An expanded range of inflatable pipe stoppers for maintenance, testing and emergency tasks is being introduced to Australia by Air Springs Supply. The transportable and reusable Pronal stoppers are produced by Pronal, the company that produced the inflatable bags used to lift sections of the liner Titanic from nearly four kilometres deep in the Atlantic.

The multi-sized stoppers – in an expanded range spanning pipes from 45-2,115 mm diameter in stock sizes and up to 3,000 mm for customised types - are typically used to carry out sealing tests and maintenance work on municipal and industrial water and waste water pipelines.

They are also applied to prevent accidental pollution such as spilling of toxic product, thus preventing the flow of toxic fluids into drainage networks or the surrounding environment, says Air Springs Supply general manager Simon Agar.

The versatility of the material used and the production method means Pronal inflatable stoppers are suitable for all types of pipelines including concrete, cast iron, steel, stainless steel and PVC, he says. ”They are strong and durable in service, being hot vulcanised in a mould and Kevlar reinforced.”

As with any rubber-based product, direct or prolonged exposure to petroleum-based products is not recommended, but the plugs are widely used in municipal water and waste water, resource, utility and heavy industrial situations for testing and emergency applications.

Inflated at the specified pressure and with a back-pressure of up to 1 bar for standard types (10m water column), each stopper can be used within a range of pipe diameters. For example, a range of just four stoppers is needed to span the 100-1,200 mm diameter pipe sizes.