When bolting safety is too hot to handle, innovative Australian hydraulic nut systems provide a solution

All of these installations need rapid installation and efficient maintenance
requiring fast disassembly and reassembly for work to be carried out with
maximum speed and precision, reducing worker’s exposure time to potential
hazards and reducing downtime that no company can afford as it steps up
production to combat falling commodity prices.

A solution to the problem is offered by Australian joint security innovator
Technofast Industries, which produces the expanding globally successful EziTite®
family of hydraulic nuts and bolts used on many high temperature
applications worldwide where speed, safety and accuracy are critical. The
Technofast product family includes the CamNut systems used on steam
turbines and extreme temperature applications from – 40°C to 650°C and the EziTite®
TR Hydraulic Nuts designed especially for high temperature applications up to 550°C  and higher in some instances.

Technofast technologies such as the EziTite®
and CamNut range are currently
being taken up by some of the world’s largest resources and engineering
companies – Including BHP Billiton, Bechtel and Rio Tinto – with worldwide
applications including Australasia, Asia and North America. Technofast will
next year double the size of its plant in Brisbane to accommodate demand as
it expands the product family.

   

EziTite® Hydraulic Nuts, left, and CamNuts, right. EziTite® Hydraulic Nuts are rapidly applied by being
placed installed on the bolt studs which they are hydraulically actuated, stretching the bolt to the precise
tension required and then locking it in place mechanically with a locking device. The reverse procedure
permits equally rapid disassembly when it is eventually required. CamNuts, right, have unique features
which can allow the use of Tensioners on bolts without sufficient stud protrusion. Typical applications
include steam turbines and associated valves, which are typically used to generate electricity and in
marine and locomotive propulsion.

Technofast’s CamNut System is the only alternative to current methodology
which can be effectively used to tighten the typically massive bolts used in
large Steam Turbines without either replacing the entire set of bolts at huge
cost or extensively modifying bolts, casings, or both.

The system is designed using specialised features such as stacked hydraulic
load cells to reduce tool diameters and a tapered breakaway coupling with a
unique thread for rapid engagement of the tensioning tool.

The EziTite® TR High Temperature Hydraulic Nut has a number of significant
features which are also the subject of Patents and PCT Patent Applications.
Technofast has developed a highly innovative metal seal with excellent
durability which is unlike any other hydraulic sealing mechanism in existence.

The unique action of the seal mechanism permits the EziTite® TR fastener to
be cycled many times without failure. Months of in-house testing has
confirmed an operational life in excess of one hundred cycles, which far
exceeds any projected usage.

“EziTite® TR Hydraulic Nuts and CamNuts have been introduced to the
Australian market specifically to provide a solution to extreme situations and
adverse conditions that could expose workers to hazards” said Technofast
Founder and CEO Mr. John Bucknell.

They provide precision bolt tensioning in a fraction of time taken by other
methods, such as heating or torque tightening. Whole groups of hydraulic
tensioning devices can be tightened simultaneously on a flange, joint or cover,
for example. This simultaneous loading of entire groups of fasteners helps to
eliminate bolt load scatter and gives an extremely accurate and even load onto
the flange/joint, enhancing its long-term security, safety and reliability and
ensuring leak free start ups.

Current examples of the CamNut systems’ effectiveness involved the closure
of power generation turbines and steam turbine casings of the type employed
in mining, energy, mineral processing and materials handling. Instead of
using time-consuming bolt heating and shrinkage methods, bolts are
hydraulically tensioned simultaneously. This drastically shortens assembly
time, for example, with an alternate bolt system, a large High
Pressure/Intermediate Pressure (HP/IP) casing can be closed in a matter of
minutes, rather than days. A bonus is that any release and retensioning of
fasteners can be carried out quickly and easily. In the case of breakdown,
fastener removal can be effected even before the turbine is fully cooled from
operating temperature.

The use of CamNuts in these applications permits the obvious benefits of using
direct tension methods. Accuracy, efficiency, improved safety and vastly extended
stud life noted. The use of the EziTite® Hydraulic fasteners provides the ultimate means of turbine
shell tensioning

Tool Features, EziTite® TR Hydraulic Fasteners

 Patented metal seal design allows for applications up to 550˚C and
higher.
 Compact design for confined applications.
 Smart design to eliminate load losses.
 Secondary backup release mechanism (Sacrificial Ring)
 Multiple tensioning provides even bolt loads with massive assembly and
disassembly down time.

Benefits of the EziTite® TR Hydraulic Nut

 Reduces maintenance down time.

 Improves safety on the job.
 Gives reliable and precise tensioning.
 Is user-friendly.
 Fast to fit and remove.
 Requires little physical effort.
 Is ideal for difficult or confined spaces

The EziTite® TR Hydraulic Nut is ideal for:
 Pressure Vessel Closure (i.e.: Autoclaves, Boilers, etc).
 Flange Makeup.
 Gas Turbine Joints.
 Steam Turbine Joints.
 Boiler Feed Pumps
 High Temperature applications

Tool Features, CamNut:

 User friendly, fast to fit & remove.
 Requires little physical effort.
 Quick connection of tensioner tooling.
 Ideal for situations with short bolt grip length.
 Modular construction reduces overall tool weight.
 Operating temperatures from –40°c deg to +650°c.

Benefits of using a CamNut:
 No need to replace expensive studs to provide sufficient grip length.
 Easier handling with lesser tool weight

Designed for extreme situations/adverse conditions.
 Minimises cost and reduces downtime.
 Reliable and precise tensioning the first time.
 User friendly to improve safety.
 Requires little physical effort.
 Fast to fit and remove.
 Reduce breakdowns and damage.
 Removes risk of strike and pinch point injuries caused by other
tightening methods.

A CamNut is Ideal for:
 Regular maintenance requires repeated adjustment or removal of nuts.
 Where Speed of operation is essential.
 Where bolts are of large diameter.
 Accurate and reliable loading is required on bolting.
 Space for tooling is restricted.
 Simultaneous tightening of bolts is required.
 Even joint/gasket compression is required.