×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Cold Spring

Cold Spring

Cold Spring

(OP)
Hi,
according to ASME B31.3 2004 edition, is cold spring allowed to be used to reduce loads on equipment ? I don't have the latest code yet and I hear there are changes to cold springing.

thanks in advance

RE: Cold Spring

dxla-

I don't believe anybody but Code Committee members have seen the 2004 edition yet. It was in line to be published after the B&PV Codes were and those were just recently published. However... In my 2002 edition equation (22) in 319.5.1 includes a factor for cold springing.

However, simply being code legal doesn't make it good. I'd only accept a cold spring design when all other options have been exhausted. Having experience in the operating company world, I absolutely have to agree with Charles Becht IV's Process Piping: The Complete Guide to ASME B31.3 Second Edition in which he states (with regard to cold springing) that Its implementation in the field is generally difficult to achieve accurately. After the plant has been operated, deliberately installed cold spring can be misunderstood to be piping misalignment and "corrected."

jt

RE: Cold Spring

I have to disagree on the merits of cold spring and the statement that cold spring can be misunderstood as piping misalignment.  I never seen a system where cold spring could be mistaken for anything else.  I've never seen where the application of cold spring was any problem, granted it takes a little experience and undestanding, which is getting harder to find.

First of all I hope no one would jump in on any piping system and start correcting misalignment without a looking at a print and design conditions not matter what the process fluid.

I don't know the current industry thinking on cold spring, speaking specifically about steam lines, but all steam lines over 300 PSI that I've seen installed had a prescribed cold spring applied during installation by competent pipe/steam fitters.  I’ve some of the older fitter foreman take out their little book and do a little sketching to check an engineers numbers.    At our site the original steam lines installed in 1952 and have served the site well with no sign that they want get another 50 years service.  The main 650 psig 750°F steam header has survived 9 severe excursions with only a small amount of insulation knocked off on the line side elbows on some expansion loops.  Several of these excursions would have taken out any expansion joints.  

We also design cold spring into hot gas lines if possible to eliminate the use of expansion joints.

Realizing that a more thorough analysis is possible with computers but a simple thermal analysis one can do wonders in determining where the pipe will land when operating.  With a little judiciously applied cold spring alone with guides and supports  gives one a good feeling to see a riser become plumb and elbow come to 90 degrees.         

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources