Help needed with pipe thermal expansion and stress issues!
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Since the pipeline has already had its expansion amount compensated for using expansion bends, why is a stress analysis still necessary? Since thermal expansion has already been absorbed by the expansion bend, isn’t it the stress that is being absorbed? I’m a beginner; please explain it in simple terms, experts.
Expansion bends are merely one way to improve pipeline stress; piping design includes the addition of such bends in advance based on experience, but their effectiveness can only be quantified through stress analysis. This is a common issue with piping: when an expansion bend is added at one location, the stress analysis results do not improve, but when it is placed at another location, the stress levels improve significantly.
Clause 7.1.1 of GB20801.3 specifies the conditions under which stress calculations must be carried out.
Some pipeline layout design documents provide detailed information on this