Insulcon - Fabric Expansion Joints for the Power Industry

The Insulcon Group is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of fabric, rubber and metal expansion joints. Due to our highly specialised Wearflex® division, we are able to help you with expert advice. Based on our knowledge, gained from over 30 years of experience in the field of expansion joint technology, we will find the right solution for your specific application, whether you are looking for a design for a complete new expansion joint or an improvement for an existing one.

Fabric expansion joints

Wearflex fabric expansion joints are flexible connections in air, flue gas pipe and duct systems found in all kind of industries. The main purpose of an expansion joint is to compensate thermal expansion, vibration and misalignments. Therefore, our Wearflex fabric expansion joints are vital components in most of today's energy and industrial plants such as power and waste incineration plants.

All Wearflex machine-sewed and/or heat-sealed expansion joints are individually manufactured in our production facility in Steenbergen (The Netherlands), using only the highest quality materials and highly skilled craftsmen.

Today, Insulcon's Wearflex division manufactures two main types of fabric expansion joints: Q-Flex and Q-Chem expansion joints.

Q-Flex expansion joints

Q-Flex expansion joints are very flexible and are specially designed for applications of flue gases with low to moderate concentrations of aggressive components, in a temperature range running from 20°C up to 1,370°C.

Q-Flex expansion joints are available in three standard classifications:

• Q-Flex LT up to 250°C
• Q-Flex MT up to 500°C
• Q-Flex HT up to 1,370°C

Due to the flexible characteristics of the materials, Q-Flex expansion joints can be made in all kind of shapes and designs.

Q-Chem expansion joints

Q-Chem expansion joints are specially designed for applications in which resistance against wet flue gasses and a high acid content is critical. Q-Chem expansion joints are produced through the process of heat-sealing.

The special shape of Q-Chem expansion joints is obtained by sealing special-shaped reinforcements into the base material. In this way a 100% gastight expansion joint is achieved. By using a combination of different materials, special designs are being made for flue gas systems with chemical or abrasive components and for systems that operate under extreme conditions.

Q-Chem expansion joints are available in four standard classifications:

• Q-Chem LT up to 250°C
• Q-Chem MT up to 540°C
• Q-Chem HT up to 1,370°C
• Q-Chem GTX up to 650°C, a specially developed expansion joint for gas turbine outlets

Thermal imaging, reporting and monitoring for fabric expansion joints

By using the latest thermal imaging (infra red) technology, our trained engineers inspect and report the condition of all your fabric expansion joints. They will advise you whether an expansion joint in your installation needs a repair or replacement. They can even advise you about the timetable of a repair or replacement. This will help you with the planning of your shutdown and will speed-up the decision-making process.

Supervision, field assembly repair and inspection of expansion joints

Operational reliability and long service life of expansion joints are crucial as plant shutdowns due to the failure of expansion joints cause extreme high costs.

The installation of complete new expansion joints or the repair of existing expansion joints must therefore be taken very seriously. The installation and the maintenance of expansion joints must be carried out quickly, correctly and by trained engineers. Our experienced field service supervision team will support you with installation or (emergency) repair, helping you to achieve your project goals.