You have not provided enough information to answer your question. The layout (geometry) will determine the flexibility of the piping system (this geometry, and the pipe support design, will be shown on the drawings). The system must be flexible enough to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the piping (the expansion and contraction are a function of the warmest and coolest temperatures that the system will experience) without resulting in stresses that exceed the maximum allowable stresses of the piping Code. If there is adequate room to include expansion/contraction "loops" in the system, you will not need other expansion/contraction compensators (e.g., bellows expansion joints). None of the needed information was included in your question.
This is the reason why a competent mechanical engineer should be involved in the design of the piping system.
THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT. I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO SORT A PROBLEM IN AN EXISTING INSTALLATION IN A 6 STOREY HOTEL. EVERY FLOOR HAS A PAIR OF 1 1/2" LPHW AND CHILLED WATER PIPES COMING FROM A RISER AT ONE END OF EACH CORRIDOR, RUNNING APPROXIMATELY 25M IN THE CIELING. 3/4" BRANCHES INTO EACH ROOM. CLIPPED TO THE CONCRETE SLAB OVERHEAD. ONE OF THE LPHW LINES HAS BUCKLED BECAUSE OF LACK OF EXPANSION BELLOWS. I AM NOW IN THE PROCESS OF FITTING THESE BELLOWS IN THE LPHW LINES BUT HAVE ALSO BEEN ASKED TO FIT SAME INTO THE CHILLED LINES. AS THE WORK IS EXTREMELY AWKWARD AND ENTAILS SHUTTING DOWN HOTEL FLOORS I AM WONDERING IF THEY ARE NESSESSARY IN THE CHILLED LINES. THE CHILLED PIPEWORK IS CLIPPED USING PHENOLIC BLOCKS AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MOVE SOME AMOUNT. MY POSITION IN THE COMPANY IS MECHANICAL FOREMAN.
It is very likely that in this service (the ambient temperature to operating temperature (delta T) and the expansion/contraction is modest) that you can include some "offsets" in the piping that will accommodate the expansion/contraction without the use of bellows expansion joints. Do not "clip" all the piping rigidly to the structure - include a few 90 degrees elbows and provide enough freedom for the piping to move. The elbows will provide flexibility. Use some "rigid rod hangers" that clamp to the pipe but allow the pipe to swing a little with the expansion/contraction.
Quite honestly, it is very rare to see bellows type expansion joints used in "facilities piping". You may want to look up the book on facilities piping authored by Michael Frankel. If you were working in North America, I would advise you to look at the ASME B31.9 Piping Code.
Have a look at the publications available for download at this web site as they may give you a few ideas:
