Super-tough cushions delicately shoot down tricky lifting problemsNew ranges of Pronal seamless inflatable lifting cushions are being introduced to Australia by Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd incorporating the strength of Kevlar textile, the same super-tough fibre used in body armour, racing tyres and racing sails.
The Pronal CLT cushions, the largest of which is capable of handling up to 65 tons, safely handle tricky lifts where there is very limited space in which to work, delicately raising loads ranging from heavy vehicles, pipelines and plant through to beams, bridge components, building components, machinery and resource development structures.
Pneumatic actuation, isolation and suspension specialist Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd is national distributor for the stock shape and custom-fabricated lifting cushions engineered by French elastomer specialists Pronal, the organisation that developed the tough lifting tanks used to pluck artifacts from the ocean liner Titanic nearly four kilometres down on the ocean floor.
Pronals newest cushions, featured on its new Australian website www.pronal.com.au, range from ultra-thin bags (just 20mm thick deflated) that can lift weights of up to 65 tonnes each, to powerful spreading cushions that can exert hundreds of tonnes of force to part plant and machinery components for servicing, or to extract quarried material. Complementary low-pressure CPB Maxi-Lift cushions can be used on land and under water, offering greater strokes of up to 700mm (or 1400mm where a pair are employed).
Air Springs Supply National Sales Manager Mr Simon Agar says the Pronal CLT cushions are constructed of Kevlar textile coated by rubber, further increasing their safety co-efficient and resistance to penetration. Weight for weight, Kevlar is five times stronger than steel and superbly suited for repetitive work in harsh environments, including construction, energy, industrial, resources and civil engineering sites, he says.
"The cushions combine the advantages of high durability and power with gentle, precisely controlled lifting that can spread the load over broader surfaces of the object being lifted, rather than point loads.
"They can be used in confined spaces underneath inaccessible loads ranging from engines and plant, through to foundations of bridges, buildings, machinery, pipeline structures and resource development rigs requiring lifting for inspection and repair.
"Sometimes is it not necessary or desirable to use cranes, slings or cylinders for lifts that present particular technical challenges in terms of lifting surfaces or surfaces to which lifting force is to be applied. Where considerable investments may be contemplated in custom-engineering a conventional lifting platform, it may be well worth considering the simple principle of pneumatic actuation," he said. "This can be particularly so when working in confined spaces, such as trenches and mines, where there is little room beneath pipelines and plant."
Features of the product include:
For more information about Air Springs Supply's national distribution and technical support network, please contact Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, 10 Angas St, (Cnr of Underdale Lane), Meadowbank, Sydney 2114, ph (02) 9807 4077, fax (02) 9807 6979, sales@airsprings.com.au.
Engineers who raised the Titanic aid Nacap's simple solution to tricky pipeline liftsAustralia presents many challenges when lifting, shifting and engineering pipelines to ensure safety and security of supply.
A huge variety of terrain has to be crossed as they run over hundreds of kilometres, often between States, carrying substances as widely varied as water, petroleum and gas.
Between the source of production and the eventual destination (be it processing point, export point or final market) they encounter situations that can potentially impose huge strains on the structure, including hills, gullies, bridges, subsidence and trenches in muddy or sandy locations - often with restricted space in which to engineer the lift.
One company with huge experience in this highly specialised field is the international Nacap group, which over the past 40 years has laid more than 40,000 km of underground pipelines ranging in diameter from 250 to 1,500 mm (10" to 60") and reaching lengths of 2,000 km, for the transmission of oil, gas, water and chemicals.
Its projects range from a crossing of the Po river as part of the Snam Rete Gas DN750 (30") pipeline Mortara - Alessandria in North Western Italy, to the contract for Epic Energy to construct the Queensland to South Australia/New South Wales Link to deliver coal seam gas to southern markets. Australian projects also include the Dampier-Bunbury natural gas pipeline, the Magnet slurry and return water pipeline, the Tallawarra gas pipeline project, the Wimmera-Mallee Water Supply system, and numerous other oil, gas and water projects.
Nacap is helping to ensure safety and security in Australia by using an innovative method of de-stressing piplines as they are shifted and lifted to overcome and circumvent obstacles, obviating risks that could rupture the pipelines and create safety and supply problems.
