Pneumatic Unions

Traditional pneumatic tires have the problems of uneven gas-fill and inflation because of the incomplete production process, so their service life is short and they are easy to leak as a result.

Air grip union, also called pneumatic union, is widely used in pipelines connection and these pipelines feature low pressure, large diameter, large misalignment and needing frequent installation and dismantlement. It is especially suitable for the low pressure and large diameter pipelines connection between all the mud tanks in the drilling solid control system of petroleum industry. The relative positions of the mud tanks are different after every time installation on the spot, and large misalignment exists. However, the large misalignment has no influence on the pipeline connection and sealing thanks to the excellent performance of air grip unions. Therefore, air grip unions meet the requirements of fast installation and dismantlement on the spot. It is very important for reducing the workload of workers and shortening well construction cycle. Air grip union is composed of two parts: pneumatic tire and steel shell. Pneumatic tire is made from the mixture of natural rubber and nitrile and the most steel shells are made from high quality carbon steel.

The connected pipeline of air grip union can be FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) pipe or rubber tube with connectors on the two ends. FRP pipe is resistant to corrosion and lightweight, and it is easy to handle. Rubber tube can be bent.

Features:

• Low demand on installation alignment. Air grip union can achieve fast installation and sealing in the conditions of misalignment. Inflate the pneumatic tire and the pipeline can be sealed excellently without leakage.
• Good adaptability. Pipeline misalignment has no influence on the fast connection and sealing.
• Fast and convenient installation and dismantlement. Pneumatic tire can hold steel pipe tightly after inflation to achieve connection and sealing. Steel pipe can be dismantled after pneumatic tire deflation.
• There is no need to use tools such as bolt, nut and spanner in the pipeline installation and dismantlement.

Air grip union cross-section view.

The details of air grip union:

• Media available: mud, oil, water.
• Media temperature: -45 °C to +50 °C.
• Environment temperature: -30 °C to +50 °C.
• Recovery time after deflation: 1-3 seconds.
• Media pressure: 0.4 MPa.
• Structure: pneumatic tire and steel shell.
• Material: shell for carbon steel, pneumatic tire for the mixture of natural rubber and nitrile.