fire a shotgun at them. We were specced 8mm but we went for 12mm.”
“If any of the doors are opened while there’s pressure on the rig, it turns it off immediately.” Pirtek Galway tests a wide range of hoses, but safety remains just as important at whatever level. “A lot of our stuff is at the low end,” says Sean. “This hose we’re testing now is at 15 bar but 15 bar will kill you. This is where the complacency can kick in.” Experience is the antidote to this, Sean says. “When you’ve had years of experience and seen what can happen, that’s what prevents complacency. Having been pressure testing hoses for eight years, it was time for Pirtek Galway to consider new solutions in order to meet future demand and expand into new markets. To do this would involve improving their existing pressure testing process and giving themselves the ability to generate reliable certificates. The company decided to invest in a Resato type SLU hose test rig (left), which generates accurate digital test Resato test rig
Safety
Micro switches on the test rig are linked to the doors, ensuring the safety of workers and customers. “If any of them are broken,” says Sean, “the rig shuts down. We also have monitors at every access point that indicate the test is in progress.” “We can test longer hoses in a larger safe zone that is behind the polycarbonate doors,” says Sean. You can see on the monitor screen that the test is going on, so you stay behind the door until it tells you the test is complete.
Safety is paramount in the hose testing process. “You have to have a safe zone, no matter what,” Sean says. “The equipment is not cheap, but to safely test hoses at this level, it’s absolutely necessary,” he says. The rig is situated in a room that is approximately two by four metres, as Sean describes.
“The blast room has 12mm polycarbonate screens – you could
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