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Fabric Expansion Joints and Compensators

Giunti tessili

Fabric expansion joints: the evolution of materials

Fabric expansion joints are flexible connections, which have the scope to absorb expansions, mechanical vibrations and movements of the system in which they are installed.

Made of special textile fibers, completely asbestos free, the fabric expansion joints are designed and produced with several composite layers of different fabrics, in order to meet the specific project requests.

Usually, fabric expansion joints are produced in three configurations:

  1. horizontal flanges;
  2. vertical flanges;
  3. sleeves.

In addition, they can be supplied closed or open, with or without holes, in circular, rectangular or truncated cone execution or in special shapes requested by the customer.

They can be used in a wide variety of ways and offer a number of advantages, firstly they do not generate pressure on the pipes where they are installed.

In addition, the fabric expansion joints can be supplied with internal bolster bags, which have the scope of:

  • protecting the expansion joint from dust and/or ash;
  • supporting the expansion joint in case of strong vibrations of the pipe caused by pulsating pressures;
  • reducing the surface temperature.

Actually, the installation of a bolster bag, has the advantage of reducing the thermal stress on the expansion joint, extending its life.

In addition, bolster bags, due to the good sound-absorbing properties of the materials used, act as an acoustic barrier, thus reducing noise.

The materials which compose fabric expansion joints

Each layer that makes up the fabric expansion joint is chosen for a specific purpose and is positioned in the layering assembly, so that it can operate at temperatures below its limit working temperature.

We can divide the layers into different categories; let’s see them in detail.

  • Containment layer: this is the inner layer in contact with the fluid, generally consisting of a rough fabric, in glass fibre or silica. It is sometimes laminated to a wire cloth to increase its resistance to abrasion.
  • Sealing layer: this is the outer layer in contact with the environment. Its purpose is to guarantee the gas tightness of the entire layer. It consists of glass fibre fabrics “impregnated/coated” with suitable materials such as silicone or PTFE.
  • Acid barrier layer: this is the layer that has the task of containing and protecting the sealing layers from possible acid attacks, preventing damage and consequent gas leakage. It is made of PTFE.
  • Thermal abatement layer: this is the layer necessary to abate the temperature, so that the outer layers (acid barrier and sealing fabric) can work at suitable temperatures, guaranteeing an adequate surface temperature of the joint. It generally consists of glass, silica or ecological ceramic felts.
  • External protection layer: this is an additional layer, not always present, which has the purpose of protecting the fabric expansion joint from external mechanical actions, such as contact with metal elements or other joints. It generally consists of a fibre fabric.

Over the years there has been an evolution in the fabrics used to realize expansion joints, in particular those which are part of the category of sealing layers.

The most used fabrics can be divided as follows:

  • Fibre fabrics with a silicone coating, suitable for air or mildly aggressive fumes. In this case they must be combined with an acid barrier. The maximum ambient temperature at which they can operate is 180°C.
  • PTFE impregnated fibre fabrics, suitable for aggressive fumes. They are always coupled with an acid barrier. The maximum ambient temperature at which they can operate is 300°C.
  • PTFE laminated and impregnated fibre fabrics, suitable for acidic fumes with condensation. They do not need an acid barrier because it is incorporated in the fabric itself, through lamination, which can be uni or multidirectional. The maximum ambient temperature they can operate a is 315°C.

There are other types, such as PVC, Hypalon or metal foils, which are used for specific applications.

The importance of a supervision in your plants

From what we have said so far, it is clear that fabric expansion joints are not all the same, but adapt to the needs of the customer and the system in which they are installed.

For this reason, it is important not to underestimate their composition and state of wear, as they play a decisive role in the proper working of your system.

You should periodically submit the piping systems of your installations to a deep analysis.

To have a control or a thermal analysis carried out by thermography of the expansion joints is important to understand whether the whole system is working properly.

Fabric expansion joints should be replaced or repaired at the first signs of wear. This should not be underestimated: fabric expansion joints are essential not only to ensure the efficiency of a plant, but also to protect the environment and the safety of workers.

Do you want to know how efficient your installations are?

Today you have the opportunity to know a company that offers something different from the usual expansion joints.

New Componit is a company that has been operating for over 30 years in the production of customized products for heat treatment.

The study and continuous research, on materials and production techniques, has allowed us to offer, our customers, high performance and innovative products.

With our customized Efficiency Box® program you will have analysis, design and constant support from our skilled technicians.

We guarantee you:

  • efficiency tests;
  • dedicated specialized team;
  • after-sales service and periodic supervision;
  • certifications and guarantees.

By also offering a repair and maintenance service, New Componit enables you to reduce the expensive downtime of your plant.

Want to improve comfort and performance in your plant with a tailored solution?

Request Your Free TIPCHECK Audit Now
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What data do we need to develop a proposal for a textile joint?

When a company sends us a request for quotation to replace the fabric expansion joints, the data is often incomplete.  There is a lot of confusion, so it is important to clarify some points , in order to have all the information necessary to issue a complete request.

