Hydratight, leading global joint integrity solutions provider has announced the signing of an agreement with CTI Industries of Connecticut, USA to market, engineer and install CTI's unique Shield/Seal^TM technology for the repair and refurbishment of heat exchangers and condensers throughout the oil, gas, petrochemical and power generation industries. The agreement covers the UK, Norway and Ireland.

CTI Industries, well established in the US market and other areas of the world, wanted a partner with the expertise infrastructure and ready made route to market to access other areas. Hydratight was that Company with its comprehensive global operations and experienced manpower resource focused on these markets providing everything from controlled bolt tightening, on-site machining, leak sealing and software development covering every aspect of joint integrity and the fulfilment of first time leak free bolted joints. The synergy was obvious.

The CTI Shield/Seal^TM technology is a unique development in the repair and refurbishment of heat exchangers and condensers of all sizes. Erosion due to turbulence of the process media damages the initial 6" to 12" of the inner diameter of the tubes until leaks begin to occur. Convention has been to blank off each leaking tube with the consequence of reducing efficiency as more and more tubes are blanked off. CTI's solution was to develop the Shield/Seals^TM approach to the problem where a short, thin-walled tube insert is expanded into damaged heat exchanger tubes. A wide range of materials, including exotics such as Titanium, Hastalloy, Monel etc., can then be specified to best match the existing tube specification and operating conditions.

Chris Leonard, Service Product Manager, Hydratight, explained, "The CTI Shield/Seals^TM provides an effective and economic solution that can be used in the refurbishment of many types of heat exchanger and condenser to extend service life, increase efficiency and minimise downtime. This addition to our extensive service portfolio further increases the flexibility and value we offer our clients".