Marine Breakaway Couplings
KLAW Marine Breakaway Couplings protect assets, personnel, reputation and the environment during offshore transfer operations.
Marine Breakaway Couplings Minimize risks in offshore transfer
The KLAW Marine Breakaway Coupling provides an identified and safe parting point within the hose transfer system. When tensile forces exceed predetermined tolerances, the Marine Breakaway Coupling activates.
The KLAW Marine Breakaway Coupling then delivers two distinct safety features. The first is the closing of the flow of the media being transferred; the second is allowing separation of the hose transfer system. The separation relieves the hose transfer system and minimizes the risk of damage and spillage.
Minimising Risk During Offshore Transfer
Activation may be caused by events or situations that would prove disastrous without this proven and vital part of the transfer system. Events such as vessel movement, storms and pressure surge could compromise hose transfer systems and cause damage to assets, injury to personnel, contamination of the environment and extended downtime. This might lead to disruption of operation, extensive clean-up costs, litigation and damaged reputation. The KLAW Marine Breakaway Coupling is therefore a crucial part of maintaining a reliable offshore transfer system.
Typical Events
- Vessel movement and loss of Dynamic Positioning (DP).
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Pressure Surge: Caused by inadvertent downstream valve closure elsewhere in the system or over-pressurisation. The activation setting is pre-determined to suit the operating conditions.
Performance and Features
Double closure on the activation
When a KLAW Marine Breakaway Coupling activates, the Flip-Flap Valve mechanism closes on both the upstream and downstream flow within the hose transfer system. This minimises spill on both sides of the hose transfer separation.
Instantaneous closure
Spill on activation is minimised by the instantaneous closure of the KLAW Flip-Flap Valve mechanism.
100% shut-off of flow
The KLAW Flip-Flap Valve mechanism provides 100% closure and therefore 100% shut-off of both upstream and downstream flow.
Minimum headloss
The KLAW Flip-Flip Valve is designed to deliver minimum headloss when in the locked open position within the Breakaway Coupling. This allows the coupling to provide transfer efficiencies as well as minimising the risk of spills.
Reliable performance in the marine environment
The KLAW Marine Breakaway Coupling is designed specifically to resist those bending moments and torsional forces expected from floating wave motions and the rigours of the marine environment. The design of the KLAW Marine Breakaway Coupling, therefore, prevents premature activation of the unit and protects the Breakstuds from fatigue.
Applications
- Offshore supply vessels: Supply Vessels to/from Offshore Platforms
- Ship-to-ship transfer
- Ship-to-shore transfer
- Any transfer application where protection must be fitted between two sections of flexible hose.
World-wide industry standard
The Flip-Flap Valve design inside the KLAW Marine Breakaway Coupling has delivered many years of reliable and consistent performance and has proven to be the most reliable Safety Breakaway Coupling in the offshore transfer environment. The KLAW Marine Breakaway Coupling is the world-wide industry standard and is the most widely used model of its kind in the world.
Sequential Closure KLAW Marine Flip-Flap Valve
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Technical Specifications
Materials of Construction
Standard coupling housings are stainless steel. Other materials are available on request.
Sizes
Standard nominal bores available: 2?, 3?, 5?, 6?, 8?
Pressure Ratings
- Standard range design pressure 2? = 40 BAR (580 PSI)
- Standard range design pressure 3? = 40 BAR (580 PSI)
- Standard range design pressure 4? = 30 BAR (435 PSI)
- Standard range design pressure 5? = 27 BAR (391 PSI)
- Standard range design pressure 6? = 23 BAR (333 PSI)
- Standard range design pressure 8? = 17 BAR (246 PSI)
Higher pressure and higher flow rates are available on request.
End Connections
- NPT Threaded male or female
- BSP Threaded tapered or parallel
- Flanged Connections (ANSI 150/PN16 ANSI 300/PN40)
- Weld-prepared ends (Schedule 40)
- Hammer Union Fittings (Fig 100)
- Other End Connection configurations are also available on request. Contact the KLAW team for further details.
Breakaway couplings are an essential component in maintaining the environmental integrity of tanker offloading operations, providing passive hose string protection against excessive axial tension and internal surge pressures. These primarily occur as a result of tanker breakouts, caused by excessive environmental forces parting mooring hawsers, over-stressing the hose and potentially rupturing them. While the hose’s internal pressure can surge as a result of an incorrectly operated valve closing against the flow of fluid, leading to the hose’s carcass/carcasses or fittings becoming damaged.
To determine the appropriate valve and provide reliable transfer operations, Offspring works with the customer to determine the following system details:
- Terminal location
- Environmental conditions
- Pipeline size
- Product flow rate
- Product pressure
All marine breakaway couplings supplied by Offspring International are designed and manufactured under quality systems in accordance with ISO 9001 and OCIMF guidelines.
Marine Breakaway Couplings (MBCs) are crucial for offshore transfers. Their purpose is to protect the hose transfer operations, assets, personnel, and reputations which they do by drastically reducing to the minimum the offshore spill risks caused by extreme pressure surges or tanker breakouts.
The Marine Breakaway Coupling automatically activates and shuts off product flow either when there is an undue tensile load on the hose string or an unacceptable surge in flow. The MBC then separates.
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Source: offspringinternational.com
