Introducing SaferUnion™ A new type of iron which will make your well-site a safer and more efficient place.
The innovative solutions offered by R&H Machining – the SaferUnion™ – have reduced hammer union hazards dramatically. The SaferUnion™ nut is a new fastener that provides greater safety in dangerous working environments. It is a superior alternative to conventional hammer unions, because it requires the use of less energy. Instead of requiring a sledgehammer to tighten the connection, the new design uses a bar with a long moment arm, that is capable of providing sufficient torque on the nut to either tighten or loosen the connection.
This bar can easily be inserted and removed from one of the 8 openings that are available at every 45 degrees of the SaferUnion™ nut. The bar handle is equipped with a detachable connector piece on one end, where the clearance between the connector and the handle allows the application of additional torque without any damage to the bar.
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Number One Source of Injuries in the Oil and Gas services occur while attempting to make or break hammer union connections.
In the oil & gas industry, these connections have to be capable of withstanding high pressures. If for any reason a connector fails, a physical explosion can occur – creating a very dangerous incident. Traditional unions require the use of a sledgehammer to tighten or loosen connections. This is a very crude and dangerous means of forming a sealed connection.
Just to mention a few safety hazards related to the use of hammer unions:
- Using assembly pieces that are not designed for one another (mismatching issues)
- Bodily injuries occur from missing hammer strikes, the sledgehammer slipping out of worker’s hands, or metal shards breaking off from the wingnut or the hammer itself.
- Potential health concerns associated with the act of swinging a sledgehammer.
- Frequent beating on the hammer union can cause premature failure for the connection. Cracking awing nut can lead to seal failure, which might result in a potential explosion.
Furthermore, hammer unions can easily be over-tightened because of the lack of sensitivity of pounding an object with a sledgehammer – this adds another risk of connection failure. Because they are hammered frequently – every time a drilling rig is rigged up or broken down, those pipes must be taken apart or reconnected – this increases the hazard because the lifetime and overall reliability of the union is reduced.
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