MFGIL Above Ground Pipe Installation Manual

GRP
ABOVE GROUND PIPE INSTALLATION MANUAL

“MFGIL GRP Pipes” “Megha Fibre Glass Industries Limited”

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 MFGIL Above Ground Pipe Installation Manual

Introduction

This section of the manual describes the requirements for installation of MFGIL pipes above ground.
It applies for pipes joined by restrained methodology (BUTT and WRAP). When designing an
aboveground pipe installation it is important to be aware of the forces that act on the pipe system and
particularly for high pressure systems. When a component in a pressurized pipeline has a change in
cross-sectional area or direction, a resultant force is induced. All such components, as e.g. bends,
reducers, tees, wyes or valves, must be anchored to withstand these loads. For a buried pipeline,
adequate resistance is provided by the pipe embedment and thrust blocks. Such resistance may not be
provided at the supports of an aboveground pipeline. Care must be exercised to minimize
misalignments and all components must be properly supported to ensure the stability of the pipeline.

Supporting of Pipes

MFGIL pipes are joined by butt and wrap methodology that restrains longitudinal expansion and
contraction of the pipes. To minimize the loads induced in pipes and supports, the supports shall not
restrain longitudinal expansion of the pipes. It is, however, essential that the pipe movements are
guided and controlled in such a way that all pipe sections are stable.
Important that the stability of every pipe component is ensured by the supports. Every pipe shall
therefore be supported by at least two cradles and anchored at one of these. The remaining cradle(s)
shall be designed as guide(s), allowing longitudinal expansion of the pipe but restraining lateral
movements. For pipes supported in more than two cradles, the cradle closest to the middle of the pipe
should be used as an anchor. The anchors shall be located with regular spacing in order to ensure even
distribution of longitudinal pipe expansion on the joints. However, the distance between two anchors
shall not exceed 12 m. Figure below shows typical supporting of pipes.

Typical Support Arrangement

“MFGIL GRP Pipes” “Megha Fibre Glass Industries Limited”

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 MFGIL Above Ground Pipe Installation Manual

Note:
When a pipe is supported on more than two supports, the pipe supports shall be in straight Alignment.
Maximum deviation from straight alignment is 0, 1% of the span length. Supports shall limit
displacement of pipes, in all of the restrained directions, to 0, 5% of the diameter or 6 mm, whichever
is less.

It is important that support displacement does not result in misalignment of pipe ends in joints.
Maximum allowable pipe end misalignment is the lesser of 0, 5% of the diameter or 3 mm.

Pipes shall be installed in straight alignment in order to avoid reaction forces caused by angular
deflection at joints. The pipes must be supported adjacent to the joints in order to ensure the stability of
the joint. Maximum distance from the centerline of the joint to centerline of a support shall be 250 mm
for pipes with DN500 or less and the lesser of 0,5 x DN or 500 mm for pipes with DN600 or larger.

Support Design

Any excessive point or line loading shall be avoided when pipes are installed aboveground.
Aboveground MFGIL pipes shall therefore be supported in cradles. Normally the cradles are made
from concrete or steel. The cradles shall have a supporting angle of 120°. The diameter of the finished
cradle with cradle liners shall be 0,5% larger that the outer diameter of the non- pressurized pipe
(Figure below). The cradles shall have a minimum width of 150 mm for all pipes with DN ≤ 1000 mm,
a minimum width of 200 mm for pipes between DN1100 mm and DN2000 mm and a minimum width
of 250 mm for pipes with DN > 2000 mm. The inside of the cradles shall be covered with a 5 mm thick
cradle liner to avoid direct contact between pipe and cradle. Liners must be made from materials that
are resistant to the actual environment. High friction liners shall be applied at anchors while low
friction liners shall be applied at guides. Figure below shows the cradle design. The pipe supports are
designed as anchors or guides. Anchors are designed to restrain pipe movement. Guides are designed to
allow the pipe to expand in the longitudinal direction but restrain it from any lateral displacement.

