Industrial Pipe Freeze Plug Services
IFT provides freeze plug services on all industrial pipeline systems to locate small leaks nationwide. We specialize in natural gas, crude oil and petroleum high-pressure pipeline systems. All pipelines are prepped by using a pipe inspection gauge or 'pig' to perform various maintenance operations on a pipeline system also known as 'pigging.' Water is then added to replace the fluid to help in the freezing and leak locating process. This is a plugging process IFT specializes in nationwide.
Jeff Maichel, President of IFT, says "chasing a minute leak, that is only losing 1/10 of a pound every 20 minutes is a task our pipe freeze plug specialists are qualified to do here at IFT. We will work tirelessly day and night till the leak is located using our very own liquid nitrogen trucks to help expedite finding leaks.”
In the slide show below IFT narrowed down a leak on a 12 mile stretch of crude oil to 600' of pipe. 300 feet of pipe was exposed and the leak was promptly located and repaired. A job well done using IFT's services.
In the picture above:The pipeline apparently had a pinhole leak somewhere in a 20-mile stretch. To find the leak, IFT was called to perform FreezePlugs to determine the location of this leak. Kind of like finding a needle in a haystack when the pipe is buried.
The line was filled with water and pressurized to 2100 psi. The FreezePlug was installed at the 10-mile mark. After the FreezePlug was established a noticeable drop in pressure was observed which told us which way to freeze next. The FreezePlug was thawed and IFT moved downstream and froze another location telling which direction the leak was.
After a number of Freeze Plugs, it was determined that the pinhole leak was in a 300’ stretch so the pipe was stripped of dirt exposing the leak.
Tracer Gas Testing can locate even the smallest leak. Small leaks can result in explosions, fires, and toxic release. Since 1986 The oilfield, manufacturing, and energy producers have used IFT to resolve leaks and solve pipeline Problems. LeakDog® of IFT was formed to provide technical Tracer Gas Testing and software to locate pinpoint leaks in a variety of hydrocarbon and chemical systems.
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Need a pipe freeze? Feel free to call our closest location |
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Los Angeles, CA: Corp. 800-221-3332 San Jose, CA: 800-545-1185 Nashville, TN: 615-507-4884 |
Mustang, OK: 281-546-7681 Houston, TX: 800-221-3332 Temecula, CA: 951-926-4849 |
Videos
12" Pipe Freeze Plug
International Flow Technologies (IFT) has a 12" crude oil pipeline frozen. Pipe section was cut from the steel pipe to launch a pig through it and then hydro-statically test in each direction.
12" Pipe Freezes
We are in Burton, Kansas doing a double freeze. Going to freeze a 12" section of pipe, its a crude oil pipeline filled full of water. What they are doing is dig out and in between we are going to cut out a section weld a cap and launch a pig and they will push the pig to launch all the water out in that direction. For more information on Pipeline Freeze Plug Services visit our website
12" Pipe Freezes
IFT is in Wichita, Kansas looking for a pin hole size leak in a 12" crude oil pipeline. Here are a few detailed video shots of our work site. The leak was eventually located and pipe repaired. Job well done.
12" Pipe Freezes
International Flow Technologies (IFT) was in Wichita, Kansas on a project with SemCrude and with Gore Nitrogen working on a 12" steel pipeline freeze job and we are going to cut a section of pipe out to add caps to hydro-static test in each direction.
12" Pipe Freezes
International Flow Technologies (IFT) has a 12" crude oil pipeline frozen. Pipe was then hot tapped and then cut that section of steel pipe and launch a pig thru it and then hydro-static test in each direction.
12" Pipe Freezes
In this video IFT completed one of many 12" pipeline freezes to cut a section of pipe out to add caps to each end to hydro-static test each section in order to locate a pinhole size leak. When leak direction is determined by the pressure drop we will relocate our pipe freeze plugs in a new area to continue narrow down the area of the leak. We will repeat these steps until we have the leak exposed and section of pipeline is replaced. This is a necessary process to maintain the integrity of the aging gas pipeline infrastructure. The pipeline contained crude oil that was flushed and filled with water so that it could be hydro-static tested. The test will range from 5 to 75 miles.
Pipe freeze plugs can be performed on a variety of pipes, including: |
Pipe freeze plugs can be performed in most locations, including: |
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| 1/2" to 36" (13mm to 914.4mm) OD | Malls & Shopping Centers | |
| CoCast & Ductile Ironated & Lined Pipe | Fossil Fuel Power Plants | |
| Vertical, Horizontal, Inclined | Nuclear Power Plants | |
| Out of Round Carbon Steel | Hotels & Apartment Complexes | |
| Stainless Steel | Paper Mills | |
| Titanium | Hospital & Institutions | |
| Aluminum | Industrial & Commercial Production Facilities | |
| Lead | Telecommunications Industry | |
| Copper | Water & Sewage Treatment | |
| Brass | Office Buildings | |
| Cast Iron | Fire Protection Systems | |
| Fiberglass | Refineries | |
| Transite | Schools | |
| Internally / Externally Coated | Chemical & Petrochemical Plants | |
| Cement Lined / CMLC | Commercial Buildings | |
| Hotels | ||
| Breweries | ||
| Ships / Cargo | ||
| Isolation for Hydrostatic Testing | ||
| Leak Locating | ||
| Isolation for repairs or modification |