1. Expansion joints(compensators)
Expansion joints, also known as compensators, are vital components comprising one or more bellows as the primary elastic element, along with connectors, supports, flanges, conduits, and other accessories. These flexible structures are installed on vessel shells or pipelines to counteract additional stresses resulting from temperature fluctuations and mechanical vibrations. By harnessing the expansion and contraction of the bellows, they accommodate dimensional changes in pipelines, conduits, and vessels caused by thermal expansion, contraction, axial, lateral, and angular displacements.
Apart from compensating for dimensional changes, expansion joints also serve purposes such as noise and vibration reduction and supporting heating supply systems. To prevent damage to heating pipelines due to thermal expansion, compensators are installed to mitigate the stress on the pipeline walls and the forces exerted on valves or support structures.
Due to their ability to freely expand and contract, expansion joints offer advantages like reliable operation, high performance, and compact structure. As a result, they find widespread use in chemical engineering, metallurgy, nuclear energy, and other industries. Expansion joints come in various forms, with U-shaped expansion joints being the most common, followed by Ω-shaped and C-shaped joints for vessel applications. For pipeline use, they are categorized based on structural compensation into universal, pressure balanced, hinged, and gimbal expansion joints.
Main Item | Classification | Description |
Metal Expansion Joint | Elbow Expansion Joint | Bend the pipe into a U-shaped or other shape, also known as tension bends,are a type of expansion joint that utilizes the elastic deformation ability of the form to compensate. Its advantages are good strength, long service life, and on-site production.The disadvantages are space-consuming, high steel consumption, and high friction resistance. This type of expansion joint is widely used in various steam piping and long pipes. |
Bellows Expansion Joint
| A bellows expansion joint is an expansion joint made of metal bellows. It can expand and contract along the axial direction of the pipeline, and also allows a small amount of bending. In order to prevent exceeding the allowable compensation amount, protective rods or rings are installed at both ends of the bellows, and guide supports are installed on both ends of the connected pipelines. There are also angular and lateral expansion joints, which can be used to compensate for rotational deformations and lateral deformations of pipelines. The advantages of these expansion joints are space-saving, material-saving, easy standardization, and mass production, but the disadvantage is the relatively short lifespan. Bellows expansion joints are generally used in short pipelines with low temperature and pressure. With the improvement of bellows production technology, the application scope of this type of expansion joint is expanding. Currently, bellows expansion joints can be used in pipe systems with a maximum pressure of 6.0 MPa. | |
Slip-Type Expansion Joint | The slip-type expansion joint has inner and outer sleeves for axial movement, sealed with stuffing box. It compensates for pipeline's axial expansion and rotation, suitable for hot water, steam, and grease. The inner sleeve slides against the outer one to adjust for thermal expansion. Connected to the pipeline, it uses a high-performance self-sealing seal. A new synthetic seal material between the sleeves resists heat, corrosion, and aging (-40°C to 150°C, up to 350°C under special conditions), ensuring sliding and preventing leakage. | |
Non-metallic Expansion Joint | Rubber Expansion Joint | Composed of rubber and rubber-fiber composite materials, steel flanges, sleeves, and insulation materials, it is mainly used for flexible connections between various fans and ducts. Its functions include shock absorption, noise reduction, sealing, medium resistance, easy displacement and installation. It is an ideal accessory for shock absorption, noise reduction, smoke and dust removal in the field of environmental protection. |
Fabric Expansion Joint | The fabric expansion joint is mainly made of fiber fabric, rubber, and other high temperature resistant materials. It can compensate for the vibration and deformation of fans and ducts.Fabric expansion joints can compensate for axial, lateral, and angular products, with features such as no thrust, simplified support design, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, noise reduction, vibration reduction,and others.It is particularly suitable for hot blast pipes and smoke and dust pipeline of power plant.The non-metallic compensator's fiber fabric and insulation cotton itself have the functions of sound absorption and vibration isolation, therefore they can effectively reducing the noise and vibration of boiler, fan, and other systems. Simple structure, light weight, and easy maintenance. |
Super Austenitic Stainless Steel:254SMO,904L,AL6XN
Duplex Stainless Steel :2205 Dual phase steel (S31803)
Nickel Based Alloy Steel:INCOLOY800/800H/800HT/840/825,INCONEL600/601/690/625/X-750
Hastelloy Alloy C-276/C-22/X,MONEL400/K500
Pure Nickel:N4,N6(Ni200,Ni201)
Titanium Plate For Stamping:GR1,GR2,TA1,TA2
Austenitic Stainless Steel:SUS304,SUS304L,SUS316,SUS316L,SUS310S,SUS321,SUS316Ti
2. Non-metallic Expansion joints
Non-metallic compensators encompass various types, including straight cylindrical, compound, angular, and square expansion joints.
Rectangular non-metallic compensators, primarily employed in power plant flue ducts, serve to absorb thermal displacement and shock. These compensators can be connected via flanges or nozzles.
Compensating segment length(h/m)
| 100 | 200 | 250 | 300 | 350 | 400 | 450 | 500 | 550 | 600 | 650 | 700 | 800 | 900 | |
Compensation volume(nm)
| Axial displacement (x/m) | -30 | -50 | -75 | -85 | -105 | -125 | -130 | -140 | -165 | -175 | -195 | -205 | -225 | -240 |
+15 | +20 | +30 | +36 | +45 | +45 | +50 | +55 | +58 | +62 | +66 | +70 | +74 | +80 | ||
Lateral displacement (y/m) | ±10 | ±15 | ±25 | ±30 | ±45 | ±50 | ±60 | ±68 | ±7o | ±73 | ±75 | ±80 | ±85 | ±90 | |
Working Temperature (t°C) | a=100-200,b=200-300,c=300-450,d=450-500,e=500-600,f=600-700,g=700-1000 | ||||||||||||||
Working pressure P(Kpa) | ±10~±300,if the user requires, the pressure beyond the range, can be designed separately. | ||||||||||||||
Flow rate | a——b | v=8——15 | |||||||||||||
c——d | v=8——20 |
Gas turbine exhaust duct
Desulfurization system
Flue ducts and exhaust systems of various industries
Coal-fired boilers, circulating sulfurized bed boilers
Flue ducts of waste heat boilers
3. Round Non-metallic Compensator/Expansion Joint
Circular Non-metallic Compensators/Expansion Joints offer several key advantages: