Anti-pollution plugs

A range of pipe stoppers designed for immediate inflation to prevent pollution of waterways by accidental contamination is being introduced by Air Springs Supply.

The Pronal Pollu-Plug stoppers are permanently fitted in water and sewerage lines ready for rapid inflation by remote triggering as soon as an emergency arises in industrial, civil and municipal applications.

Designed to allow normal non-polluted effluents to pass through the pipe when the stopper in uninflated, the elastomer-coated stopper is located flat inside the top of a pipeline where it is protected by a polyethylene cover. It is connected by a gas supply line to an all-weather control panel and nitrogen inflation cylinder located outside the pipe.

When an emergency arises, the stopper is triggered either by a manual striker or optional electrovalve-piloted control unit. Once inflated, it will prevent toxic fluid spill or spreading of firefighting water into the pipeline.

Folded around a flexible armature for easy bending and placement within pipelines, stoppers are available in diameters of 150-1550 mm and lengths of 450-2050 mm (both measurements when empty). The stoppers are inflated at pressures of between 400 and 1200 kPa, depending on pipeline diameter.