Be flexible Pipe Stress

When a material is heated expands when gets cold contracts, that is thermal expansion. This property is especially important if you work with metal.It is important to our Oils and Gas Industry Projects, ensure that every piping system behave properly. In this regard a well thinked piping layout is required, this include pipe support location and design.

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Calculations are required and there are many programs designed to carry out thousand of them in seconds, the one I use is CAESAR II Hexagon, with this tool I verify our intial design and make changes if necesary.

For those cases where high temperature is involved, the chance to change piping arrangement increase, those are our critical lines.

If piping stress analysis is not done or a mistake is passed, dangerous consequences could occur, taking lives and economic loss by structures collapse, leakage of polluting or volatile fluids. Stresses Induced by Thermal Expansion cause strain and these strains could cause a fatigue failure and a subsequent pipe rupture.Stresses Induced by Thermal Expansion cause strain and these strains could cause a fatigue failure and a subsequent pipe rupture. Image source

Let's set an example, If a pipe is anchored at both ends and subjected to temperature increment above ambient temperature, the stresses in the pipe will significantly increases due to pipe expansion that pushes against the anchors. The anchors will prevent the pipe from expanding during the temperature rise.

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The result will likely be failed anchors, a buckled pipe or both.

Failure could be caused for a lack in flexibility leading to an over stressed system beyond those admitted by standards. No risks can be taken everything got to be verified. Image source

So a flexible piping system is our goal more over when there are equipments connected, such as pumps, pressure vessels, heat exchanger, a failure at equipment nozzle must be avoided, here I use NozzlePro. This subject is extensive and I think my objective has been accomplished, transmit a little part of my job at our Petroleum Industry. If you liked this post check this one Working at Orinoco Oil Belt The Largest Reserve of Crude Oil.