Connectors & Sealing Technologies

Taper-Lok Offshore
& Subsea
Engineered to Last
Leak-Free Service
Engineered to LastLeak-Free Service
Taper-Lok connectors, designed for subsea applications, are supplied with additional features that aid
divers and provide additional diver safety during the installation process. The benefits of these
additional features significantly decrease the time and cost required to install a Taper-Lok
connection as compared to standard ANSI, RTJ, or API connections.

Taper-Lok connections are used in:

Offshore and Subsea
Top Side
Spool Tie-ins
Production Risers
Manifolds
Onshore
Injection Systems
Flow Lines
Well Stream Manifolds
Well Heads
Pipeline Transmission / Distribution
Petroleum Refining
Synthetic Fuels Production
Numerous Others

Design Flexibility, Leak-Free

AFGlobal has an outstanding record in offshore and subsea applications. Taper-Lok connections provide unequaled design flexibility and
have been designed in nominal pipe sizes ranging from 0.5 to 82, with pressures up to 40,000 psi, and temperatures ranging from 350 F to
1,600 F.

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AFGlobal Service Commitment
Our clients deserve a service commitment that does not end with installation.
AFGlobal not only provides complete product training, installation and
field repair instructions, but also project management
support, product design and design calculations all while
guaranteeing leak-free service for the life of your connector.
Some Taper-Lok connectors have been in operation more than
40 years with combined leak-free service of over 200 million
hours without failure.

Benefits of Using a Taper-Lok Flange

Connection in Your Offshore or Subsea
Application:

Leak-free performances, 100% leak-free sealing technology.

Taper-Lok connections are 60% to 70% lighter than the conventional
flanges in most sizes and pressure ratings.
Axial misalignment capabilities allow for a shorter assembly time of
manifolds, risers and spools.
Taper-Lok connections have lower bolt pre-load requirements than
standard connections.
The Taper-Lok compact design reduces space and weight.
The seal ring geometry allows the gasket to be pre-installed on one side of
the flange before deployment.
Taper-Lok flanges are designed for external, dynamic and fatigue loads.
Modifications for external, annulus pressure testing available.

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Ball Bearings
The ball bearings can be viewed in the cut-away
section in the diagram above
10 Misalignment Flange
Swivel Flange Assemblies
with Ball Bearing Races
Swivel Flange Assemblies are comprised of a female weld neck flange, seal
ring, male fitting, rotating ring flange and a complete set of studs and nuts
(Figure A, right).
All Taper-Lok Swivel Flanges 12 in diameter and larger are provided
with ball bearing races machined into the swivel portion of the flange and
loaded with stainless steel bearings. Taper-Lok Swivel Flanges are easy
to rotate, allowing rotation by hand on large diameter flanges. This saves
divers numerous hours of installation time.
There is no need for a retainer ring to prevent the swivel from sliding onto
the pipe. When the ball bearings are loaded into the race, the swivel is
locked into place by the bearings.
Misalignment Capability
The Misalignment Assembly is comprised of a weld neck flange
with a spherical recess in the face, ball joint, spherical seal ring,
swivel ring flange and a complete set of studs and nuts.
The standard Misalignment Assembly (Figure B, right) allows up to
10-degrees of both axial and angular misalignment of piping.
The misalignment capability offered by Taper-Lok connections have proven
invaluable in previous subsea installations where time is at a premium and
the means to facilitate the alignment of an installed pipeline is limited.
Taper-Lok compact connections with misalignment capability offers
geometric flexibility during installation.
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 A.
Swivel Flange
Assemblies

Misalignment Flange
Assemblies

B.

Swivel Flange Assemblies A.

can be easily rotated
saving numerous hours of
installation time.

B.

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Special Taper-Lok Product Features
Compact Design
Taper-Lok connections are smaller and lighter than
conventional flanges. The Taper-Lok compact design
reduces space and weight.

ANSI Flange Assembly Taper-Lok Flange Assembly

Seal Ring Retainers - Cam-Loks

Taper-Lok offers a unique Seal Ring Retainer system
for connections that will be installed subsea, for riser
buoyancy systems and for large closures that are
installed in the vertical position.

The optional Seal Ring Retainer holds the seal

ring loosely in place in the female pocket.
The space between the flanges allows for
the placement of Cam-Loks to retain the wide
area seal ring during positioning and make-up. The
retainers do not interfere with the assembly of the
flanges so there is no need to remove them prior to
assembly.
To keep the seal ring in place, the female flange
can have retainers installed. The seal ring and
retainer can be installed on the platform or barge prior to the connection being lowered into the sea. This will aid the diver during
assembly.
Time savings, even 30 minutes, per connection adds up when considering pipe lay barge fees. Any installation time saved will outweigh
the cost of the flange connections.

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Subsea Studs and Nuts with Tensioner
All studs provided with Taper-Lok subsea connections
Allowance are of suitable extra length for 100% tensioning with
standard subsea tensioners.
The standard stud and nut coating system offers years of corrosion protection in
the subsea environment.
Nuts are provided with Tommy bar holes as a standard.

The standard stud and nut coating system applied

to Taper-Lok bolting has a special coating that
protects against corrosion and creates a smooth and
durable surface, making it easier for divers to spin
nuts into position during make-up. This added step
assures years of corrosion protection in the subsea
environment, which low friction coatings alone cannot
offer.

Subsea Coating Application

Taper-Lok subsea connections are priced to include the application Base Coat: Sermagard
Top Coat: Xylan Black
of Carboline 890 (12 mil dry film thickness/2-3 coats/Safety Yellow)) to
the external surfaces of the connection.
Carboline 890

Internal mating surfaces of Swivel Flanges and Misalignment Flanges

are coated with a combination of Sermagard 1105 (0.8-1 mil dry film
thickness) for corrosion protection and top coated with Xylan Black
(0.5-1 mil dry film thickness) for a durable/low friction finish surface. These coatings provide years of corrosion protection in subsea
service.

Lifting Eyes
Taper-Lok subsea connections offer three lifting eyes, making
fabrication and installation easier and safer.

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 Taper-Lok, an AFGlobal Company
945 Bunker Hill, Suite 500, Houston, TX 77024
Tel: 713-467-3333

Welding Units (UK) Ltd, an AFGlobal Company

Connectors & Sealing Technologies Mill Lane, Rainford, Merseyside WA11 8LR England
Tel:+44 (0) 1744 884881
Fax: +44 (0) 1744 883302

afglobalcorp.com

2014 AFGlobal Corporation. All rights reserved.