October, 2006. ZipNut Technologies, LLC, has been awarded a contract to provide special design ZipNuts® to be used on the floating production facility in the Tahiti Oil Field in the Gulf of Mexico.  Located about 190 miles south of New Orleans, the Tahiti field is one of the largest in the Gulf and is the most significant oil find since Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

The 3×8 threads per inch, 100 pound ZipNuts® will be used to attach “strakes” or baffles that avoid harmonic vibrations caused by wave action, to the spar or “hull” of the oil platform that penetrates into the Gulf waters.

The ZipNuts® are 10 inches in diameter and 7 inches thick.  Remote-controlled underwater robots or remote operated vehicles (ROVs) will be used to push the 3 inch diameter male connections into the ZipNuts®

ZipNuts® look similar to ordinary fasteners. However, the ZipNut® fastener or connection slides over the partner connection in one pushing motion. There is No aligning and no threading.  In addition because the nut slides over the connection threads, there is no cross threading and it can work over damaged threads.

FASTORQ® Bolting  Systems of Houston, Texas, who awarded the contract to ZipNut Technology, LLC, is providing the ZipNuts® to the Finland company Technip who is fabricating the Tahiti hull and mooring systems their yard in Pori, Finland.

10/20/2006