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Accu-Freeze @ ORNL
COB Industries, Inc.
Melbourne, Fl.
Toll Free: 1(800) 431-1311
Phone: 1(321)723-3200
Fax: 1(321) 984-8455
general@cob-industries.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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October 2007: COB Industries, Inc. Conducts Accu-Freeze® Training Program at Oak Ridge Nat’l Laboratory, System Used for Critical Repair
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UT Battelle /Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), one of the premier nuclear research facilities in the U.S., recently purchased Accu-Freeze® Kits to use on-site, and contracted COB Industries to conduct a training program at their facility.
A 2-day training program conducted by COB Industries was attended by nuclear engineers, supervisors, pipe- fitters and maintenance personnel. The program consisted of a classroom presentation covering the history, theory and techniques of pipe freezing, and hands-on training using the Accu-Freeze system to freeze a 2” pipe and an 8” pipe that were filled with 30% ethylene glycol and water. The primary objective of the training was to prepare the personnel at ORNL for a critical freeze seal that they would be attempting in the immediate future. Following is a description of the scenario they were faced with at the High Flux Isotope Reactor Facility:
There is a chilled water system that refrigerates and distributes chilled water to the building ventilation system. The carbon steel piping runs throughout the building to various air conditioning units and returns back to the chiller by the use of chilled water pumps. The circulating fluid consists of 30% wt ethylene glycol and water. After 40 years, one of the pumps had died and needed to be replaced, so it was decided to replace both chilled water pumps and to change the chilled water piping to stainless steel. They were then forced to make a decision: drain the entire chilled water system or use a freeze seal to isolate the pumps. Due to time and personnel constraints, they opted for the freeze seal. The freeze seal was to be installed on an 8-inch return pipe in the Beam Room (area in the plant that receives “beams” of neutrons from the reactor core to experiment facilities) and was needed in order to cut the pipe supplying chilled water to the chilled water pumps since there were no existing valves in the header to isolate the flow in the line. If the freeze seal were to fail, the Beam Room would be flooded, resulting in the damage or destruction of equipment worth $millions.
After the training and a couple of additional trials were completed, the Accu-Freeze system was used successfully to create a freeze seal and the necessary repairs and upgrades to the piping system were completed.
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Preparing Glycol-Filled Pipes for Freeze Training |
Freezing 2" glycol Line |
Picture of Ice Plug Removed from 2” Pipe |
Picture of Ice Plug in 8” Water / 30% Glycol Line, Iron Pipe |
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If you would like more information about this topic or to schedule an interview,
please contact Cletus O’Brien or Troy Palmer at (321) 723-3200 or email to sales@cob-industries.com |
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COB Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 361175
Melbourne, Fl. 32936-1175
Toll Free: 1(800) 431-1311
Phone: 1(321)723-3200
Fax: 1(321) 984-8455
general@cob-industries.com
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