Flange Separation
Unique Splitting & Separating Service
ThinJack® offers a unique splitting and separating service for well flanges. ThinJacks are curved steel envelopes, less than 3mm thick, inserted between the two items to be separated. They fit between the flange’s bolt holes and the outer edge.
When inflated, ThinJacks become cylindrical, pushing the flange parts apart in a controlled manner and drawing rusty bolts through the bolt holes. This inflation is powered by ThinFlate, a bespoke hydraulic system that provides up to 36,250 psi (2500 bar) pressure, generating a force of up to 2.5 tonnes per square centimetre of ThinJack area, and enabling well flange separation.
Using this method, hundreds of tonnes of controlled force are applied exactly where needed to overcome flange binding caused by:
■ Rust in the bolt hole annuli.
■ Rust between the ring gasket and the inside of the bolt holes.
■ Seal friction in the flange bore.
The Service Summary is
1) Insert Thinjack
2) Apply pressure
3) Flange Lifts
4) Flange Separated
About the ThinJack separation service
ThinJacks are:
■ Designed to meet specifications for API 6A flanges.
■ Engineered for custom applications.
■ Made to any flat shape and some 3-dimensional shapes.
Why is our service used?
■ For delivering hundreds of tonnes of controlled force precisely where needed.
■ In situations where conventional pulling or separating systems are unsuitable or unavailable.
■ In cases where the drill string or crane lacks sufficient pulling force to safely separate the flange.
■ In environments where the floor, deck, or structure cannot support a crane or traditional high-force jacking system.
What we delivered?
■ A controlled force significantly greater than conventional hydraulic spreaders or drill strings.
■ Separation in any direction.
■ Jacking within gaps with a service that is an order of magnitude thinner than any other system.
■ Controlled and even well flange separation, preventing studs from tilting and jamming in bolt holes.
■ An intrinsically safe, alternative to cutting and grinding tools.
■ A rig-less and crane-less service, though some of our work is enhancing the pulling limitations of drill strings.
Advantages delivered:
■ Reduced risk of injury and damage to well equipment by avoiding:
- Damage to gauges and Inconel piping from jacks, sledgehammers, and wedges
- Uncontrolled pulls that could harm the XMT hanger
■ Elimination of the need to cut bolts or studs, allowing for potential re-connection of the flange if well barriers are not as robust as expected.
■ Significantly reduced risk of damage to flange faces during the separation process.
Overall
ThinJack provides hundreds of tonnes of controlled force safely and precisely where it is needed on a seized flange. Our service ensures minimal disruption and requires less customer application engineering compared to other methods.
Higher Separation Stroke
For projects where a crane or drill string is not available to lift the separated XMT, we use a wellhead lifting frame. This frame is designed for lifting XMTs separated by ThinJack services in rig-less operations. The concept, overview, and operational procedure for this solution were developed by ThinJack Ltd, with detailed design and manufacture handled by contracted specialists.
See the picture to the right.
Force and stroke
ThinJack Force. The Sum:
Force (kg) = Hydraulic Pressure (bar) × Area (cm²)
Here, force is measured in kilogrammes, hydraulic pressure is measured in bar, and the ThinJack’s single-sided area is measured in square centimetres.
If you apply a pressure of 1 bar to a ThinJack with an area equivalent to a 1 cm² surface (about the size of your fingernail), the force exerted is 1 kilogramme. This is the same force as atmospheric pressure on your fingernail.
Increasing the pressure to 2500 bar will exert a force of 2500 kilogrammes (2.5 tonnes). This is equivalent to the force on your fingernail if it were submerged at a depth of 25,000 metres in water.
ThinJack Force. Reality:
A ring of 3 ThinJacks, positioned inside the circumference of a 13 5/8” 5M API 6A flange, typically covers an area of 244 square centimetres (38 square inches). When pressurised to 2000 bar (29,000 psi), the ThinJacks generate a force of 488 tonnes (approximately 1.1 million pounds).
ThinJacks can create the necessary force to separate a stuck object using pressures up to 2500 bar (36,250 psi). The fluid volumes involved are minimal, and our service procedures include multiple overlapping control measures to mitigate any residual risk.
High Stroke and Low Pulling Capability:
Once the flange binding forces are reduced to a level manageable by any high-stroke system, we use these systems to complete the separation. High-stroke systems include:
- Conventional flange spreaders (approx. 20 tonnes)
- Cranes (approx. 30 tonnes)
- Drill strings (approx. 90 tonnes)
- Lifting frames or chain blocks
Typically, lifting frames and chain blocks are limited to lifting rather than pulling, based on the weight of the flange or XMT.
ThinJack Stroke:
To achieve the maximum possible stroke, ThinJacks are designed to be intentionally destroyed during use. The stroke length is limited by the ThinJack’s width and the internal pressure. Once a ThinJack has been used, it is replaced with a new one, and the gap is filled with matching ThinShims. This process continues until the flange binding force is reduced to a level that allows effective separation with a high-stroke system.