Mechanical Research & Design, Inc. designs and manufactures our premium brand of Joint Testers for a wide variety of pipe connection, joint seal, and weld integrity checks. Joint testers by definition check a weld or pipe joint connection for leaks by employing a seal forward and aft of the region to be tested, creating an isolated test annulus that can be hydrotested. Joint testers are an efficient way to progressively test pipe joints without the requirement for filling piping systems fully with test fluid, mitigating concerns of standing water and corrosion in new pipe assemblies. Our SEALFAST® Pipe Joint Testers can be fabricated from 1/2″ to in excess of 20 feet diameter, for standard round pipe, to irregular shaped pipe, and can be customized to travel through custom pipe fittings (elbows, tees, etc.) or even fit through small manholes in transit to the utilization location. Joint testers can be designed for vacuum pressure testing through several thousand psi application pressures for use with fluids or gas as the testing medium. We work hand-in-hand with service contractors the world over to provide the most user-friendly, multi-functional products on the market!
Leaders In Sealing Technology – SEALFAST® Elastomers
Mechanical Research & Design, Inc. fabricates, vulcanizes, and molds our SEALFAST® Mechanical and Inflatable Seals in-house to offer our customers the quickest and most reliable products. We provide two primary types of Joint Testers: Inflatable Joint Testers and Mechanical Joint Testers; their operational differences are detailed below. Inflatable Joint Testers are perfect for high frequency, rapid joint testing in low to high pressure tests. Mechanical Joint Testers are typically more economical and are ideal for low frequency or extreme high pressure tests which require pressure decay sensitivity. Both are used fairly interchangeably in transport piping systems, for flange weld testing, in refinery pipeline and vessel nozzle testing, and progressive pipeline installation where leak test validation is required.
Mechanical vs. Inflatable Seals
Full Pipeline Pressure Testing vs. Joint Testing
Joint Testers – Common Applications of Use
LOW, MEDIUM AND HIGH PRESSURE CONFIGURATIONS
Our SEALFAST® inflatable joint testers are among our most popular testing tools. They are highly customizable and come in varying degrees of configurability for a large range of use.
• Our low pressure SEALFAST® inflatable joint testers come in many shapes and sizes and are typically designed for several hundred psi test pressures. Some are easily adaptable for custom pipe joint types and can be collapsible for difficult to traverse pipe fittings. They can be provided with rollers for ease of transport.
• Our medium pressure SEALFAST® inflatable joint testers are highly configurable for pressures exceeding 1000 psi. The ranges of these tools can be extended by utilizing elastomeric bands on the outside of the seal housings upon request. The tools can also be designed so that multiple size seal housings can be installed onto the central mandrel resulting in cost savings for the tooling system.
• Our high pressure SEALFAST® inflatable joint testers for pressures exceeding 5000 psi, are also highly configurable. The tools can also be designed so that multiple size seal housings can be installed onto the central mandrel resulting in cost savings for the tooling system, similar to the medium pressure joint testers. These tools are ruggedly designed for high frequency verification in industrial or field testing.
Split Style Joint Testers are collapsible to fit through manholes and to navigate through elbows, tee, wyes, and other geometrically challenging applications .
Articulating joint testers are designed to roll easily around elbows, tees and wyes in pipelines. They are ideal for remote installation applications.
Reducing style joint testers are designed specifically to test reducer weld joints and abrupt pipe size changes.
Remote install joint testers are designed for hard to reach or hard to install locations and applications that extend as far as hundreds of feet into a pipeline. Special installation tools are available. Applications include well testers and packer seals.
Minimize equipment during pipe installation and utilize our joint tester / pipe puller combination tool. Minimize the need for extra construction equipment by using our pipe puller joint testers to bring pipes together in tight, restrictive construction spaces. Pendants and controls can be provided for all tools when requested.
Sealfast® mechanical joint testers can be used for applications that require extreme pressures, the highest safety requirements, long term installations and tests, or in remote locations where utilities are unavailable.
Mechanical Research & Design, Inc. customizes joint testers for split external joint weld tests (can be installed and tested progressively during pipeline assembly) as well as custom geometry testers and for any other custom application!
If you would like more information about how we can streamline your testing processes, contact us or request a free quote today!
• To see our other Isolation and Test Tools, Click Here.
• For Control Panels, Utilities, Turnkey Test and Operational Systems, please see our Controls and Accessories page.
LOOKING FOR INFLATABLE AND MECHANICAL SEALS?
See our SEALFAST® Elastomers Product Lines
We specialize in custom solutions! Take a look at a few of our proven custom solutions or let us know your requirements. Our engineers and production staff are equipped to travel around the world at a moment’s notice to assist you with your needs!
Contact us today to discuss our rates or to book an appointment with one of our engineers.