“MFGIL GRP Pipes” “Megha Fibre Glass Industries Limited”

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 MFGIL Above Ground Pipe Installation Manual

Loads on Supports

The supports shall be rigid and designed to withstand the actual loads caused by:

•External and environmental loads

•Weight of pipe and fluid
•Reaction forces caused by internal pressure
•Friction induced against guides in case of temperature and/or pressure variations.

It is the responsibility of the owner’s engineer to determine design loads for the supports. Frictional
Force between pipe and guide shall be determined based on total compression between pipe and cradle
and the frictional coefficient between the pipe material and the cradle liner. These loads result from
contraction and elongation of pipe during operation.

Anchor Design

Anchors shall be designed as cradles with high friction cradle liners and a pretension steel clamp
pressing the pipe against the cradle. The pretension of the clamp shall be sufficient to prevent the pipe
from moving in the cradle.

Note: GRP pipes have higher design strain than steel. The steel clamp shall therefore be designed
With spring elements to compensate for this difference. The spring elements shall be designed such
that sufficient strap tension can be ensured at low pressure or no pressure without overloading the
Strap or the pipe in situations involving high working pressure. The design of the steel clamp and the
spring elements depends on the properties of the pipe and the loading conditions. Figure below shows
typical design of steel clamp with bracket and disk springs.

“MFGIL GRP Pipes” “Megha Fibre Glass Industries Limited”

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 MFGIL Above Ground Pipe Installation Manual

Clamp Design

Guide Design

Guides shall be designed as cradles with low friction cradle liners (Figure below). The friction factor
between MFGIL pipes and the liner shall be less than 0.3. This requirement is fulfilled by e.g.
ultrahigh-molecular polyethylene and polytetrafluorethylene liners. It must be ensured that the
liner material is resistant to the actual environment. The cradle liner shall be permanently attached to
the guide cradle to ensure its stability. In many situations, the weight of pipe and fluid is sufficient
to ensure the lateral stability of a pipe in a guide. The ends of short high pressure pipes can, however,
lift up from guides as a result of an unfavorable combination of high pressure forces in the fluid. The
need for securing of pipe ends depends on the combination of internal pressure and the supporting
conditions. Vertical convex angular pipe deflection and internal pressure creates a force that tends to
lift the pipe end.

If such a lifting force can become large enough to lift up pipe end, the pipe ends must be secured. The
securing of pipe ends is best achieved by clamping to the foundation supporting the joint.

The need for securing pipe ends depends on the angular deflection at joints, the pressure in the pipes
and the supporting conditions. Support spacing needed to ensure sufficient reaction from the dead
weight of pipe and fluid to counteract the lifting force created.

“MFGIL GRP Pipes” “Megha Fibre Glass Industries Limited”

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 MFGIL Above Ground Pipe Installation Manual

Maximum Supporting Spacing

The maximum support spacing is determined based on the properties of the pipe and the loading
conditions. Stresses in the pipe wall must be kept within allowable limits and excessive pipe
deflections must be avoided.

Field Hydro testing

Pipe installation shall be hydrostatically tested prior to acceptance and service. This is good practice as
it can permit early detection and correction of installation flaws, damaged products, etc. If a field hydro
test is specified, it must be done regularly as installation proceeds. In addition to routine care, normal
precautions and typical procedures used in this work, the following suggestions should be noted:

Preparation Prior to Test – Inspect the completed installation to assure that all work has been finished
Properly. Of critical importance are:
• Joints assembled correctly.
• System restraints (i.e. thrust blocks, and other anchors) in place and properly cured.
• Flange bolting torque
• Valves and pumps anchored.

Filling the Line with Water – Open valves and vents, so that all air is expelled from the line during
filling and avoid pressure surges. When the pipeline has been filled it shall be inspected.

Pressurize the line slowly. Considerable energy is stored in a pipe line under pressure and this power
Should be respected.

