Instructions for the Preservation, and

Use of Grayloc Clamp Connectors

Technical Bulletin GTB 0466

Western Hemisphere Headquarters: Eastern Hemisphere Headquarters: Middle East

11835 Charles Street Unit B Hydropark, Tern Place Unit No FZS1-BG04
Houston, Texas 77041-2411 Bridge of Don Jebel Ali Free Zone
U.S.A. Aberdeen, Scotland, AB32 8JX Dubai, U.A.E
Tel: 713-466-8853 Tel: +44 1224 222790 +971 (0) 4 886 1980
Fax: 731-937-2335 Fax: +44 1224 222780 +971 (0) 4 866 1766

GTB 0466 Page 1 May 2009

 Index

1.0 Scope

2.0 Delivery and Storage

3.0 Welding

4.0 Painting

5.0 Assembly

6.0 Maintenance

7.0 Disassembly

8.0 Re-work/Repair

GTB 0466 Page 2 May 2009

1.0 Scope
This procedure is intended to provide fabricators and end-users with detailed information on
the proper storage, fabrication, painting, installation, maintenance disassembly and re-work of
Grayloc Clamp Connectors.

2.0 Delivery and Storage

All shipments from Grayloc are packed in suitable crates or secured to pallets depending on
the method and length of transport.

2.1 Butt weld and blind hubs

All carbon and low alloy steel hubs are coated with a rust preventative to provide
protection against corrosion during transport and storage. Stainless and nickel alloys
are not coated. All hubs are provided with protective covers on the hubs face to protect
against mechanical damage of the seal area.

Carbon and low alloy steel hubs can be provided with Electroless Nickel Plating. This
will provide protection for the critical hub and sealing areas during storage, welding
and assembly, and some degree of corrosion protection during operation. Electroless
Nickel Plating is not applied to the butt weld end of the hub.

2.2 Clamps

Unless otherwise specified, all carbon and low alloy steel Grayloc clamps are supplied
with a coat of primer or thin paint intended to provide protection against corrosion
during transport and storage. Corrosion resistant alloy clamps are not coated unless
otherwise specified.

GTB 0466 Page 3 May 2009

 Note: On request clamps can be provided with a range of coatings, generally customer
specified, for example PTFE, hot dip galvanising, zinc or nickel plated.

2.3 Bolting

The coating of the bolting is generally customer specified and will provide corrosion
protection during transport and storage. Typical coatings include zinc, hot dip
galvanising PTFE etc. Uncoated bolts are oiled.

Standard bolting is supplied assembled with two nuts on each stud.

2.4 Seal rings

Seal rings are supplied in individual cardboard boxes to protect them during
transportation and storage. It is recommended that the seal rings remain in these
boxes prior to use.

Sealrings are provided with a dry lubricant coating, typically PTFE or MoS2 w/graphite.
This coating is for lubrication of the seal ring during installation, but also provides
some corrosion protection during shipment and storage.

GTB 0466 Page 4 May 2009

2.5 Receipt and storage on site

Clamp connectors should be stored in a clean and dry indoor environment. Carbon
and low alloy steel parts, liable to corrosion, should be checked periodically and action
taken if necessary. In particular the seal areas of the hubs and seal rings must not be
allowed to corrode as this will affect the integrity of the seal.

3.0 Welding
3.1 Grayloc hubs may be fabricated to pipe or other component equipment by established
welding procedures. Normal procedures suitable for welding of pipe and flanges are
suitable for the Grayloc hub. Initial fit-up and alignment tolerances normally used in the
fabrication of ANSI flanges are also applicable for the Grayloc hub. Further information
can obtained form Grayloc if required.

3.2 Prior to welding it may be necessary to remove the protective cover and any rust
inhibitor. Hub seal areas must be protected from damage and weld spatter during
welding. If the procedure requires stress reliving then anti-oxidation compounds can
be used to prevent scaling during PWHT.

3.3 After welding, the surfaces of the hubs can be cleaned in-line with normal practices,
however hub seal areas must be protected from shot blasting and any other
aggressive cleaning operations.

3.4 After welding, any corrosion protection (rust inhibitor) must be re-applied. It is
advisable to replace the protective cover to provide continued protection of the hub
from mechanical damage

GTB 0466 Page 5 May 2009

4.0 Painting

To ensure proper connection assembly, the following painting and masking guidelines shall be
followed.

4.1 Hubs

The areas shown below shall not be painted.

After painting, inspect and, reapply any corrosion protection (rust inhibitor) to the
unpainted areas. Replace the protective cover to provide continued protection of the
hub from mechanical damage.

4.2 Seal rings and bolts

No additional coating should be applied to the seal rings or bolting.

GTB 0466 Page 6 May 2009

4.3 Clamps

Thick paint coatings such as epoxy paint systems must not be applied to the clamp
inside profiles and clamp spherical radius areas. It is acceptable to apply thin coatings
to these areas, for example inorganic zinc primers, typically 50-120m (2 to 5mils)
thick.

Clamps can be provided with a range of coatings, generally customer specified, for
example PTFE, hot dip galvanising, zinc or nickel plated.

GTB 0466 Page 7 May 2009

5.0 Assembly
No special tools are required to assemble the clamp connector other than standard tooling
found on a typical fabrication and assembly site. Torque wrenches can be used to achieve the
required bolt torque. The nuts used on the bolting are standard heavy hex nuts and will fit
standard sockets. Bolt tensioners cannot be used on Grayloc clamps as the tensioner footprint
area is not flat, extended length studs and special washers can be provided to accommodate
bolt tensioner equipment if required.

Please refer to the Installation and Maintenance of the Grayloc Connector bulletin (GLOC-106)
for additional assembly, disassembly and maintenance recommendations.

5.1 The Grayloc seal ring does not seat until the connection is fully tightened;
therefore a small clearance or standoff should be observed when the seal ring
is placed into a mating hub. If no standoff is present use a new seal ring.

Applicable standoff figures for Grayloc seal rings are given in table 1

GTB 0466 Page 8 May 2009

GRAYLOC MIN MAX GRAYLOC MIN MAX
SEALRING SEALRING
SIZE SIZE
inches mm inches mm inches mm inches mm
4 0.003 0.08 0.019 0.48 72 0.035 0.89 0.085 2.16
5 0.003 0.08 0.019 0.48 76 0.033 0.84 0.091 2.31
7 0.005 0.13 0.021 0.53 82 0.036 0.91 0.095 2.41
11 0.006 0.15 0.021 0.53 84 0.038 0.97 0.096 2.44
13 0.008 0.20 0.024 0.61 87 0.036 0.91 0.102 2.59
14 0.008 0.20 0.022 0.56 91 0.055 1.40 0.121 3.07
16 0.007 0.18 0.021 0.53 94 0.040 1.02 0.106 2.69
20 0.006 0.15 0.027 0.69 97 0.042 1.07 0.108 2.74
23 0.008 0.20 0.028 0.71 102 0.044 1.12 0.109 2.77
25 0.008 0.20 0.031 0.79 106 0.068 1.73 0.134 3.40
27 0.009 0.23 0.032 0.81 112 0.046 1.17 0.119 3.02
31 0.008 0.20 0.034 0.86 114 0.033 0.84 0.099 2.51
34 0.011 0.28 0.036 0.91 120 0.050 1.27 0.122 3.10
40 0.011 0.28 0.038 0.97 122 0.048 1.22 0.128 3.25
42 0.021 0.53 0.050 1.27 125 0.036 0.91 0.107 2.72
46 0.014 0.36 0.040 1.02 130 0.051 1.30 0.132 3.35
50 0.013 0.33 0.045 1.14 134 0.055 1.40 0.135 3.43
52 0.014 0.36 0.046 1.17 137 0.057 1.45 0.137 3.48
56 0.016 0.41 0.049 1.24 140 0.053 1.35 0.134 3.40
62 0.029 0.74 0.080 2.03 144 0.061 1.55 0.141 3.58
64 0.044 1.12 0.095 2.41 152 0.061 1.55 0.148 3.76
67 0.025 0.64 0.076 1.93 160 0.097 2.46 0.184 4.67

Table 1 - Acceptable Standoff (inches)

5.2 Clean all lubricant and foreign matter from the hub sealing surfaces before
installation. Use a non-abrasive material to clean the sealrings of all foreign
matter. Normally, all sealrings have a coating or plating (PTFE, MoS2 with
graphite), which acts as a lubricant during make-up. In some applications
where uncoated/un-plated sealrings are used, a light film of clean lubricant is
recommended. When applying lubricant, take special care to insure that no

GTB 0466 Page 9 May 2009

 solids or foreign particles are present in the lubricant. Also take care to prevent
mechanical damage to the seal ring and the hub sealing surfaces.

5.3 Before assembly, the hubs must be aligned to allow engagement of the seal
ring lips to the hub sealing surfaces. This will ensure proper engagement of
the hub and clamp segments for misaligning systems, it may be necessary to
apply external loads to the mating piping (using jacks, come-a-longs, etc.) to
align the hubs prior to assembly.

5.4 Align the hubs so that the seal ring can be installed.

5.5 Install the seal ring in the sealing surface of the hubs. The seal ring should
rock slightly; i.e., the seal ring rib should not be able to fully contact the hub
face, If it does not rock, use a new seal ring.

5.6 Apply lubrication to the hub-clamp contact area to reduce friction during
assembly. Position the clamps around the hubs.

5.7 Lubrication of the bolting, the spherical faces of the nuts and clamp ears is
recommended. Insert the stud bolts into the bolt holes of the clamp ears. The
stud-bolts should be installed to ensure that the spherically face nuts fit into
the spherical seats of the clamp ears

5.8 Tighten the bolting in a criss-cross pattern (i.e. bolt #1, #3, #2, #4) while
keeping the spacing between the clamp halves approximately equal.

5.9 Torque the bolting to the recommended vales. The clamp shall be jarred (i.e. a
sound blow to the back of the clamp with a soft hammer) and the bolting
retightened. This should be repeated until bolt torque does not change after
jarring (torque, jar, torque, jar, etc)

5.10 After proper assembly the hub faces will fully contact the seal ring rib

GTB 0466 Page 10 May 2009

 Table 2 - Torque Values

5.11 Grayloc recommend the use of lubricated bolting. Torque values given in
Table 2 are based on lubricated bolting with a coefficient of friction of at least
0.15.

5.12 For extreme misalignment and/or extreme piping loads, torque values 1.5 to 2
times the table values are recommended. Do not exceed 2 times the
recommended torque values, as this may result in permanent damage from
distortion to the connector components.

5.13 For spools or pipework with more than one Grayloc connection, each
individual connector must be fully assembled and tightened prior to the make-
up of the next connection.

GTB 0466 Page 11 May 2009

6.0 Maintenance
Special maintenance is not required for a Grayloc connector that has been properly
assembled

7.0 Disassembly

Important safety note: The following instructions shall be adhered to in order to prevent
serious injury while disassembling the clamp connector

7.1 Vent and verify that all pressure has been removed form the line before
disassembling the Grayloc connector.

7.2 The nuts should not be completely removed from the studs during the initial
disassembly of the clamp.

7.3 Loosen the bolting and all clamp segments to allow the safe release of any
trapped pressure. If the clamp segments remain in place around the hubs,
then both clamps segments must be loosened by jarring (i.e., a sound
blow to the inside of the clamp ear with a soft hammer).

7.4 The bolting can then be removed after release of any trapped pressure.

GTB 0466 Page 12 May 2009

8.0 Re-work/Repair
Re-work / refurbishment of Grayloc connectors is possible. The following instructions give a
guide to the acceptance criteria.

8.1 Grayloc Clamp Segments

Spherical Radius

Clamp Inside Profile

1. Rust
Clamp Inside Profile Wire brush, file & polish (no protrusions)
Spherical Radius Wire brush, file & polish (no protrusions)
Other Surfaces Wire brush & clean

2. Nicks & Dings

Clamp Inside Profile Wire brush, file & polish (no protrusions)
Spherical Radius Wire brush, file & polish (no protrusions)
Other Surfaces OK as is

3. Peeling Paint
Clamp Inside Profile Wire brush & clean
Spherical Radius Wire brush & clean
Other Surfaces Wire brush & clean

4. Clamps Distorted / Clamp Ears Contact Replace

GTB 0466 Page 13 May 2009

 8.2 Grayloc Butt Weld / Blind Hubs

25 Hub Profile
25 Hub Profile

Seal Surface Seal Surface

1. Light Rust
Seal Surface Remove with Scotch Brite & polish smooth**
25 Hub Profile Remove with Scotch Brite
Other Surfaces (Neck, Face, O.D.) Remove with Scotch Brite

2. Heavy Rust
Seal Surface Contact Grayloc Products for evaluation
25 Hub Profile Contact Grayloc Products for evaluation
Other Surfaces (Neck, Face, O.D.) Contact Grayloc Products for evaluation

3. Marks
Seal Surface Remove with Emery & polish smooth**
25 Hub Profile Remove with Emery
Other Surfaces (Neck, Face, O.D.) Remove with Emery

4. Scratches
Seal Surface Contact Grayloc Products for evaluation
25 Hub Profile Remove with Emery/Scotch Brite
Other Surfaces (Neck, Face, O.D.) OK

5. Nicks / Dings
Seal Surface Contact Grayloc Products for evaluation
25 Hub Profile File & polish smooth
Other Surfaces (Neck, Face, O.D.) OK as is

6. Sandblasted
Seal Surface Contact Grayloc Products for evaluation
25 Hub Profile File & polish smooth
Other Surfaces (Neck, Face, O.D.) OK as is

7. Weld Spatter
Seal Surface Contact Grayloc Products for evaluation
25 Hub Profile File, wire brush and polish smooth
Other Surfaces (Neck, Face, O.D.) File, wire brush

8. Misc. Residues (Dirt, Grit, Grease, etc.)

Seal Surface Clean with solvent
25 Hub Profile Clean with solvent
Other Surfaces (Neck, Face, O.D.) Clean with solvent

**The seal area surface finish is critical to achieving a good seal. Generally a seal surface
roughness of 0.4mAA (16inAA) is required for sealring sizes 4 to 62 and 0.8mAA
(32inAA) for sizes larger than 62. There shall only be circumferential machining/polishing
marks; no axial scratches or marks are allowed. Any re-work or polishing of seal areas must be
done in a circumferential direction taking wide sweeps around the seal area to avoid low spots
and potential leak paths.

GTB 0466 Page 14 May 2009

 8.3 Grayloc Seal Ring

Seal Rib
Seal Lips

1. Rust
Seal Lips Replace
Rib Remove with Scotch Brite & polish

3. Burnished Appearance
Seal Lips OK as is (normal condition)
Rib N/A

3. Scratches
Seal Lips Replace
Rib Remove with Scotch Brite & polish

4. Nick & Dings

Seal Lips Replace
Rib Replace

5. Misc. Residues (Dirt, Grit, Grease, etc.)

Seal Lips Clean with solvent
Rib Clean with solvent

6. Peeling Coating
Seal Lips Scotch Brite, remove loose coating, apply light clean
lubricant
Rib Scotch Brite, remove loose coating

7. No rock (standoff) observed Replace

GTB 0466 Page 15 May 2009

 8.4 Grayloc Bolting Stud & Spherical Faced Nuts

Nut Spherical Face

1. Light Rust
Stud Wire brush and clean
Nut Wire brush and clean

2. Heavy Rust
Stud Replace
Nut Replace

3. Nicks & Dings (Thread Damage)

Stud Replace
Nut Replace

4. Distortion
Stud Replace
Nut Replace

5. Worn Threads
Stud Replace
Nut Replace

6. Misc. Residues (Dirt, Grit, Grease, etc.)

Stud Wire brush & clean
Nut Wire brush & clean

GTB 0466 Page 16 May 2009