According to ASME B31.1 Chapter VII Par. 140 a program shall be established for the assessment and documentation of the condition of all CPS (Covered Piping Systems) in power plants.

CPS Systems are defined in Chapter 1 Par 100.2, as systems on which condition assessments are to be conducted. This includes the following systems as a minimum.

NPS 4 and larger main steam, hot reheat steam, cold reheat steam, and boiler feedwater piping.

NPS 4 and larger systems that operate above 750°E (400°C or above 1,025 psi (7,100 kPa)

Other systems may be included as CPS by an Operating Company, based on their judgment. Appendix V of the code is titled ‘Recommended Practice for Operation, Maintenance, and Modification of Power Piping Systems’. This addendum is non-mandatory; however many  Power Industry operating companies’ insurance carriers are now invoking Appendix V with increasing frequency, and this is affecting conditions of their agreements with the operating companies.

Piping Technology and Products Inc. (PT&P) has for some time been performing surveys and assessments in accordance with part H of Par. 140, that requires hot and cold walk-down readings and assessment of pipe supports, operated within the creep regime of the pipe.    These assessments are helpful in identifying, sagging lines, deformation of supports, and damage caused by upset conditions, and/or incidents, attributable to operational malfunctions, dynamic/thermal or hydraulic events.

PT&P has been performing this service for many power generation companies. Preparation of documentation, retrieval and compilation of files for a CPS assessment, has just been completed for a major U.S power generation company. Ten large power plants were involved, and the original predominantly high-energy pipe support drawings, all engineered and designed by PT&P, were retrieved from PT&P archives dating back ten years.

Please feel free to contact us at david.baker@pipingtech.com and we will be happy to answer any of your technical questions about our survey capabilities, as well as any other engineering or field services that your organization may need.

Subject: Pipe Support and Expansion Joint Field Examples and Case Studies

** Webinar is worth 1 PDH Credit for TX Professional Engineers

Date: Thursday, December 8, 2011

PT&P’s field service division is available 24×7 in the case of an emergency situation or for a scheduled shut down. In this Webinar we explore the details of actual case studies focusing on various signs that indicate if a particular support needs replaced or adjusted. The presentation also covers projects that brought on new standard designs and custom designs for specific applications. And lastly, it includes valuable additions and procedures that extend the typical life span of a pipe support.

Prior to Your Turnaround:
- Call our field service team to assist with plant walk-downs to assess your plant for maintenance, repair or replacement of pipe supports and expansion joints
- Contact our quotations department for immediate pricing on pipe supports, expansion joints, or auxiliary steel needed during the turnaround.
- Consult our experienced engineers for guidance on support placement, materials, finishes, etc. to ensure optimum life of the supports.

During Your Turnaround:
- Use our field service team to guide you through installation, start-up, and replacement to safely and efficiently handle your turnaround.
- For quick delivery, PT&P stocks over 1500 bellows, over 100,000 lb. of insulation materials, over 30,000 spring coils, and over 1 million pounds of standard items

Post Turnaround:
- Receive training to monitor the supports, and identify potential failure, in order to prevent unplanned turnarounds in the future.
- Learn correct size and selection of pipe supports and expansion joints per application for any post-turnaround resolutions.
- Call on our field service team to develop a data book of existing pipe supports and expansion joints and their conditions in order to identify potential maintenance issues in upcoming turnarounds.

Examples:

Metallic Expansion Joint Refurbished in 2 Days

A rectangular metal expansion joint was refurbished  on an emergency   basis for a local chemical plant. Upon arrival, it was acid washed and   dye-penetrant examined for any cracks.  View the full Article

Refurbishment of 54" Pressure Balanced Elbow Turbine Crossover Expansion Joints

U.S.   Bellows, Inc. refurbished two pressure balanced elbow expansion joints with a quick turnaround for a power generation plant during outages.   They are designed for high pressure turbine crossover piping. The first 54″ outside diameter expansion joint leaked from a crack in the bellows   causing an unscheduled outage.  View the full article.

4" Single Expansion Joint

This expansion joint was received in the morning and shipped to the customer the very same day. The bellows, liner and cover were replaced and the carbon steel parts were sand blasted, cleaned and painted. A dye-penetrant test and hydro-test to 518 PSIG were performed prior to shipment. View the full article.

Same Day Turnaround Service on an 8" Single Expansion Joint

This expansion joint was received in the morning, refurbished by adding new bellows and limit rods, and then shipped the very same day. New 321 stainless steel bellows were fabricated and the existing flanges were reused by sandblasting and then painting for corrosion protection. View the full article.