It is using advanced elastomer lifting cushion technology developed by the French company Pronal, the company that provided the enormously strong lifting bags to raise artifacts from the ocean liner Titanic 4km down on the Atlantic ocean floor.
Pronal lifting bags, distributed in Australia by Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, are now being used in groups of up to a dozen to gently raise and position sideways pipelines from 8-32in in diameter.
Guided by strain gauges located along the sections of pipeline, they are precision inflated to provide shifts down to a millimetre or two when this is all that's required or much bigger steps when these are needed.
One NSW project, the Mallaty Creek gas pipeline, involved horizontal movements up to 1.4m using Pronal lifting bags braced with geofabric sandbags. Nacap's Construction Managers Hugh Boyd and Roger Vouges worked with Alinta engineering consultant GHD on that project.
While the CLP 67 cushions can each provide up to 67 tons of lifting capacity (enough to hoist a decent size locomotive or truck) they spread this force evenly over a broad area of the pipeline and give minute control.
This fine lifting capability was employed on another gasline project, Simpson's Creek, which involved vertical movements only, says Jack Walsh, Nacap Construction Superintendent on this major project, for which Frontier Engineering Solutions was Alinta's engineering consultant for Phase Two and GHD for Phase Four.
"The reason we use them is they give absolute control of the lift and therefore great safety and security of supply. Hydraulics might provide a half an inch of concentrated movement, when we only need one millimetre."
One of Mr Walsh's larger lifts, using five bags, involved 238 metres of pipeline passing through a gully, "So there was quite a lot of weight involved," he says. Using a diesel 180cfm compressor, load sensors and the gauges and valving provided with the bags, the pipeline was repositioned to obviate the effects of slope and ground subsidence.
"In that job, and indeed in all jobs, safety is number one priority, absolutely. That's what we are all focussed on the whole team, the load control system people, the stress gauge people, the engineers, the client we are all focussed on security of the workforce, the infrastructure and the supply of the contents of the pipeline.
"Nothing happens, nothing moves until everyone is happy with the process step by step and until it is signed off, step by step. Risk management, risk elimination, is paramount.
"That's one of the reasons why the Pronal lifting bags are so good - they treat the lift with kid gloves. They are very central to the task.
"With them the lifts become a relatively straightforward two-man job, one each side of the pipe. The bags are easy to position and extremely robust," said Mr Walsh.
Air Springs Supply National Sales Manager Mr Simon Agar says the compact lifting ability of the Pronal bags can be a major asset in mining, petroleum, gas and infrastructure applications.
"Especially in remote, rugged and sometimes muddy or sandy locations - including trenches - it can be difficult to provide crane access overhead or to obtain sufficient clearance and a firm foundation for a lift from underneath.
"These tough, seamless and versatile lifting cushions can delicately raise loads ranging from pipelines of all types to trucks, tracked vehicles, beams, bridge components, building components, machinery and resource development structures," he says.
Pronal's newest cushions range from ultra-thin bags (just 20mm thick deflated) that can lift weights of up to 67 tons each, to powerful spreading cushions that can exert hundreds of tonnes of force to part plant and machinery components for servicing, or to extract quarried material. Complementary low-pressure CPB Maxi-Lift cushions can be used on land and under water, offering greater strokes of up to 700mm (or 1400mm where a pair are employed).
"These are superbly engineered lifting cushions developed for industrial, military and civil tasks by the French elastomer specialists Pronal, "says Mr Agar.
"The materials used are so tough and durable that they are used to recover immobilized aircraft, for example, or to lift tanks or split rocks in quarries.
"In addition to the standard models such as the workhorse 920X920mm square cushion a major advantage of Pronal cushions is that they can be custom-engineered to particular shapes and sizes to perform particular tasks as they are inflated by compressors or portable air cylinders or pumps.
"Sometimes it is not necessary or desirable to use cranes, slings or cylinders for lifts that present particular technical challenges in terms of lifting surfaces or surfaces to which lifting force is to be applied. Where considerable investments may be contemplated in custom-engineering a conventional lifting platform, it may be well worth considering the simple principle of pneumatic actuation," said Mr Agar.
