Onshore pipeline end expansions

[FilippoT]

I have been told by our engineering contractor that it is a good engineering practice to consider acceptable all end expansions of onshore pipeline minor than 100 mm.
Is there any reference for this kind of values? Is it really a common practice or not?

 

[LittleInch]

Nowhere enough info here.

Is this "free end" expansion or the expansion once you've attached the pipeline to its piping?

100mm is rather large - 50-60mm would bee seen more as "normal", but the determination is individual depending on what the pipeline is connected to.

In some places they won't take more than 10mm, others 150mm might be able to be accommodated.

Pipelines IMHO are much better when they are allowed to flex and expand at the end point rather than building massive concrete anchor blocks to try and limit the expansion of < 100mm.

This is often a source of great angst and debate / argument between pipeline and piping designers. You really need to analyse the whole interface as one stress model back to the pipeline virtual anchor.

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