The company first needed to find a material for its bunded pipework innovation in order to help them replace the need for on-site welded steel pipework
Jonathan Barnett, Managing Director at FSS, explains the background to developing its unique engineering solution: “Traditional methods for fuel supply systems are either welding or threading. Neither is perfect. If you’re cutting and threading, for instance, this has to be inspected weekly for any applications involving fuel.
“The other option is then welding which can be very invasive. It involves hot-works on site and a great deal of noise making it not only expensive but also time-consuming and disruptive.”
Jonathan was, therefore, keen to start exploring the option of bunded pipework: “Bunded systems offers some real advantages over a single skin system,” he continues. “The main one is that we have a secondary containment. If the inner pipe were to ever leak, for instance, it would be caught in the outer pipe. This enables us to monitor for leaks and then detect these immediately.”
The team turned to Geberit Mapress stainless steel for the pipework in its bunded solution. Geberit Mapress is a highly effective press-fit supply system used across a diverse range of applications. With no hot works, press-fit systems have been proven to take 30% less time to install than alternative methods according to a BRSIA report. Coloured pressing indicators offer easy identification of both material and unpressed joints during the installation process, with reduced flushing time and a cleaner installation process. There is also no need for lubrication and joints will leak until pressed to show incomplete pressing during pressure testing. This means there’s no need to drain the system as it can be fixed wet.
In 2016, FSS became the only company in the world to offer a bunded, press-fit piping solution. The patented APIApipe system is now capable of carrying more than 3,000 different fluids. Crucially, too, it means that any system can be monitored 24/7 for leaks in both the inner and outer pipes.