Patent Application
20210231233
This invention relates generally to the field of industrial piping and piping systems and more particularly relates to a pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus and method of use for providing corrosion resistant pipe support surfaces on a variety of pipe support structures.
Piping systems are comprised of variety of components including piping segments, valves, tanks, pumps, and associated fittings and connections. Such piping systems are utilized to convey fluids including gases in a variety of industrial, chemical, commercial, and public works facilities, plants, and factories. Such fluids may be liquids, gases, and sludge including process chemicals, water, steam and combinations thereof and such fluids may be conveyed at a variety of temperatures, pressures, and velocities. Pipe supports and pipe support structures are integral components of piping systems. They are used to ensure that the span of piping segments and the fittings and connections used to connect piping segments and the valves, tanks, and other equipment incorporated into piping systems are not overstressed or overloaded. Piping systems may employ a variety of pipe supports and pipe support structures including hangers, struts, pickups, springs, beams, columns, and, in many cases, the piping of the same piping system or of an unrelated piping system.
The design and overall integrity of a piping system, its components, and its associated pipe support structures are dependent upon the type and physical properties of the fluids being conveyed by the piping system. Physical properties such as the type of fluid, the fluid weight, the fluid temperature, and the fluid pressure must be considered when designing and constructing a piping system and its associated pipe, valves, fittings, connections, equipment and pipe support structures. The physical properties of the conveyed fluids bear upon the selection of the type, weight, and dimensions of piping segments utilized in a piping system as well as the load, deflection, expansion, contraction, and deformation imposed on the piping, valves, fittings, connections, and pipe support structures incorporated into the piping system. Excessive deflection, contraction or expansion of the associated piping of a piping system will impact the loads, forces and moments transferred to critical components of the piping system which may in turn result in piping system failure. The consequences of such piping system failure may be dangerous and sometimes catastrophic and include hazardous chemicals spills, fires, and explosions.
By way of example, piping system failure may be caused by corrosion of its associated piping or of its associated pipe supports. Such corrosion may be sufficient to produce a negative effect on the load bearing characteristics of the piping system piping and its support components.
Corrosive conditions occur when piping systems are placed in an open-air environment such as in a marine or offshore installation or in a chemical plant or refinery where there is exposure to rain, wind, salt water, or corrosive chemicals.
Piping system failure may also be caused by excessive structural deflection and displacement of the piping system piping when the beams or columns utilized as part of a piping support structure are not sized to sufficiently prevent piping deflections. Such deflections and displacements may result in undesired transfer of loads and moments to the associated components and equipment of a piping system. This is often the case when an associated relief valve inlet and discharge line are not adequately supported or when an associated pipe support slips or shifts on its underlying support structure.
Piping system failure may also occur when the wall thickness of the piping used in the piping system is degraded over time. Piping wall thickness degradation may occur when the piping expands and contracts over a wear plate on a pipe support. Such expansion and contraction may weaken the walls of the piping incorporated into a piping system eventually resulting in the failure of a piping system.
Piping system failure may also be caused by vibration and oscillation of the piping of a piping system caused by rotating machinery, fluid flow, and environmental conditions such as winds, earthquakes and seismic events. Such vibration or oscillation may create stress fractures in the piping and associated valves, fittings, connections, equipment and pipe support structures of a piping system that result in piping system failure.
Piping system failure may also be caused when a pipe support does not adequately provide cathodic isolation from corrosive soils or lightning conditions. In such situations, a piping system must be isolated from support steelwork to prevent current penetration through the pipe wall rather than through a specified grounding path.
Failure of a piping system may also be caused when elements of a pipe support have been incorrectly specified and installed such that the pipe supports degrade due to environmental and piping system operating conditions such as slug flow, temperature variations, and subsidence. Incorrect design and selection of pipe supports components may also result in overloaded support beams and columns, undersized or insufficient pipe guides, slide plate failure, spring and shock absorber failure. Such conditions may also lead to piping system failure, such as piping being torn from its supports, and the resulting catastrophic consequences.
