Cold grinding

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Gordon Reilly, general manager, OCS Services.

Sparks won't fly when you pick up one of Safety Tools Allmet's new range of cold grinding tools.

If someone suggested to me to take a grinder to a piece of steel at an oil and gas production site or petrochemical refinery, I would most likely politely decline before seeking medical attention for the proponent of such an action.

Thankfully, in Norway over 10 years ago a gentleman by the name of Reidar Olsen - part of a family with a history in the coatings industry - proposed the use of grinding applications without any sparks. More than a decade later Reidar Olsen, CEO of Safety Tools Allmet, proudly lays claim to a set of grinding tools that can do exactly that.

What was required was a metal compound for the grinding bits that was extremely hard. What was devised was a 95% tungsten carbide bit with specially arranged teeth, rated 9.7 on the Rockwell hardness scale - between the hardness of an industrial diamond and a gemstone diamond.

"This tool is for steel preparation in order to conduct painting in the oil and gas industry. The product is EX [Ex II2Gc] certified by DNV [Det Norske Veritas], opening the door to all areas involved with hydrocarbons; so petrochemicals, tank farms, pipelines, marine tankers, chemical tankers, and even petrol pumps in underground tanks," says Gordon Reilly, group general manager, OCS Services - acting as the distributors of Safety Tools Allmet in the Middle East.

"They received the DNV certification and then they went to StatoilHydro for funding, who obliged, which shows they must have been impressed to back an expensive project."

Among the benefits of the tool, includes slower rotational speeds (800-3000 rpm) and therefore less heat generated; low noise of less than 85 decibels - compared with 120 decibels with conventional grinders; low vibrations; minimal dust formation; and no production of noxious gases from polyurethane coatings.

"In Europe they feel that this is a tool that is a must for the industry, not because we sell it or because it looks nice, because it is an essential item, a big time saver, and has a huge safety factor. The biggest drawback is the cost [from US$10 000 to $18 000], but the savings you will make in the long run far outweighs this," explains Reilly.

Other highlighted benefits are the grinder's longevity. Each individual bit, according to Safeer KH, sales engineer for Northsea Oilfield Services, has a life span of 3-5 years if used on a daily basis - 100 times longer than a conventional grinder.

"When compared with a normal grinding tool, a normal tool works at much higher rpms - somewhere around 15 000 to 20 000 rpm. This machine works from 1000 to 3000 rpm," he explains.

"Unless it is used very badly, which is hard to, it has a much more prolonged lifespan. For example, if the air compressor is not giving the right pressure and you are not running at the right speed, it will bang against the surface," adds Reilly.

The most important attribute of the tool is the fact there is minimal heat creation and no sparks. But this is not only limited to the actual grinding bit, the entire machine, from the carrying case it comes in to the air compressor, the materials used ensure that if it is dropped no sparks will be produced.

Another associated danger with the creation of sparks and high heats can also come from grinding of paints containing polyurethane, which is used to make the paints more durable and resistant.

"When the paint is ground down, if it gets too hot then it produces toxic isocyanides. With this tool there is no threat of that happening as there is no heat," says Reilly.

The teeth are arranged in a specially designed formation which cuts and coils the metal, meaning no small particles are distributed in the air, as they simply fall to the ground.

"The first teeth lip the material, the second will roll the material and the final tooth will take out the material. The ground metal then falls to the floor; it does not fly up, so really you don't need goggles, but you of course you wear them anyway as a precaution," states Reilly. "This is another safety benefit, as with small particles you can inhale them, whereas with this tool they fall to the floor in large pieces, minimising the risk."

The advantages seem to be aplenty for the Safety Tools Allmet grinder. The main objective now for OCS and Northsea Oilfield Services is to convince the customers that paying the relatively high price for the product will reap the proposed rewards in the long-term.

"Yes, it may be harder to sell in today's economic climate, but that is why we will be renting the tool set out first, so they can come back and buy the product once they see its undisputed value," ends Reilly.

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