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PurposeofPipeSupports

PurposeofPipeSupports
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PurposeofPipeSupports:
1.Introduction

ThePipingProfileingeneralcanbeconsideredasacomplexandrigidpipingnetworkconsistingofvarious
pipingcomponents,whichhavedifferentdiametersandweights.Atthesametimetheabovenetworkisalso
subjectedtotemperaturechangewhileswitchingfrominstalledtooperatingcondition(andvisaversa)
resultingintoitsthermalgrowthinvariousdirectionsinproportiontothelengthofpipes.Thestructural
integrityoftheabovenetworkmustthereforetakeintoaccounttheoverallweighteffectoftheprofilebesides
itsthermalgrowth.
AsatisfactorydesignofthePipingSystemshouldthereforegiveacarefulconsiderationtoachievethe
aboverequirement.Thisisgenerallyaccomplishedbyprovidingexternalattachments(knownaspipe
supports)atvariouslocationsofthepipingprofile.
Thisdocumentdealswiththebasicpurposeofthepipesupports.Ingeneralitdealswithmetallicpiping
systemsonly.
2.PurposeofPipeSupports
Abriefdetailofthepurposeofpipesupportisdescribedbelow.
2.1Tosupportweightofpipeduringoperation&testing
Supportsarerequiredtosupportthelineduringallconditionsi.e.duringoperationaswellasduringtesting.
Incaseofvapourlinethisdifferencewillbeverylargeduetohydrotesting.Supportsshouldbedesignedfor
thisload(unlessotherwisedecidedintheproject).
Sometimeslineiscapableofhavinglongerspanbutloadcomingonthesupportmaybeverylarge
(especiallywithlargediameterpipelines).Thentodistributetheloaduniformly,morenumberofsupports
shouldbeprovidedwithsmallerspan.
Note:a.Itmaybenotedthatduringtestingconditionthereisnothermalload.
b.Allspringsupportsarelockedduringtesting.
2.2TotakeExpansionload:
Wheneverthermalexpansionisrestrictedbysupport,itintroducesadditionalloadonthesupport.Support
mustbedesignedtotakethisloadinadditiontoallotherloads.
2.3TotakeWindload:

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Windintroduceslateralloadontheline.Thisloadisconsiderableespeciallyonlargediameterpipe.This
tendstoswaythelinefromitsnormalpositionandlinemustbesupportedguidedagainstit.Incaseoflarge
diameteroverheadlines,supportedbytallsupportextendedfromfloor,windloadintroduceslargebending
momentandshouldbeconsideredcritically.
2.4TotakeEarthquakeload:
Theearthquakeisnormallyassociatedwithhorizontalaccelerationoftheorderof1to3m/sec2.Thisis
around10%to30%ofthegravitationalaccelerationandintroduceshorizontalforceofabout10to30%of
theverticalload(orsupportedmass).Whiledesigningsupportthisshouldbetakencare.
2.5ToabsorbVibrationofPipingsystem:
Whenthepipeissubjectedtomovingmachineryorpulsatingfloworveryhighvelocityflow,pipemaystart
vibratingvigorouslyandultimatelymayfail,particularlyifspanislarge.Toavoidthisitmayberequiredto
introduceadditionalsupportsatsmallerspanapartfromotherrequirements.Itmaynottakeaxialload,but
mustcontrollateralmovements.
2.6TohaveNoisecontrol:
Inmostoftheplants,noiseisresultingfromvibrationandifsuchvibrationsarecontrolled,noiseisreduced
togreatextent.Insuchlines,betweenclamp(i.e.support)andpipe,asbestosclothisputtoabsorbvibration
andavoidnoise.
Noiseduetopulsatingflowcanbereducedbyusingasilencerintheline.Stillifitisnotbelowacceptable
levelacousticenclosuremaybeused.Insulationoverlinealsohelpsinreducingthenoise.
2.7TotakeHydraulicthrustinpiping:
Thehydraulicthrustinthepipelineispresentatcertainpointsuchaspressurereducingvalve,reliefvalve,
bellowsetc.
Ifthecontrolvalvehaslargepressuredifferentialandlinesizeismore,thenthisforcecanbeveryhigh.
Thesupportshouldbeprovidedanddesignedtotakethisload,otherwisethiswillloadthepipingsystemand
maycausefailure.

2.8TosupportthesystemduringTransientperiodofplant&standbycondition:

Transientconditionreferstothestartuporshutdownconditioninwhichoneequipmentmaygetheatedup
fasterandotheronegetheatedslower.Duetothistheexpansionofoneequipmentwhichinnormal
operationwillgetnullified,maynotgetnullifiedandexertthermalloadonsupports.
Standbyconditionisalsosimilar.Iftherearetwopumps,onebeingstandbyandbothconnectedinparallel
(asshown),designandoperatingtemp.ofboththeconnectionswillbesame.Buttheexpansionoftwo
parallellegswillnotbenullifiedbecauseatatimeonlyonelegwillbehotandanotherbeingcold.
2.9TosupportthesystemduringMaintenanceconditions:

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Whenformaintenancecertainequipmentorcomponentlikevalveistakenout,remainingsystemshouldnot
beleftoutunsupported.

ReferringtotheFIG3,supportS1willbesufficientbutwhenvalveV1istakenoutformaintenancethere
willnotbeanysupportforverticalleg.ThereforesecondsupportS2mayberequiredtotakecareofsuch
condition.
2.10TosupportthesystemduringShutdownconditions:
Inshutdownconditionallequipmentmaynotbeinthesameconditionasinoperatingcondition.
Forexample,referthepumpdischargelineinFIG4,PointAisresting,PointB&Carespringsupportsand
PointDisthepumpdischargenozzle.Thespringsare,designedbasedonweightsconsideringtheweight
offluidaswellaspipelineandthermalmovements.Butduringshutdownconditionthefluidmaybedrained
andthepipebecomeslighter.HencethespringwillgiveupwardreactionandshallloadthenozzleD
beyondpermissiblelimit.InthiscasealimitstopisusedwhichwillnotallowthePointCtomoveupabove
horizontallevel.
(Howeveritwillallowdownwardmovementduringoperatingcondition).

2.11TosupportthesystemforErectionconditions:
Erectionconditioncanbedifferentthantheoperatingconditionwhichshouldbeconsideredwhiledesigning
supports.

Forexamplefornormaloperationalongvesselsupportedbythreesupports,S1,S2&S3isshowninFIG
5.IfsupportS2ishigher,thanallloadwillactatS2only.DuringerectioniflevelofS2islowerthanentire
loadwillbedividedintotwosupportsS1,S2only.ThereforefoundationofS1,S2&S3shouldbecapableof
takingsuchconditions.

ApipelinesupportedbyS1,S2&S3takenfromvesselisshowninaboveFIG6.Duringoperationthere
willbenoweightatS2&S3(asitisonlyguide),butwindconditionwillbethere.Loadsduetosuch
conditionsmustbeconsideredwhiledesigningthesupports.

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