Due to such risk of failure, the piping system and its associated pipe, valves, fittings, connections, equipment and pipe support structures must be inspected regularly to assess the integrity of the piping system to predict and prevent the occurrence of piping system failure. Millions of dollars are spent each year to inspect, repair, and replace damaged piping and pipe supports of such piping systems.
Such problems are often exacerbated in cases where the pipe support is the piping of the same piping system or of an unrelated piping system because there is typically insufficient isolation of the supported piping from the support piping.
From the above, it is apparent that improvements to the pipe supports of piping systems will assist in more effectively preventing piping system failure caused or induced by inadequate pipe supports.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that may be readily utilized in a piping system to reduce the risk of corrosion and serve to reduce the incidence of piping system failure.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that may be readily utilized as a replacement or as an addition to existing pipe supports in a piping system.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that will result in a reduction in the cost of installation and maintenance of pipe systems.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that will withstand extreme temperature changes including cryogenic temperatures.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that will withstand extreme pressures and any extraneous conditions such as slug flow.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that will be resistant to slippage or shifting on its underlying support structure.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that will sufficiently withstand the forces, loads, and moments incurred in the piping system.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that may be used in a variety of environments and climate conditions including hurricane winds, earthquakes and other seismic activity, and corrosive atmospheres.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that will provide drainage and evaporation of rainwater and other liquids away from the piping-pipe support contact points without damaging corrosion coatings applied to the surfaces of supported piping.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that will provide cathodic protection for the piping system.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that will be fire resistant.
It is also apparent that there is a need for a pipe-on-pipe pipe support that may be manufactured from a large variety of materials.
The present invention provides a pipe support apparatus and method for a piping system that is designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs. The present invention is a load bearing pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus having a support base configured to be readily mounted upon piping that is utilized as an underlying pipe support structure. Preferably the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus is comprised of an isolating composite material designed to isolate the supported piping from the support piping in order to reduce corrosion due to cathodic attack produced by static electricity. Preferably the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus of the present invention will be integrally cast, extruded, or protruded to meet desired thermal and mechanical requirements. Such isolating composite material will preferably be comprised of a blend of fabric reinforced thermoplastic resin material or combinations of such materials, though other types of isolating composite material such as fiber reinforced concrete may be utilized.
Depending upon the load to be supported, environmental conditions, or other design considerations, the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus may also be cast, pultruded, extruded, machined, or otherwise constructed of metal or metal alloys. Preferably such a metal pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus will be comprised of corrosion-resistant metal or corrosion-resistant metal alloys. Such metals and metal alloys include aluminums and aluminum alloys, copper, copper-nickel alloys, brass, bronze, steel and stainless-steel alloys. When made of metal or metal alloys, the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus may also be provided with a corrosion-resistant coating such as a galvanized coating, a paint, or a polymer coating.
The pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus preferably has a flat polygon-shaped support base with a corrugated upper surface having a series of valleys and ridges and a lower surface forming a support area configured for placement upon a curved underlying pipe support structure preferably a rounded or circular surface such as pipe beam, a pipe brace, or the piping of a piping system. The support area of the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus conforms to the curved surface of the piping of the underlying pipe support structure and may be comprised of intersecting angled support areas, intersecting flat and angled support areas, or a curved support area. The support area of the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus create flange or guide surfaces adjacent to the lower surface of the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus that serve to hold the pipe-on-pipe pipe support in place upon the corresponding underlying pipe support structure. The pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus may be of any desired thickness and it will be sized in accordance with a desired pre-determined load bearing capacity.
The support area on the lower surface of the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus may have a skid-resistant surface that serves to reduce the incidence of pipe support slippage or sliding on the underlying pipe support structure when in use. The skid-resistant surface may be molded or formed integrally with the support area of the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus or it may be a skid-resistant coating such as a ceramic, paint, epoxy, or polymer coating having an anti-slip additive such as sand, silica, granulated stone, ceramics, or another suitable skid-resistant additive.
The pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus of applicant's invention may be installed upon its underlying pipe support structure during the initial construction of a piping system or it be installed upon an underlying pipe support structure of an existing piping system as an upgrade or replacement for existing pipe supports. The upgrade or replacement of existing pipe supports with the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus of applicant's invention may typically be accomplished by first lifting a piping segment of the existing piping system from its existing support, then removing the existing support from its underlying pipe support structure, and then placing the pipe support apparatus of the present invention on the existing underlying pipe support structure. Typically, no welding or other attachment will be necessary.
