Company Announcement - Blocking pipes for purging or to carry out routine maintenance can be much easier with an Inflatable Pipestopper. A range of standard and non-standard Inflatable Stoppers for tubes, pipes, pipework fabrications and ductwork is available from the Pipestoppers® Division of HFT®. These versatile Inflatable Stoppers are used to service a wide variety of industrial applications. As “overnight stoppers” they provide a strong barrier in pipeline activities, to prevent foreign bodies entering the line during down time.

In machining applications, they can be inserted below a horizontal flange on a vertical pipe, to prevent machining fluid from falling below into expensive machinery such as pumps and turbines etc. When welding large tanks and vessels, stoppers inflated with air can dramatically reduce the volume inside, so that the argon purging process takes little time and uses the minimum of expensive gas.  The stoppers pay for themselves in one weld and can be used multiple times. Other applications include leak testing of pipework systems, whether commercial, domestic or industrial, on site thermoforming of bends in plastic materials and fiber-optic constructions projects.

All Inflatable Stoppers are manufactured with a strong internal inflatable bag covered in waterproof sewn polyurethane coated nylon for low friction and to prevent the production of static electricity or accidental sparking. Inflatable Stoppers are particularly useful when inserting into a small opening close to a job site, rather than at the end of the pipe. No high-pressure equipment is needed for inflation.

The standard range of HFT®‘s Pipestoppers® Inflatable Stoppers are available for immediate delivery in cylindrical or spherical formats with sizes ranging from 1 to 96” (25 to 2440 mm). Inflatable Stoppers are also available with heat resistant covers to protect them against high temperatures. HFT® also has a range Rubber Inflatable Stoppers that are suitable for petrochemical applications and are resistant to all hydrocarbon fluids and gases.