ARTICULATING PIPING
EXPANSION JOINTS FOR
DISTRICT HEATING

These 1:1 replacement Articulating Piping Joints were designed and manufactured by Belman for a DN 600 pipe bridge on a district heating plant in Denmark.

CLIENT ISSUE
In its pipe bridge at the manifold, the district heating plant needed two Articulating Piping Expansion Joints, one to be placed in the supply line and one to be placed in the return line. The two Expansion Joints were to be stock items for safety to ease replacement once needed and thereby avoid unplanned excessive downtime in the supply of district heating. The client was happy with the design and therefore returned to Belman for a 1:1 supply of these stock Articulating Expansion Joints.

BELMAN SOLUTION – Articulating Piping Expansion Joints
As per client request, Belman successfully designed and manufactured the Articulating Expansion Joints with two different built-in lengths, as they are to be installed on two different locations at the manifold: one at the supply line and one at the return line. Besides the built-in length, both Articulating Expansion Bellows had the same design parameters and are both able to absorb +/-60 mm lateral movement (120 mm in total). The hinges on the Expansion Joints control the movement absorption and ensure that only lateral movement is absorbed. Furthermore, the hinges add stability to the construction and avoid pressure-induced forces being transferred to the adjacent piping. The reason for the construction having two bellows and a middle pipe is for it to be able to absorb larger lateral movements at lower spring rates. The Bellows are made from austenitic stainless steel, while the middle pipe, flanges and hinges are made from special carbon steel. The carbon steel parts are coated to protect them from corrosion.

CE-marked and full traceability
As per client requirements, the Articulating Piping Joints are CE-marked according to category III PED 2014/68/EU, module H, fluid gr. 2 – not dangerous. The Piping Joints have been pressure tested at 38.5 barg and have also undergone a tightness test, visual test, penetrant test, magnetic test and radiographic test.

Belman – leading Expansion Joint solutions for the energy sector
Belman is a globally recognised provider of high-quality Expansion Joint solutions, catering to the energy sector’s every need. With decades of experience, Belman has built a strong reputation for delivering custom-engineered solutions that enhance the safety, efficiency and longevity of pipelines and critical infrastructure across the energy sector, including district heating, conventional power plants, waste to energy plants, geothermal plants, nuclear power plants etc. Over the years, Belman has supplied numerous Expansion Joint solutions to all these various types of plants and systems within the energy sector.