What if flexible pipes are used as overhead thermal pipelines, given the availability of suitable materials?
Thread Content
Sometimes, it is difficult to provide compensation for overhead thermal pipelines; natural compensation is not feasible, there is no space for square compensators, expansion joints can lead to leaks, and rotary compensators are also hard to install. I’m thinking that if there were a non-metallic or metal-composite pipe made from an appropriate material, capable of withstanding the relevant temperatures, soft enough to endure strong water hammer impacts, it would be great to use it for overhead thermal pipelines, right? Simply tie it tightly at each support point of the pipe; these points serve as fixing points. As the pipe expands due to heat, it can stretch and bend freely between these fixing points. Since it is flexible, it can stretch quite a lot, unlike metal pipes which might bend and get damaged. If flexible pipes are used, isn’t that solved the problem of difficulty in implementing compensation? Moreover, such pipes can have very few joints; a long, continuous section of the pipe can be used directly for installation, unlike metal pipes which need to be welded together section by section.
This type of flexible pipe is very useful for direct burial. It seems to work wonders even when used on fictional pipelines. In cases where the vertical section of metal rigid pipes is relatively long, the pipes often bend upward, resulting in a separation between them; this can also lead to excessive pressure being exerted on the pipe connections of the equipment ； By using flexible pipes, which can be directly tied down, these problems are perfectly solved.