STOPKiT®, Natural gas leakage – Central Europe
Online leak sealing solution for emergency pipe repair
Overview
In September 2025, a repair was carried out by the local distributor of 3X ENGINEERING (3X) to seal an active leak on a 12" buried pipeline transporting natural gas. Given the urgency and the need to minimize service interruption, the decision was made to install 3X emergency leak sealing solution STOPKiT®. This system was selected for its proven efficiency in quickly and safely sealing pressurized leaks without requiring pipeline shutdown.
Results
Our trained and certified distributor successfully executed this emergency repair, stopping the leak very quickly using our ready-to-use emergency leak sealing system, STOPKiT®. STOPKiT® is the most effective solution for online pipe leak repairs, capable of sealing leaks within minutes without interrupting operations.
 Defect type |
Leakage |
Details |
12" natural gas pipeline |
Location |
Central Europe |
3X Product type |
STOPKiT® |
SCOPE OF WORK
The first step consisted of inspecting the defect to accurately identify the appropriate STOPKiT® reference to be installed. Each STOPKiT® is specially designed for a specific pipe diameter and selected according to the environment, defect size and pressure.
For this particular case, STON112 reference was selected, suitable for onshore application on a 12" pipeline with a pressure not exceeding 50 bar.
- Pre-installation: STOPKiT® was initially positioned next to the leak using a dedicated positioning device to ensure accurate alignment.
- Installation: STOPKiT® was then carefully slid, centering the rubber patch precisely over the leaking defect.
- Tightening: Once the patch was correctly positioned, the STOPKiT® screws were progressively tightened up to 40 Nm to ensure an effective sealing.
- Finalization: The positioning device was removed, completing the installation process.
The leak was sealed under pressure without interrupting pipeline operations.
