As part of their environmental policy, some industrial companies use methanization to recover their organic effluents. Methanization is an anaerobic biological degradation process that produces biogas, a renewable energy source. On one of the methanizers concerned, with a capacity of several thousand liters, a loss of tightness was observed at the outlet valve. Because of the major risk of soil pollution due to an accidental leak, and the impossibility of draining the tank, CRYOPIPE had to intervene.
CRYOPIPE therefore installed a cryogenic plug between the tank and the faulty valve. This technique involves freezing the fluid with liquid nitrogen, creating a solid ice plug that temporarily isolates the faulty valve. Cryogenic plugs guarantee fluid isolation, enabling maintenance teams to replace the valve without interrupting the anaerobic digestion process, or risking leakage or soil contamination.
