fiberglass piping information
fiberglass piping information
(OP)
Hello, first time poster with a query regarding firefighting calculation.
Can anyone help me to give some information regarding the piping?
I have 02 projects:
The first project:
Firefighting project: the piping is made on fiberglass for the 02 chips loading (product is oil) by water and foam protection,
My questions are:
Is there any difference (for fiberglass) in flow calculation, flexibility….?
For Installation accessories or other pieces like hydrant, valve….
If not, is there any one has experience in this type of the design (fiberglass for firefighting)?
The second project:
The project is piping connection for connecting 04 tanks (fuel, gasoline, jet A1 and super) and installation firefighting piping,
Following the data climate, the winter temperature is -4 ° C, but these days it really falls temperatures,
Is that the pipe insulation requires protection or other network for water and foam to resolve the problem of freezing?
Also, for connection piping system
Other question
Both installations will be carbon steel A106 API 5L GrB or GrB? i.e. piping diameters is 3/4’’ to 12’’ for two projects.
Thanks in advance for your help
(Sorry for my English I’m beginner)
R.B (mechanical engineer)
Can anyone help me to give some information regarding the piping?
I have 02 projects:
The first project:
Firefighting project: the piping is made on fiberglass for the 02 chips loading (product is oil) by water and foam protection,
My questions are:
Is there any difference (for fiberglass) in flow calculation, flexibility….?
For Installation accessories or other pieces like hydrant, valve….
If not, is there any one has experience in this type of the design (fiberglass for firefighting)?
The second project:
The project is piping connection for connecting 04 tanks (fuel, gasoline, jet A1 and super) and installation firefighting piping,
Following the data climate, the winter temperature is -4 ° C, but these days it really falls temperatures,
Is that the pipe insulation requires protection or other network for water and foam to resolve the problem of freezing?
Also, for connection piping system
Other question
Both installations will be carbon steel A106 API 5L GrB or GrB? i.e. piping diameters is 3/4’’ to 12’’ for two projects.
Thanks in advance for your help
(Sorry for my English I’m beginner)
R.B (mechanical engineer)





RE: fiberglass piping information
When you first said "firefighting" I thought to how those guys throw stuff around and shuddered. But reading through your post it sounds like stuff they would use in the fire station without alarms jacking up their adrenaline.
FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic, fiberglass) pipe is about as slick as HDPE so in calculations you want to use 5E-6 ft for absolute roughness (steel is most often published as 150E-6 ft). If you are using an equation with an explicit efficiency number I usually use 95% for new steel and 100% for new FRP (it usually doesn't matter, but I find that I match measured data at high Reynolds numbers better with 100% than with 95%). Other than that you use the same calculations.
Typically, I tend to end the FRP with an appropriate Class flange bolted to a steel flange for a valve set. There are some plastic and FRP valves, but I'd still rather use steel for the stuff people touch.
FRP is as unforgiving in freezing conditions as steel is. It just isn't very flexible so if you get a contained freeze you will get broken pipe. If I was coming to the surface with a fluid that has a freezing point within 25C of the record low temperature I'd be nervous. I've been looking at spoolable composite pipe like FlexSteel, FiberSpar, SoluForce for stuff like that. I've had produced water freeze hard in this stuff and found that it has enough give to handle the 4% volume change without breaking or even yielding. It has all the corrosion resistance characteristics of FRP, but installs much more quickly (it is on spools), is not at all delicate, and seems to do pretty well in phase change (when the line freezes it still stops flow so from a process standpoint you don't want the line frozen hard, but at least it tends to not break when frozen).
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
RE: fiberglass piping information
RE: fiberglass piping information
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
RE: fiberglass piping information
It was unclear to me from reading the original post whether or not some of the piping was above grade. The reference to a winter temperature of -4 C implied that some pipe was A/G, since my biased assumption was that buried pipe, when U/G, would typically be below frost level, so winter ambient would be irrelevant.
RE: fiberglass piping information
after reading your messages above; able to keep the firefighting piping, it must be completely U/G? Except the connection lines of the pumps.
Pleased to reading you, thanks a lot
Have nice day
R.B (mechanical engineer)
RE: fiberglass piping information
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
RE: fiberglass piping information
RE: fiberglass piping information
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
RE: fiberglass piping information
The resin in FRP is a 'thermoset', so it doesn't melt and resolidify like wax, but it does soften, weaken, lose strength and ooze a bit before it actually burns.
I agree with David that an FRP pipe completely full of liquid should resist an external fire for quite a while. ... it won't look good, but it will still be a pipe. When the liquid boils off, that changes.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: fiberglass piping information
I need to install U/G FRP piping, 10cm of the thickness of sand bed is sufficient?
Thank you for your message and for useful collaboration
R.B (mechanical engineer)
RE: fiberglass piping information
Just about every FRP failure I've had could be traced back to rocks from the spoil pile falling on the pipe prior to padding. This bruises the pipe and cause interlayer delamination. These bruises almost always pass hydro, but over time become a leak. Evaluating the leaks is really easy (they are always top of pipe and small areal extent), but the leaks themselves are a real pain.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
RE: fiberglass piping information
Good morning
thank you for your attention
R.B (mechanical engineer)