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Spring supports are an excellent solution for making a piping system more flexible. When a hot fluid is handled in a piping system, thermal expansion is generated; This phenomenon causes many sections of pipe, affected by expansion in the vertical, to be lifted from the simple supports and these undesirable loads are transferred to other points that may be critical, such as nozzles of sensitive equipment or the pipe suffers tensions above what is permissible.
Lisega from Germany, a firm that represents Flexilatina from Colombia for our market, has a very complete portfolio of flexible pipe supports.
What a spring support does is allow at a point in the pipe, chosen by a designer or flexibilist, where the pipe has a vertical movement, which can be up (+) or down (-), for the movement to occur but always supporting the load. If this point were a simple support support for the pipe, when movement occurs, the support could restrict or could become unloaded.
Spring supports are classified into two types: variable load and constant load.
Constant Load Supports
Constant load supports are used when there are large vertical movements at a point in the pipeline and you do not want to transmit stress to sensitive equipment. This type of support does not generate reaction load, which makes it very important as a flexible solution.
For this type of support, Lisega handles loads of up to 400 KN and can absorb vertical movements of up to 900 mm. Its system is unique in the world and its presentation makes the big difference in the market. Another great advantage of Lisega supports is that they use pre-relaxed springs, this guarantees at least 10,000 precise loading cycles.
Constant load supports can be mounted in two ways, hanging or pedestal, their correct selection when you have the characteristics of the structure that will be used to mount them, can be simulated in Lisega’s Licad® software, this software is free and can be downloaded from its website. Constant load stands have a wide nominal load adjustment from 40% to 100%.
Variable Load Supports
This type of supports, although they fulfill the same mission as the constants, have a special condition and that is that they do generate a reaction force, that is, when the spring is compressed or stretched, according to the movement of the pipe, the support transmits a load; according to the following equation:
Fh = Hot force or Load in operation
Fc = Cold Force or Cold Load
Y = Vertical movement. If it is up it is +, if it is down it is –
Equation of a variable support:
Fc = Fh ± (K * Y) K= Spring constant
Deviation of a variable load support, according to MSS SP 58
Dev. = (K * Y) / Fh this deviation. should be < 0.25 .
A good rule to use in the correct selection between a constant and a variable load support, according to MSS SP 28 is:
For vertical movement ≤ 50 mm, a variable bracket must be used.
For vertical movements > 50 mm, a constant support must be used.
Another important concept, which must be taken into account for a correct selection, is the proximity of the selected support to the nozzle of a sensitive equipment, for example, a turbine; In this case, it is highly recommended to use a constant load support.
In order to define a variable or constant load support as a solution, a Pipe Stress Analysis is always required, with this study the load on each node of the pipeline can be calculated. Flexilatina de Colombia carries out this type of study and also provides the post-sale inspection service and inspection and/or repair of supports on site.
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