PIPE SUPPORT

A pipe support or pipe hanger is a designed element that transfer the load from the Pipe to the
supporting structures. The load includes the weight of pipe proper, the content the pipe carries, all
the pipe fittings attached to pipe & the pipe covering such as insulation. The four main functions of a
pipe support are to anchor, guide, absorb shock and support a specified load. Pipe supports used in
high or low temperature applications may contain insulation materials. The overall design
configuration of a pipe support assembly is dependent on the loading and operating conditions.

]Primary Load
These are typically steady or sustained types of loads such as internal fluid pressure, external
pressure, gravitational forces acting on the pipe such as weight of pipe and fluid, forces due to relief
or blow down, pressure waves generated due to water/steam hammer effects.
Sustained Loads:

Internal/External Pressure : A pipe used for transporting fluid would be under internal pressure
load. A pipe such as a jacketed pipe core or tubes in a Shell & Tube ex-changer etc. may be
under net external pressure. Internal or external pressure induces stresses in the axial as well
as circumferential (Hoop Stress) directions. The pressure also induces stresses in the radial
direction, but these are often neglected. The internal pressure exerts an axial force equal to
pressure times the internal cross section of the pipe. F =P[d^2/4]. If outer diameter is used for
calculating approximate metal cross-section as Pressure well as pipe cross-section, the axial
stress can often be approximated as follows : S =Pd /(4t)

Dead Weight : It is the self weight of pipe including fluid, weight of fittings & other inline
components (say valve, insulation etc.). This type of loads act throughout the life cycle of pipe.
These Loads cause bending and the bending moment is related to normal and shear stresses.
Pipe bending is caused mainly due to two reasons : distributed weight load (e.g. fluid weight)
and concentrated weight load (e.g. valve weight).

Occasional Loads:

Wind Load : Piping which are located outdoors and thus exposed to wind will be designed to
withstand the maximum wind velocity expected during the plant operating life. Wind force is
modeled as a uniform load acting upon the projected length of the pipe perpendicular to the
direction of the wind. Wind pressure for various elevations will be used to calculate wind force
using the following formula. Fw = Pw x S x A, where Fw = The total wind force, Pw =

The equivalent wind pressure, S = Windshape factor, A = Pipe exposed area.

Seismic Load : Seismic load is one of the basic concepts of earthquake

engineering which means application of an earthquake-generated agitation to a
structure. It happens at contact surfaces of a structure either with the ground,[2] or
with adjacent structures,[3] or with gravity waves fromtsunami.

Water Hammer : Water hammer (or more generally, fluid hammer) is a pressure
surge or wave caused when a fluid (usually a liquid but sometimes also a gas) in
motion is forced to stop or change direction suddenly (momentum change). Water
hammer commonly occurs when a valve closes suddenly at an end of a pipeline
system, and a pressure wave propagates in the pipe. It's also called hydraulic
shock.
Steam hammer : Steam hammer, the pressure surge generated by transient flow of
super-heated or saturated steam in a steam-line due to sudden stop valve closures
is considered as an occasional load. Through the flow is transient, for the purpose of
piping stress analysis, only the unbalanced force along the pipe segment tending to
induce piping vibration is calculated and applied on the piping model as static
equivalent force.

Safety Valve Discharge : Reaction forces from relief valve discharge is considered
as an occasional load. The reaction force due to steady state flow following the
opening of safety relief valve in an open discharge installation

can be calculated in accordance with ASME B31.1 Appendix II and applied on the
piping model as static equivalent force.

Secondary Load
Just as the primary loads have their origin in some force, secondary loads are caused
by displacement of some kind. For example, the pipe connected to a storage tank may
be under load if the tank nozzle to which it is connected moves down due to tank
settlement. Similarly, pipe connected to a vessel is pulled upwards because the vessel
nozzle moves up due to vessel expansion. Also, a pipe may vibrate due to vibrations in
the rotating equipment it is attached to.
Displacement Loads:

Load due to Thermal Expansion of pipe

Load due to Thermal movement of Equipment

A pipe may experience expansion or contraction once it is subjected to temperatures

higher or lower respectively as compared to temperature at which it was assembled.
The secondary loads are often cyclic but not always.For example load due to tank
settlement is not cyclic. The load due to vessel nozzle movement during operation is
cyclic because the displacement is withdrawn during shut-down and resurfaces again
after fresh start-up. A pipe subjected to a cycle of hot and cold fluid similarly undergoes
cyclic loads and deformation.