pipe with flange

Pipe spools are the pre-build parts of a piping system. Pipes, flanges, and fittings are called pipe spools and they are produced before they are used in the piping system.

Pipe spools are pre-shaped to make easier assemble using hoists, gauges and other tools for joining the parts. Pipe spools unite long pipes with flanges from the end of the long pipes so they can be bolted with each other with matching flanges.

These connections are embedded inside concrete walls before the pouring of concrete. This system must be aligned properly before concrete pouring because it needs to withstand the weight and force of the structure.

They generally easily corrode because of the elements they exposure; water and natural electrolytes. Acceptable protective monitoring must be done when applying pipe spool systems.

Pipe spool fabrication is very important because the construction of the ship and other marine industries require intensive piping. Pipe spools create great advantages because they reduce the limitations of space on site.

With this advantage, all of the pipeline using industries has a great opportunity to increase their pipeline system efficiency and decrease their need for workforce and time.

Pipe spool systems are mostly used in power plants and petroleum refineries which requiring intensive piping. These systems include carriage and transport of fluid and gas and these transportation systems need lots of connection parts. In these systems, there is no place for mistakes.

Pipe spools are produced by the usage of raw pipes and pipe fittings. The cutting process of the raw pipes is done with prespecified sizes that are suitable for the pipe fittings and other components.

The following procedure after the marking is the cutting step. The way of cutting differs for various materials. Thus, for carbon steels, the flame cutting method is utilized. Moreover, stainless steel components can be cut using a plasma arc cutting machine. If the plasma arc cutter is used some certain conditions must be maintained.

Pipe spools are pre-fabricated to reduce field installation costs and provide higher quality in the products. They are generally flanged to obtain the connection to other spools. The spool fabrication is normally performed by special companies having the required infrastructure.

The plasma arc cutter is utilized for large pipes (above 28 inches of nominal pipe size) and its use is also beneficial for cutting off branches. If possible, an internal case must be located into pipes or fittings, in order to protect them from the spatters which are created by the plasma arc cutter. After the cutting, and edge preparation must be maintained.

These specialist fabricators produce the system under the specified set of quality and accuracy to obtain proper fit at the site and to maintain the necessary technical properties defined by the client.

The surface edges of the components must be even and the surface impurities must be removed. A beveling process is implemented for the edges of the parts. A grinding machine is employed for the beveling process. The type of grinding machines for beveling differs for stainless steel components and carbon steel components.

For the supply of water and flammable gases, steel pipes are the most useful pipes. They are used in many homes and businesses to transfer natural gas or propane fuel. They also used for fire sprinkler systems due to their high heat resistance.

A fit-up and welding process must be applied after the edge finish of the parts. Therefore, for stainless steel and carbon steel pipe spools, parts can be located onto steel bases or wooden bases. Furthermore, any contact possibility between carbon steel and stainless steel must be minimized.

The durability of steel is one of the best advantages of the pipeline systems. It is strong and it can withstand the pressures, temperatures, heavy shocks, and vibrations. It also has unique flexibility which provides an easy extension.

The socket welded tees also make a perpendicular angle between the connected lines. They used for high-pressure applications. In opposition to the butt welded tees, the socket welded tees are utilized in applications where the radius of the pipes are generally smaller. The socket welded tees do not require the beveling process before welding. Therefore, these types of tees are favorable in some applications where branch ends must be kept in the same form before and after the welding.

The socket welded tees are manufactured due to the ASTM ASME B16.11 standards. These standards optimize and decide the proper pressure and temperature ratings, radiuses and required material for the production of the tees. Furthermore, the B16.11 standards are only allowable for carbon and alloy steels. The socket welded tees can be produced into three pressure categories which are; Class 3000, Class 6000 and Class 9000.

Flanges are the components that work as a connector between main pipes, valves or pumps. The most prominent advantage of the flange usage easy the ease of cleaning and inspection of the area connected by the flanges. Flanges are usually produced by utilizing welding or screwing methods. Flange systems make a joint between different components.

The joint is created by bolting two flanges to each other and sealing them by using various gaskets. Flanges are usually made of aluminum, bronze, brass or carbon steel. The most preferred material for general flange applications is the forged carbon steel. Moreover, flanges can be layered internally with different types of linings. Usually, flange material is selected as the same material with the pipe material. This material selection is conducted in order to prevent possible galvanic corrosion risks. The proper material selection for flanges is decided according to ASTM A-182 standards.

The specification of the flange types is done via the ASME B16.5 standards. Thus flanges are classified as; weld neck, slip-on, socket weld, lap-joint, threaded blind. The weld necked flanges are easy to recognize. A cylindrical bulge with a gradually increasing radius is connected to the main hollow part.

The cylindrical bulge eases the use of flange in extreme conditions such as; elevated temperatures or high pressurized atmospheres. These flanges are welded to pipes or fittings by using butt-welding which enables a total fixation of the body. Slip-on flanges are also very common in use because of their low cost. They do not require excessive surface finishing as weld necked flanges.

Therefore, the fixation of the slip-on flanges is easier. However, the strength of the slip-on flanges is two-third of the weld necked flanges, under internal stresses due to flow. Another disadvantage of the slip-on flanges is that it¡¯s impossible to fix a flange to the elbow or fix a flange to the tee because the end surface of the slip-on fittings is not straight. The third flange group is the socket weld flanges. These flanges are utilized for small pipes that must yield high pressures. The strength of the socket weld flanges against internal stresses is equal to slip-on flanges.

However, their fatigue strength is higher than the slip-on flanges. A major problem of the socket weld flanges is the corrosion risk. A gap between the flange and fitting or pipe must be maintained before the welding. Corrosive fluids or humidity can locate in these shelters. Thus, this solid-liquid interface may cause corrosion on the body.

In today¡¯s world, pipelines are very common for almost every application that transports any liquid or gaseous substance. These liquid or gaseous substances flow in the pipe system with different pressures and temperatures. Therefore, pipeline systems are suffered from excess stresses that are produced by pressure and temperature.

The lap-joint flanges have the nearly same shape as the socket weld flanges except for the weld gap. Thus, their use in applications that can cause corrosion is advantageous. Another flange type is the threaded flanges. The threaded flanges are very useful in specific applications since they do not require welding for fixation.

Thus, the pipeline system must be designed and produced in a way that can handle the induced stresses during the transportation of liquid or gaseous substances. Some facilities (power plants, petroleum refineries, etc.) require long and complicated pipeline systems. Moreover, these types of facilities handle problems because of the limited working space.

Blind flanges are the final division of the flange classification. They are used as end-closers for the pipes valves or pumps. Since blind flanges are used as obstacles against the fluid flow, they are the highest stressed parts of the flange systems.

The pipeline system must be produced and mounted away from the facility site. These complex facilities use pipe spools with different measurements and various components. Pipe spools are the prefabricated segments that include pipes, flanges, and fittings. Pipe fittings are the components that connect the complex pipe network. Moreover, pipe fittings change the piping systems¡¯ either sizes or dimensions. There are various types of fitting components but they can be briefly divided into three groups which are elbows tees and flanges.

The production process of the pipe spools has several stages. All stages are implemented for particular aims and the array between the stages is voluminous. Therefore, the manufacturing steps can be divided into marking, cutting, fit-up, welding, and painting.