Let us assist you on your next plant turnaround. Our field service team is ready to help!

Inspecting a Constant During a Plant Walk Down

Check out a recent article we published on the Importance of a Plant Walk Down. Learn what to check for and when to perform certain types of plant walk downs. Use these tools to avoid a failure or potentially catastrophic situation.  See Full Article

PT&P was contracted to assist in the determination of pipe support maintenance at a power plant in Texas. The constant effort support springs with loads of excess of 9,500 lbs and the variable spring supports with loads of 450 lbs were marked for needing attention.

Cleaning Variable Spring Unit

Inspecting Variable Springs for Performance

PT&P’s objectives were to:

* Evaluate the pipe supports
* Determine state of performance
* Provide a plan of action
* Train personnel on-site to perform adjustments and replacement of supports or support components
* Provide final inspection of modified supports

After Cleaning & Preparation of the Constant

Final Assembly with Added Slide Plates

The pipe supports needing attention could not be set to the required installation position. A plan was initiated to recondition some of the support components such as turnbuckles and rods. This would allow a greater range of field adjustment to the pipe supports. During a planned shut-down, PT&P Field Service Units returned to the site to modify the existing supports. The initial phase of the modifications included bracing the piping in order to isolate and lock the supports in position. Then, they were disconnected from the system and modifications to the assemblies were completed. Afterwards, the supports were reinstalled and any necessary adjustments were completed. A total of eight pipe supports were modified or adjusted.

Roller Bearing Needing Maintenance

Restored Roller Bearing

Do you see a need for a routine inspection of your plant? Contact us for a quote today!

Pipe Shoe

• Since the insulation does not carry any mechanical load, it can be chosen solely on the basis of its thermal properties. In particular, cyclic loading, which has caused insulation failure, is not a problem.
• The support provides effective restraint for all six possible components of loads, X, Y, Z-Rotational and Translational. In particular, axial and torsional loads are readily accommodated. These represent difficulties for supports which rely on the insulation.
• It is easily installed in the field. It is attached to the pipe with a standard bolted pipe clamp. Thus there is no field welding.

The support consists of a shoe, similar to the PT&P Fig. 4500 Insulated Shoe Support for Hot Pipe (Hot Shoe) and two clamps, similar to the PT&P Fig. 50 Light Two Bolt Pipe Clamp. Each clamp is attached to the shoe by a steel plate which is designed to carry the design load, and is shape optimized to minimize heat flow from the pipe.

PT&P has a system of stock inventory that allows us to quickly assemble and ship products such as:

*Engineered Spring Supports
*Expansion Joints
*Support Assembly Components
*Fabricated Pipe Shoes and Anchors
*Flow Products
*Slide Plates and more!

Tips on Corrosion Protection
There are four methods of protecting carbon steel pipe support components from corrosion; painting, zinc coatings, hot dip galvanizing, and combinations of these.  Painting has an advantage when appearance and choice of color are important. Modern painting systems may be appropriate protection in certain environments. Paint provides a barrier protection to a metal surface. The ability of zinc to provide cathodic protection for carbon steel in addition to barrier protection is a fundamental advantage. In most cases the reduction in life-cycle costs justifies the small additional cost of galvanizing. Indeed painting and galvanizing together can provide a synergistic benefit which may be justified in some cases.  For more information on corrosion, refer to http://www.pipingtech.com/technical/tech1/corrosion_protection_1.htm

PT&P’s Diverse Product Testing
Piping Technology & Products, Inc. is a recognized leader in pipe supports, pre-insulated pipe supports, miscellaneous fabrication and expansion joints and has extensive experience with several different types of product testing. This includes :

* Load Testing : The objective of the load test is to determine the maximum load for pipe supports and other products. Load tests are done on an assortment of pipe supports.

* Snubber Testing : The objective of the snubber cycle test is to (1) display the normal wear and tear for a snubber over an extended period of time, and (2) display the resistance to an abrupt disturbance.

* Burst Testing : The objective of the burst test is to determine the ultimate pressure resistance. Primarily conducted on bellows.

See more about testing on our site:  Product Testing

PT&P Technical Team Goes to Algeria
In March, PT&P sent a technical team to a LNG facility near Skikda, Algeria to provide assistance on pipe support replacement for the GL1K project. This large facility has several units that have operated for more than twenty years. Our team examined the units and recommended replacement of cryogenic and spring supports. Since travel in Algeria is subject to heavy restriction, our team had to fly from Tarbarka, Tunisia by helicopter to and from the job site. The trip lasted about two weeks.