Referring to the drawings,
Pipe support area 24 may also have a flat support surface 15B interposed between opposing support edges 17a positioned at intersecting angles as shown in
The flat support surface 15B with the opposing angled support edges 17a of support area 24 also provides an added advantage of allowing the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus 10 shown in
Support base 11 of the pipe support apparatus 10 will preferably be integrally molded from an isolating composite material with the thermal, load, and mechanical properties as may be required for suitable load bearing pipe supports. A suitable isolating composite material will preferably be comprised of fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin material. Suitable fiber reinforcement (not shown) for the fiber thermoplastic resin material for the support base 11 may include discrete fiber segments, including long or short fiber segments or a combination thereof, including metal or metal alloy fibers, glass fibers, synthetic fibers, natural fibers, and woven fiber fabric woven from such fiber materials, including woven fiber fabric impregnated with resin.
Other types of isolating composite material such as fiber reinforced concrete may be utilized also be utilized for the base 11 of pipe support apparatus 10. Suitable fiber reinforced concrete for the support base 11 will be a composite material consisting of mixtures of cement, mortar or concrete and discontinuous, discrete, uniformly dispersed suitable fiber reinforcements. Suitable fiber reinforcement for the fiber reinforced concrete may be discrete fiber segments, including long or short fiber segments or a combination thereof, including metal or metal alloy fibers, glass fibers, synthetic fibers, natural fibers, and woven fiber fabric woven from such fiber materials, including woven fiber fabric impregnated with resin.
Depending upon the load to be supported, the anticipated environmental conditions, or other anticipated design considerations, the base 11 of pipe support apparatus 10 may also be cast, machined, or otherwise constructed of metal or metal alloys such as steel alloys, aluminum alloys, or cast iron. Preferably the apparatus 10 constructed of metal or metal alloys will be constructed of corrosion-resistant metal or metal alloys such as stainless steel or anodized aluminum or provided with a corrosion-resistant coating such as a galvanized coating, a polymer coating, or a bituminous coating as an isolating material.
The pipe support area 24 on the bottom 14 of the base 11 of pipe support apparatus 10 may be provided with a skid-resistant surface 26 as shown in
The skid-resistant surface 26 on support area 24 may be a skid-resistant surface coating such as a ceramic, paint, epoxy, or polymer coating, or combinations thereof having an anti-slip additive such as sand, silica, granulated stone, ceramics, combinations thereof, or other suitable anti-slip additives. It is thought that an anti-slip additive comprised of ceramic material will produce a coefficient of friction in the range ≥0.2μ to ≤0.8μ. The skid-resistant surface 26 of the support area 24 may also be provided by integrally molding the anti-slip additive into the surfaces 15A or 15B of a support area 24 of a desired base 11.
The pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus 10 may be used as shown in
The upgrade or replacement of an existing pipe support of a piping system with the pipe-on-pipe pipe support apparatus 10 described herein may typically be accomplished by the additional steps of lifting the segment of piping P where a pipe support replacement is desired, removing the existing pipe support from the underlying pipe support structure 30, removing any undesirable debris from the curved upper surface 32 of the underlying pipe support structure 30, if necessary, and then placing a pipe support apparatus 10 of a desired configuration upon the upper surface 32 of the underlying pipe support structure 30, and placing the segment of piping P of the piping system previously lifted upon the ridges 16 on the support top 12 of the replacement pipe support apparatus 10 as shown in
In some situations, it may be necessary to use an attachment mechanism 34 to attach the pipe support apparatus 10 to piping P of a piping system or to the underlying pipe support structure 30.
It will be evident that various other changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts and steps of the apparatus and method described herein without departing from the spirit, scope, and material advantages of the invention. It is also thought that the method and apparatus presented herein will be understood from the foregoing description and that the forms and steps described herein are intended to be merely exemplary embodiments of the invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/965,027 filed Jan. 23, 2020 for “Pipe Support Apparatus and Method”, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62965027 | Jan 2020 | US |
