's total-management Joint Data Management System (JDMS) software, which allows technicians to record every detail of every procedure carried out on critical joints throughout their working life, giving full traceability of all data.
The Bolt Up web service in detail:
Bolt Up offers free, instant calculations (after free registration) of these joint factors:
Calculation features
o ANSI B16.5 flanges (to 24")
o ANSI B16.47 flanges (Series A & B)
o API 6A & 17D flanges
o Norsok L005 flanges
o JIS B220 flanges
o Techlok and Grayloc clamps
o Custom residual stress calculation
o Custom residual load calculation
o % yield strength (bolt) calculation
o Custom flange calculation
o Large selection of bolt materials
o Large selection of lubricants
o Many flange material options
o Many gasket material options
Tool Options
o All Hydratight standard torque wrenches
o All Hydratight tensioners including AquaMAX & HydraMAX tools
Documents
o All Hydratight products and service brochures
o Technical datasheets
o Engineering enquiry forms
In addition the Informate Connect service provides:
o Increased choice of bolt and flange materials - customer specified.
o Increased choice of lubricants.
o Addition of customer specific procedures.
o Access to customer documents
o Multiple calculation facility via joint matrix
o Calculation engine converted to customer calculation specification if required.
o Branding to customer specification.
o Fully managed and customisable.
o Company wide access to a single source.
PRESS CONTACT:
Joan Uttley
ACCESS-JUPR
Tel: 01457 833346
Fax 0870 7052266
Mobile - 07971 195211
Email - joan@juprltd.co.uk
