fly-ash pipe

[pmover]

fellow engr's/plant personnel,

this posting may be better off in the piping forum, but since it is used throughout the coal-fired boiler industry, i thought it more appropriate in this forum - i hope.

ash-handling system.
fly-ash piping. centrifugally cast with plain ends, fabricated from chrome allow cast iron pipe with minimum brinell hardness number 280.
0.5" wt

unfortunately, this is about all the information i have regarding this pipe.

in order to get pipe fitted into fittings, construction hands are using portable grinders and removing pipe wall, thus changing the finish of pipe. is grinding of this type of pipe an acceptable/recommended practice?

i for one find it hard to imagine using portable grinders on hard cast iron pipe, but then again, i've been duly humbled.

thanks
-pmover

 

[rmw]

Pmover,

You say 280 BHN minimum. How high does it range. It seems pretty futile to be grinding hard chrome pipe with hand grinders. Has anyone considered pipe prep tools?? Tri-tool and S&H and many others make tooling that would seem to be much less labor intensive for the installation of this piping.

I assume the grinding you are referring to is just the trimming necessary to install the piping into the fittings.

I guess my answer is that it is acceptable if the contractor has the man hours built in to do this type of manual operation.

Unless they are significantly reducing the wall thickness, which I cannot imagine, there should be no issues with WT, as there is not any real pressure involved, and the WT is there for abrasive pipe wear. I assume the pipe will be rotated twice or three times during its life to spread the bottom wear around the pipe.

That is all the comments I have.

rmw

 

[stickler]

I dont recall any specification that details the fitting procedure. So I'll go for whatever gets the job done....

 

[pmover]

rmw,

bhn 280 to 500 at bends and w/in 3' of joint ends.

yes, grinding is to fit the fittings.

found out yesterday that contractor brought a wheelborrow full of grinding wheel for the task. go figure...

as far as rotating the pipe, i highly doubt it, but will notify plant personnel.

thanks much!
-pmover