Tri Clover and Tri Clamp Fittings

nkeflow2020
Apr 17
2 min read

Updated: Jul 29

Before Tri Clamp Unions were available, people had to rely on threaded unions like SMS and DIN11851 unions. They required special spanners to disassemble and were more troublesome to clean because of the thread would trap product and would need to be brushed thoroughly.

Tri Clover Fittings

Tri Clover used to be a brand name, but it is used interchangeably with Tri Clamp in the industry today. Tri Clamp fittings like Tri Clamp Reducers are preferred by production people because they are easier to disassemble and clean. Unlike other threaded sanitary unions, tri clover fittings are secured with a clamp ring by hand.

Tri clover fittings are available in SS304 and SS316L, with 316L preferred for more corrosive applications. They are manufactured to 3A Sanitary Standards which specify a smooth surface finish and design requirements to prevent bacterial harborage. Standards sizes range from 0.5" to12".

Tri Clamp Fittings Types

Other than unions, tri clamp fittings are available in a wide range of shapes to handle changes in direction, branching, and size changes in pipelines. Here are some examples:

Elbows (45 and 90 Degrees) - used to change pipe directions while keeping the bend smooth and easy to clean
Tees, Crosses, Reducing Tees - create branches for splitting or combining flow
Concentric and Eccentric Reducers - transition between two different tubes sizes, eccentric types are commonly used in horizontal applications to prevent pooling
Hose Ferrule Adaptors - a tri clamp ferrule connected to a hose barb so that a rubber hose can be connected into a tri clamp system

The Tri Clover Valve (Hygienic Valve)

Most sanitary valves today like hygienic ball valves and butterfly valves are available in tri clover ferrule connections. Tri clamp ferrules allow the valves to be dismantled easily for maintenance, the connection even allows the valve to be quickly removed to be replaced with another valve or different pipe line with a ferrule connection.

Tri clamp valves are usually shorter than valves with threaded connections so they take up less space. For pipe lines with multiple valves, the savings in space add up, this means a smaller production area is viable.

The Tri Clamp Gasket (FDA Gasket)

The tri clamp gasket is the most important part for preventing leaks and contamination. Different material types are available and you need to select the one suitable for your product and cleaning chemicals.

Material	Temperature Range	Disadvantages
Buna (Nitrile) Ferrule Gasket	-51°C to 121°C	High temperatures
EPDM Ferrule Gasket	-51°C to 149°C	Fats and oils
Silicone Ferrule Gasket	-40°C to 232°C	Acids and alkali
PTFE (Teflon) Ferrule Gasket	-40°C to 232°C	Not flexible, slightly more difficult to properly install
FKM (Viton)Ferrule Gasket	-40°C to 232°C

Flexible Transfers: The Tri Clamp Hose

For mobile equipment where fixed piping is not suitable, a tri clamp hose offers the flexibility. Tri clamp hoses usually come in rubber or stainless steel types. Hoses also handle vibration much better than fixed piping that are prone to breaking if the vibration is not dampened properly.

The tri clamp ferrules can either be secured to the hose with a hose clip for low pressure applications, or hydraulic crimped or clamped with bolt and nuts using a safety clamp.