New Patent for a High Temperature Support for Insulated PipesPT&P has developed a high capacity support for insulated pipes which does not rely on the insulation to carry any of the load. The design has several advantages over previous designs:
Since the insulation does not carry any mechanical load, it can be chosen solely on the basis of its thermal properties. In particular, cyclic loading, which has caused insulation failure, is not a problem.
- The support provides effective restraint for all six possible components of loads, X, Y, Z-Rotational and Translational. In particular, axial and torsional loads are readily accommodated. These represent difficulties for supports which rely on the insulation.
- It is easily installed in the field. It is attached to the pipe with a standard bolted pipe clamp. Thus there is no field welding.
The support consists of a shoe, similar to the PT&P Fig. 4500 Insulated Shoe Support for Hot Pipe (Hot Shoe) and two clamps, similar to the PT&P Fig. 50 Light Two Bolt Pipe Clamp. Each clamp is attached to the shoe by a steel plate which is designed to carry the design load, and is shape optimized to minimize heat flow from the pipe.
These cold shoes are made of polyurethane with an 8" thick insulation to fit a 30" pipe. The shoes are capable of insulating and supporting at temperatures as low as -360F. This allows for the LNG to be transported through the pipe at extremely low temperatures. These cold shoes were rushed to our client during a "turnaround" to replace the original supports that had failed.