Insure the gauge location will read the highest line pressure or adjust accordingly. Locations lower in
the line will have higher pressure due to additional head.

Insure the maximum test pressure is not exceeded. This may be dangerous and result in damage to the
pipe system.

If after a brief period for stabilization the line does not hold constant pressure, insure that thermal
Effect (a temperature change) or entrapped air is not the cause. If the pipe is determined to be leaking
And the location is not readily apparent, the following methods may aid discovery of the problem
source:

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 MFGIL Above Ground Pipe Installation Manual

• Check flange and valve areas

• Check line tap locations
• Check joints for leakage

Inspection Prior to Filling of Pipe

The pipe shall not be filled with water until the complete installation has been inspected in order to
assure that all work has been finished properly. Special attention shall be paid to the following aspects:
Joints:
The joints shall be checked for: ・
1. Joint alignment and
2. The gap between the pipe ends

2
Supports

Check that the cradle gives even and continuous support to the pipe and that the cradle diameter is 0, 5
± 0, 25% larger than the pipe. Check the support angle to be 120 ± 5°. For pipes supported on more
than two supports, the alignment of pipe supports shall be checked. Maximum deviation from straight
alignment is 0,1% of the span length. Check that the cradle liner is in place between the pipe and the
cradle and ensure that there is no direct contact between cradle and pipe.

Check that there is no concrete or other foreign inclusion between the pipe and the cradle liner. Check
That there are high-friction liners at anchors and low friction liners at guides. Check the structural
integrity of the supports. Mark the position of the pipe relative to the anchors, as reference for later
inspection.

Clamps

Check that the liner is correctly positioned between the clamp and the pipe. Check the number and
compression of disk springs against the specification.

Check structural integrity of the steel clamp and anchor bolts. Check that the steel clamp is positioned
Perpendicular to the pipe axis. Check thrust blocks, anchors, valve pumps, etc.

“MFGIL GRP Pipes” “Megha Fibre Glass Industries Limited”

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 MFGIL Above Ground Pipe Installation Manual

Inspection of Filled Pipeline Prior to Pressurizing

When the pipe has been filled with water, it shall be inspected prior to pressurizing. Special attention
shall be paid to the following aspects:
 Joints
Inspect the joints for any sign of leakage.

Note: The weight of fluid in the pipe will cause rotation of pipe ends (Figure below).

Pipe Deflection

The stability of the pipe end supports shall be verified in an appropriate way. If there is a reason to
believe that supports might have settled due to the added weight, the pipe end misalignment shall be
checked. Pipe end misalignment shall be less than 0,5% of pipe diameter and 3mm.

Supports

Check the structural integrity and stability of the supports. Check if the added weight has caused
Settlement or deflection of supports.

Inspection of Pressurized Pipelines

When the pipe has been pressurized, the pipe shall be inspected. Special attention shall be paid to the
Following aspects:
 1 Joints

Inspect the joints for any sign of leakage.

Note: In addition to the Poisson’s effect, the pressure increase in the pipe can cause slight rotation of
pipe ends.

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 MFGIL Above Ground Pipe Installation Manual

Supports

Check the structural integrity and stability of the supports. Check if the pressure increase has caused
settlement or deflection of supports. Use the marks to check if the pipe has moved relative to the
anchors. If a pipe has moved relative to anchor, the pipe shall be depressurized and the anchoring
revised prior to repressurizing.

Clamps

Check the compression of disk springs and ensure that the compression does not exceed the maximum
Allowable spring compression. The spring compression can be measured using the marks on the
Spring guide (Figure below). Check structural integrity of the steel clamp and anchor bolts.
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Pipes

Measure and record the maximum deflection of the pipes for each pipe span. If the maximum
deflection at any pipe span has increased by more than 50% compared to the deflection measured for
filled and unpressurized pipe, the pipe shall be depressurized immediately and the pipe supplier shall
be contacted. Check the pipes for dark areas or weeping.

“MFGIL GRP Pipes” “Megha Fibre Glass Industries Limited”

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