Keld Ellentoft India - Fabric Expansion Joints

Keld Ellentoft India (KEI), established in 1987 in Chennai, India, is a pioneer and market leader in India in the field of fabric expansion joints. KEI develops, designs, markets and installs high-quality fabric expansion joints, and supplies them to the power industry (coal / gas / oil-fired / diesel generators / offshore installation) as well as to other core sectors such as cement, steel, refinery, fertilizer, etc.

KEI offers a reliable and comprehensive package as part of its fabric expansion joint supply. KEI can assist the customer in the following areas:

• Calculating thermal movements in ducting systems
• Identifying optimal location of expansion joints
• Supervision during installation
• Assessing residual life of existing expansion joints and planning for effective plant maintenance and inventory control
• Supplying spare fabric of any make of fabric expansion joint

Fabric expansion joints

KEI's fabric expansion joints are integral components in the hot air and flue gas applications in any process industry. These are installed as flexible connections in the ducting systems to compensate for the effects of thermal expansion in different directions, vibrations and installation misalignments.

KEI has a wide variety of fabric combinations ranging from single layer expansion joints to multi-layer expansion joints capable of withstanding temperature up to 1,200°C. Suitable combinations can also be provided to take care of internal and external corrosive atmosphere.

KEI's high-quality fabric expansion joints are designed, developed and installed according to individual customer requirements. Major factors in determining design specifications include:

• Operating temperature and pressure
• Composition and nature of flue gas and gas velocity
• Movement in the duct system (axial, lateral, angular, torsion)
• Flow direction
• Dust content

KEI's expansion joints are designed to be virtually maintenance-free and only require correct installation and supervision in order to operate effectively. All tests are carried out in KEI's fully equipped in-house laboratory, and include tests like flexibility and permeability of the fabric materials.

Coal mill expansion joints

KEI has developed a range of expansion joints to overcome the problems associated with Babcock E8, E10 and E12 type of ball mills. This range of expansion joints includes special designs for coal mill inlet and outlet ducts. These products ensure greater flexibility to accommodate both axial and lateral movement and the effects of possible explosion of the coal particles, leading to a surge in pressure up to 3bar.

Chimney seals

Chimney seals are mainly used in large coal-fired power plants and installed in the connection between flue gas ducts and chimney flues. KEI's chimney seals can accommodate large movements of 300mm or more and can completely arrest the leakage of fly ash. KEI has experience designing, manufacturing, supplying and installing varieties of chimney seals for brick flue chimneys, top-supported multi-flue chimneys and multi-flue chimneys with multi-supports.

Metallic expansion joint repair

Metallic bellows, used in various flue gas applications, are prone to severe damage, resulting in leakage of flue gas / false air entry. In-situ repair of these joints leads to stiffening of the joint and hence increased reactive forces in the adjoining support structures. In many instances, these damaged MEJs cannot be removed from the location due to space / process constraints. KEI has the expertise to repair such damaged MEJs using fabric compensators - without removing the damaged MEJ. This ensures that the leakage is arrested and future replacements are simplified requiring less down-time.

Advantages of fabric expansion joints

KEI's reliable and high-quality fabric expansion joints have advantages in both technical and commercial operations. Here are a few good reasons to choose KEI as your reliable partner:

• More than 20 years of experience with expansion joints catering to engineering plants
• Quality, customer relationships and a commitment to development and growth are our priorities
• Extensive references of expansion joint applications
• Wide network of marketing partners to provide prompt customer service
• Punctual delivery and fast, effective assistance to customers
• Fully equipped in-house laboratory testing facility
• ISO 9001:2000 certified company