Features of the product include:
Information about Pronal products can be obtained through the Pronal website of Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, www.pronal.com.au. Air Springs Supply's complementary website, www.airsprings.com.au is one of Australia's most comprehensive guides to pneumatic actuation, isolation and suspension.
For more information about Air Springs Supply's national distribution and technical support network, please contact Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, 10 Angas St, (Cnr of Underdale Lane), Meadowbank, Sydney 2114, ph (02) 9807 4077, fax (02) 9807 6979, sales@airsprings.com.au.
Pronal's Titanically engineered inflatable seals debut for OEM and materials handling replacementsOne of Europe's most comprehensive ranges of flat and three-dimensional seals is being introduced to Australasia by pneumatic actuation, isolation and suspension specialist Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd.
The Pronal range of stock and customised, application-specific flat and 3D seals is used in many industrial applications as OEM and replacement parts for applications including sealing, pressing, gripping, handling and isolating.
The tough and highly durable seals include types suitable for equipment widely used throughout Australasia, including crushers, conveyors, hoppers, presses, vibrating equipment, silos and materials handling equipment in applications extending from powder handling, primary product and process engineering to minerals processing, power generation and pipelines and tanks.
They complement Air Springs Supply's broader ranges of pipe stoppers and lifting bags from elastomer specialist Pronal, the organisation that developed the tough lifting tanks used to pluck artifacts from the ocean liner Titanic nearly four kilometres down on the ocean floor.
"The great strength of Pronal is not only the incredible reputation they have for quality, but also their depth of engineering expertise to custom-fabricate products for specialist applications. This capability extends from delicate and food, beverage and pharmaceutical applications right through powder handling and primary processing to heavy industries such as mining, power, quarries and resources," said Air Springs Supply National Sales Manager Mr Simon Agar.
"By drawing on the military, civil and industrial experience of Pronal's research department and their highly flexible production formats - we can work with clients to develop the best responses to particular needs," said Mr Agar.
Pronal doughnut seals technologies include:
Mr Agar says Pronal doughnut seals and lifting bags combine the advantages of high durability and power with gentle, precisely controlled force and expansion that can spread over broader surfaces of the object being actuated, isolated or sealed.
Information about Pronal products can be obtained through the Pronal website of Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, www.pronal.com.au. Air Springs Supply's complementary website, www.airsprings.com.au is one of Australia's most comprehensive guides to pneumatic actuation, isolation and suspension.
For more information about Air Springs Supply's national distribution and technical support network, please contact Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, 10 Angas St, (Cnr of Underdale Lane), Meadowbank, Sydney 2114, ph (02) 9807 4077, fax (02) 9807 6979, sales@airsprings.com.au.
Internationally proven flexible tanks up to 500,000 litres solve liquid storage problemsFlexible storage tanks that can each hold up to 500,000 litres or more of stormwater, industrial water or drinking water are being introduced to Australia by Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd.
The PVC coated fabric Liquitanks are part of the internationally proven range of elastomer specialist Pronal, which is one of the world's most experienced and respected producers of flexible products used to lift, push, separate, seal and store.
Pronal's tanks, cushions, stoppers, grippers and lifting bags are employed in tasks extending from manufacturing and onshore mining and quarrying, to water resources protection, offshore petroleum exploration and sub-sea operations (including hoisting artifacts from the ocean liner Titanic 4km below the surface).
"Pronal flexible tanks provide a perfect answer to liquid storage challenges ranging from reservoirs for grey water through to storage of compatible industrial and mining liquids, fire protection, public works and agriculture," said Mr Simon Agar, National Sales Manager for Air Springs Supply, which is national distributor for the Pronal range.
"Flexible tanks are easy and economical to establish. Their main requirement is flat, cleared ground, ideally with a sand bed to rest upon, which is not hard to find in Australia."
Available as either stock types up to 500,000 litres or custom-engineered for particular applications, the Pronal flexible tanks are mobile and compact, simple to deploy and use, and cost-efficient as an alternative means of liquid storage.
