Fluid Handling, Piping & Valves

Components chosen for the duty, not the catalogue

A leak-free fluid system depends on every joint being matched to the line it sits in. The same tube outside diameter can call for different fittings depending on whether the line carries hydraulic oil, steam, instrument air or a corrosive process chemical, and whether it sees pressure pulsation, vibration or thermal cycling. This capability covers the components that make up those lines: tube fittings and adapters, pipe fittings and flanges, hose assemblies and couplings, needle, ball, check and block-and-bleed valves, manifolds and hook-up assemblies, together with the seals, gaskets and fasteners that complete a joint.

Mixing components from different fitting systems, or pairing a fitting with tube of the wrong hardness or wall thickness, is one of the most common reasons a joint weeps or fails in service. For that reason, enquiries are handled around the complete connection rather than a single part number: the tube or pipe, the end connections on either side, the sealing method and the material all need to agree with each other and with the operating conditions.

What we need to know before recommending a component

For fittings and valves the key inputs are the media, the maximum and minimum operating pressure, the design temperature, the material of construction, the tube outside diameter and wall thickness or the pipe size and schedule, the thread or end-connection type, any pressure class or standard the project specifies, the quantity, and whether material test certificates are required. Where some of these are not yet known, they are recorded as open points so they can be resolved during technical review rather than assumed. Drawings, existing part references or photographs of the installed connection are useful when replacing components on an existing system.