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RBG's flange integrity management software

Friday, November 11, 2011

RBG Group of Aberdeen has launched a new software tool to help improve safety, efficiency and cost effectiveness of bolting operations offshore.

The software can be used to record all work connected to bolts and flanges, from topside to subsea.

Using this record, it is easier to detect the development of corrosion or erosion, and plan preventative maintenance.

The software includes a mobile phone "App" called iBolt, to calculate the correct torque and tension loads when doing bolts, with various different lubricants. It runs on Apple, Windows and Android devices.

"The friction coefficient of lubricants can vary greatly," RBG says. "The incorrect application of the lubricants to the threads of the bolts and the nut load bearing face can lead to over torquing levels that can potentially yield the bolts, over compress the gasket and distort the flange joint, all of which can lead to a loss of integrity that can endanger the operative or result in a hydrocarbon release."

The company's in-house mechanical services team on the UK Continental Shelf is already using iBolt.

RBG provides services connected to assessment, inspection and repair. It was acquired in May 2011 by Stork Technical Services.

'The system also gives greater control over the flange tightening process and thereby reduces the potential for joint failure. The user-friendly flange tagging system enables errors that could potentially cause joint failure to be quickly identified and rectified before the system is released for testing. This helps us in our aim of achieving 100% leak free results with no requirements for re-work or re-test.'

Associated Companies
» RBG Group

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