"The tanks are designed so stored liquids are never in contact with air so that, in addition to water, different versions can be used for the safe storage of products such as liquid manufactures, paint, latex, fruit juice, demineralised water and emulsions. All compatabilities to the various products contained are checked and certified by Pronal's specialised laboratories," said Mr Agar. Different materials can be employed for specialist products or fuels.
The composition of the standard coated fabric (polyester textile supported coated with PVC) permits storage of drinking water and non-fatty and non-acid food products, even with low alcohol contents.
Weights of Liquitanks range from 20 kg for a 1000-litre type (one cubic metre) through to 655kg for the 350,000 litre (350 cubic metre) types. Their volumes when folded range from 0.09 to 3.00 cubic metres respectively.
Options include Gullemin Coupling, Kamlock Coupling, Storz Coupling, alimentary PPG Coupling, automatic vent, taps, pumps, refueling hose, reductors and adaptors, and flex9ible hose equipped with a valve.
Pronal tanks are proven worldwide in military and industrial applications, including helitransportable and vehicle transportable smaller types, with larger models being used for storage of drinking or industrial water at public works support bases and sites, water treatment works, villages and isolated sites.
Liquitanks are part of an extensive Pronal range of inflatable emergency, rescue and maintenance equipment used by industrial, military and civil defence organisations worldwide (including transportable water and fuel tanks and lifting cushions used to raise equipment ranging from crashed aircraft to mining plant and pipelines needing installation or maintenance).
One of the major advantages of Pronal technology in addition to its proven performance globally is that its inflatable elastomer products can also be custom-fabricated to suit particular applications, said Mr Agar, whose organisation has more than 25 years specialist national experience in applying pneumatic actuation and isolation technologies.
Information about Pronal products can be obtained through the Pronal website of Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, www.pronal.com.au. Air Springs Supply's complementary website, www.airsprings.com.au is one of Australia's most comprehensive guides to pneumatic actuation, isolation and suspension.
For more information about Air Springs Supply's national distribution and technical support network, please contact Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, 10 Angas St, Meadowbank, Sydney 2114, ph (02) 9807 4077, fax (02) 9807 6979, sales@airsprings.com.au.
Pronal's doughnut seals debut for OEM and materials handling replacementsOne of Europe's most comprehensive ranges of flat and three-dimensional seals is being introduced to Australasia by pneumatic actuation, isolation and suspension specialist Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd.
The Pronal range of stock and customised, application-specific flat and 3D seals is used in many industrial applications as OEM and replacement parts for applications including sealing, pressing, gripping, handling and isolating.
The tough and highly durable seals include types suitable for equipment widely used throughout Australasia, including crushers, conveyors, hoppers, presses, vibrating equipment, silos and materials handling equipment in applications extending from powder handling, primary product and process engineering to minerals processing, power generation and pipelines and tanks.
They complement Air Springs Supply's broader ranges of pipe stoppers and lifting bags from elastomer specialist Pronal, the organisation that developed the tough lifting tanks used to pluck artifacts from the ocean liner Titanic nearly four kilometres down on the ocean floor.
"The great strength of Pronal is not only the incredible reputation they have for quality, but also their depth of engineering expertise to custom-fabricate products for specialist applications. This capability extends from delicate and food, beverage and pharmaceutical applications right through powder handling and primary processing to heavy industries such as mining, power, quarries and resources," said Air Springs Supply National Sales Manager Mr Simon Agar.
"By drawing on the military, civil and industrial experience of Pronal's research department and their highly flexible production formats - we can work with clients to develop the best responses to particular needs," said Mr Agar.
Pronal doughnut seals technologies include:
Mr Agar says Pronal doughnut seals and lifting bags combine the advantages of high durability and power with gentle, precisely controlled force and expansion that can spread over broader surfaces of the object being actuated, isolated or sealed.
Information about Pronal products can be obtained through the Pronal website of Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, www.pronal.com.au. Air Springs Supply's complementary website, www.airsprings.com.au is one of Australia's most comprehensive guides to pneumatic actuation, isolation and suspension.
For more information about Air Springs Supply's national distribution and technical support network, please contact Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, 10 Angas St, (Cnr of Underdale Lane) Meadowbank, Sydney 2114, ph (02) 9807 4077, fax (02) 9807 6979, sales@airsprings.com.au.
