December 9th, 2010
Whilst pipeline designers will know the precise details of the mediums the pipeline is to transport, such as pressure and temperature and corrosive effects, it is not always possible to foresee the external influences that an installation may be subjected to. However, this is one of the fundamental principles that must be taken into account as set out in the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996.
These regulations specifically state that a pipeline must be designed such that ‘it can withstand the external forces and the chemical processes to which it may be subjected’.
Some external forces cannot be predicted whilst others, such as mechanical damage, can be assumed even if the extent of the force cannot be entirely quantified.
There is, however, one external force which is well understood and can be allowed for in the design. This is the force exerted on the pipeline due to thermal expansion. As an example a 30metre length of stainless steel pipe which has its temperature raised from 0ºC to 100 ºC will lengthen by approximately 43mm. This rate of expansion can cause severe strain on joints at pipe fittings and flanges as well as fixing points.
This expansion must be taken into account by including expansion loops where the pipeline is allowed to deform in a controlled manner.
At Chemipetro we manufacture flanges and pipe fittings from specialist materials so that the pipeline designer can select fittings that can not only withstand the internal forces but will cope with any external force that is applied.
Tags: Flanges, Pipe Fittings, pipeline, stainless steel pipe
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August 31st, 2010
In an increasingly complex world where more and more reliance is placed on technology, the consequences when things go wrong can be financially and economically severe. In the past, if a horse threw a shoe or a bucket got a hole it was just fixed and life carried on. However if a pipeline fails or a safety system malfunctions the results can be widespread and effect lots of people and the environment.
It is at times like this that it is necessary to trace back to the cause of the problem, not to allocate blame, but to find out what went wrong and ensure it does not happen again. A good example of this is air crash investigations. They are there to find out what failed and check if it may be a risk to other aircraft of the same type.
These investigations require traceability of all components in any system. In pipelines, if pipe fittings or pipe flanges fail it is necessary to trace the source of those components to see if there was a manufacturing fault.
For the overall project the documentation on the procurement of components will form part of the project quality plan. This document is built up over the lifetime of a project and will include details from inception, design, installation and testing. It will form an invaluable tool to the maintenance personnel and can assist if things go wrong.
We at Chemipetro place a high value on quality control and can provide all the necessary documentation, test result and certification for all products we supply to ensure that our clients can meet their quality plan requirements.
Tags: Pipe Fittings, Pipe Flanges, pipe joints, pipeline
Posted in Pipe Fittings | No Comments »