The expansion joint consists of a textile part and a metal part. In the plants, generally, only the textile part needs to be removed and replaced.

Before requesting a quotation for a fabric expansion joint, it is necessary to collect a series of data that will allow you to get a specific proposal.

Necessary data: check list

In order to proceed with a correct quotation, if we do not have a detailed drawing, it is better to keep in mind at least the seven points listed hereunder, even if any additional information can be useful.

First of all we have to consider :

  • Internal dimensions, I mean side A x B , or the diameter of the expansion joint.
  • Flanges orientation and their height : the flanges are important to further stabilize the movements, therefore we need to know their position in order to adapt them to the expansion joint. Actually the expansion joint can be with horizontal flanges, a flat band, or with vertical flanges, perpendicular to the duct (or even composed of hybrid flanges).
  • Distance between the flanges, which is the installation width of the expansion joint.
  • Type of fluid – this information is very important to understand what type of stratification we have to choose.
  • Operating temperature, necessary to decide what type and combination of fabrics and felts to use.
  • Pressure, the expansion joint will be subjected to, (consider that the maximum resistance of a fabric expansion joint (due to its characteristics) is 2000 mm H2O, or 0.2 bar.
  • Movements, or dilatations that the expansion joint will have to compensate.

Providing the manufacturer with this information is essential for the design of the proper expansion joint .

The expansion joint configuration can be different: open or closed, with holes or without holes, with bolsters or without bolsters, complete with carpentry or without, depending on  customer’s needs.

It should not be forgotten that the composition of an expansion joint must be accurate, designed specifically for the plant and this requires a high level of know-how.

On this purpose NEW COMPONIT designed and built a test room where we can test and analyse our materials, in order to offer our customer a product that meets his needs.

In this way we always achieve the best conditions of safety and reliability. We have the possibility to test both raw materials and finished products, from fabrics to felts, from jackets to expansion joints.

Our test can reach temperatures up to 600 °C  to subject the products to the extreme conditions.

Unlike the raw material, the tests about products can only be carried out once  we have the information about the composition of the expansion joint.

Without correct data, there is a risk of blind analysis, with the check of  performances that may not be necessary or vice versa.

Plant supervision

It is quite obvious that textile expansion joints are not all the same.

It is also clear that these components should not be underestimated, as they play a fundamental role in the correct working of the whole system.

For this reason, it is important to carry out a deep periodic analysis of all these parts.  A thermal analysis (thermography) should be carried out to check and assess the operation of the textile joints.

Textile expansion joints must be repaired or replaced at the first sign of wear, in order to guarantee the efficiency of the system, protect the environment and safeguard workers.

New Componit is a company that has been operating for over 30 years in the production of custom-made products for heat treatment

The study and continuous research about materials and production techniques allowed us to offer our customers highly performing and innovative products.

With our custom made Efficiency Box® program you will have analysis, design and constant support from our skilled technicians.

We guarantee you:

  • Efficiency tests
  • Dedicated skilled team
  • After-sales service and periodic checks
  • Certifications and guarantees

By also offering a maintenance service, New Componit can let you reduce the expensive downtime of your plants.

Want to improve comfort and performance in your plant with a tailored solution?

Request Your Free TIPCHECK Audit Now
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Piperflex: the most performing textile joint for the combined cycle

In combined cycle energy production plants, really high-performance textile joints are needed, to be used in the exhaust ducts of the gas turbine.

Smoke temperature, turbulence, pulsation, etc. are very burdensome for textile joints.

In the combined cycle, moreover, effective textile joints are also needed in the section of the exit from the boiler to the chimney, where the fumes are colder, but more loaded with aggressive condensates. Therefore, extremely effective textile joints are needed, such as Piperflex!

New Componit, in fact, has created a real Task Force, to modify the obsolete metal joints with the extremely performing Piperflex.

Want to improve comfort and performance in your plant with a tailored solution?

Request Your Free TIPCHECK Audit Now
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Difference between fabric expansion joint and metal expansion joint

In industrial plants some components (which should be considered of primary importance) are underestimated,  we particularly see it in the expansion joints field.

As a matter of facts, the pipes are subject to frequent expansions, generated both by different temperatures and/or internal pressures, and by external movements.

In order to fully perform its functions (thermal abatement and mechanical resistance) the expansion joint must be correctly chosen and designed, according to the operating condition.

It is necessary to select the proper material to use : pressure drops and heat losses can cause low production performance , dangerous risks of environmental pollution and high operating costs

Fabric expansion joint

The fabric expansion joint is a flexible and strong component; it is not suitable for plants which carry liquids, because of the composition of its layers.

It is a connection between two piping portions, that avoids the transmission of vibrations and movements generated by gaseous fluids flowing.

It can withstand high temperatures even over 1000°C and compensate large movements.

The fabric expansion joint is made up of one or more layers of different materials, each one with a specific task.

There are materials designed for thermal abatement, others intended to withstand the corrosive attacks of fluids, others which ensure pressure tightness.

From the appropriate overlapping and/or combination of these materials, we obtain a stratification which has the suitable characteristics for any specific project condition. This is why the fabric expansion joint is very versatile.

This type of connection is mainly used to absorb the thermal expansions generated by the temperatures of fluids flowing inside the pipes. It can also be used as a connecting element between equipment and piping with anti-vibration function.

Therefore, unlike metal or rubber expansion joint, the fabric one is extremely flexible, but it is not elastic.

There is a clear proportion between movements, installation length and width and construction length and width.

In order to absorb the movement, the expansion joints are made wider than the installation width, so that the material can allow the device to work properly.

It is obvious that the wider the movements are, the greater the abundance  of material must be, especially in the case of stretching movements.

They can be supplied complete with an internal bolster bag. The purpose of this insulation is to eliminate any dust deposits, to prevent damaging oscillations of expansion joint, caused by the pulsating pressures (thanks to their volume) and to provide a valid support to the expansion joint itself, preventing it from going into depression.  In addition, the bolster provides thermal and acoustic insulation.

The multilayer  fabric expansion joints, have necessarily to be able to dissipate the heat that passes through them. Any element that prevents or limits this step must be avoided.

Therefore insulation that cover the external part of expansion joints are not permitted, excluding the ones working at low temperatures, which have to be evaluated case-by-case.

Metal expansion joint

Metal expansion joints are also used in piping systems to absorb movements caused by temperature and pressure.

They are used to compensate for movements in the axial or lateral direction and to compensate for angular deviations in the geometric axes of the flanges. Torques are transmitted rigidly and without backlash.

Suitable for liquid and gaseous fluids. High pressure and temperature.

They are largely used in : refineries, chemical plants, power generation, heating and air conditioning systems, research, automotive and cryogenics.

Depending on the direction of movements and operating conditions, there are different types of metal expansion joints: axial, lateral angular and combined, which must be accurately examined and assembled .

Therefore, it is absolutely necessary a prior assessment of the installation  in order to find the most suitable solution; solution that only a skilled partner will be able to suggest you.

Underestimating the problem, that can arise from a wrong assessment of the compensator to be used, whether textile or metal joint,  is dangerous, not only in terms of low performance.

New Componit is an experienced and qualified company: we at New Componit have been working for 30 years in the production of fabric joints, protections and custom-made items for industrial plants.

This is why we have developed the Efficiency Box® program, which offers you a custom-made analysis of your plant together with design and constant support by our highly qualified technicians:

  1. Efficiency tests
  2. Dedicated skilled team
  3. After-sales assistance and periodic supervision
  4. Certifications and guarantees

Want to improve comfort and performance in your plant with a tailored solution?

Request Your Free TIPCHECK Audit Now

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Insulation of a simple valve in your industrial plant

 Can the insulation of a simple valve, in your industrial plant, save simultaneously energy, money and reduce CO2 emissions?

The answer is obviously “yes’, of course it can”… just imagine that, by insulating a single industrial valve (currently not insulated), in one year, we would save the energy needed to drive a Tesla model S for more than 20000 km. Rather impressive, isn’t it?

The information is real and comes from a 2020 official study drawn up by Eiif ( European Industrial Insulation Foundation).

Furthermore in Italy the potential savings, coming from the insulation, would be equal to the annual energy consumption of more than 1 million of houses or 2,1 millions of cars, based on the national average energy consumption.

At the European level, the potential savings coming from the only industrial insulation are equivalent to the annual energy consumption of over 10 millions of houses or 20 millions of cars.

Want to improve comfort and performance in your plant with a tailored solution?

Request Your Free TIPCHECK Audit Now
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Company short-sightedness

Today I would like to share with you something different.

What I call : “ Company short-sightedness”.

Often during my inspections at thermal power plants, cogeneration or energy plants, or in factory production processes, I notice the complete absence of adequate thermal insulation, on equipment which can be filters, valves, flanged couplings, heating pumps, small section of pipe, engine parts.

When I ask : “ Why are these elements not insulated ?

The customers’ answers are almost the same :

  • “It has been like this for many years”
  • “The insulation cannot be done here”
  • “We cannot do the insulation, because we need to do the maintenance”
  • “It is more expensive to call someone who does the insulation than everything else”

Here we are, this is what I call : “Company short-sightedness”.

The fact that it has always been like this, does not mean that it is correct.

Actually , over the years, the situation has drastically changed. For example : the cost of energy, but also the safety rules for personnel.

Probably it is true that this type of equipment cannot be insulated, but this only if you think to traditional insulation , if you consider to use a removable fabric insulation, you will immediately obtain the insulation of your equipment and you will also see how easy extraordinary and ordinary maintenance intervention are.

As well as preserving the safety of workers, complying with the new safety standards.

For this reason I suggest you to pay the utmost attention, not to think that this is a cost, but rather that the installation of an  adequate insulation is a saving .

Want to improve comfort and performance in your plant with a tailored solution?

Request Your Free TIPCHECK Audit Now

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