Interconnecting Pipe Spooling

July 24, 2014

Like the parts of an immense puzzle, fabricated pipe spooling components equip storage projects with complete piping solutions, prefabricated conduits for stored gas or liquid flowing through frameworks of interconnecting subsystems. This modular approach is the industrial equivalent of a kit, encapsulating all the fittings required to install and configure a finalized vessel on a platform or foundation plinth. Although the parts can be shipped unassembled, it's common practice to incorporate the pipe spooling parts during the fabrication stage, minimizing work on the actual work site.

The puzzle element is introduced in pipe spooling by consolidating the lengths of pipes, as defined by the project, with pre-mounted flanges and fittings. This methodology delivers clear advantages, the first being the ability to configure the parts in the same controlled environment where the storage vessel is manufactured and tested. The second advantage to this workflow is the seamless quality control aspect, the knowledge that the pipe spooling components are fabricated to the same quality standards and codes as the storage tank. Each exacting parameter and characteristic of the spool is certain to match the tight tolerance values of the rest of the project.

The same philosophy of pre-cut and pre-mounting acts to offset real world obstacles as found during the installation stage in a complex project. The mass of pipes and wiring associated with refineries and large chemical plants confounds the finest engineering companies, creating a chaotic logistics scenario where assemblies are positioned, concrete is poured, and final testing is applied. The logical solution to the issue is to complete the spooling work either during or just after the fabrication of larger components, the vessels and static tanks being assembled at the engineering facility. The process is a coordinated effort to cut all pipes to size, temporarily mating them to the tee joints, angle sections, elbows, sleeves, and all of the other raw fittings that define the pipe spool for a particular project. This unfinished assembly is then moved to the next stage, welding the parts together, bonding pipe to fitting.

The advantages of a prefabricated pipe spool are considerable. The spool is already measured and cut to fit the final assembly. This is a huge advantage in the face of real world situations where the installation site has restricted space. Instead of engaging in a series of acrobatic moves and engineering impossibilities involving expensive large plant machinery, hoists, and much more, the parts are already installed. Troublesome factors such as transportation, logistical concerns, and welding are overcome with this prefab approach. Modern pipe spooling work now adds extra dimensions of usability, including the addition of abrasion resistant linings, an enhanced fabrication process that adds ceramic, polyurethane, or even a Teflon coating.

The manufacturing process rarely settles for a single solution, which is a demonstrated rule of versatile engineering. In the case of pipe spooling, skid mounted systems are providing all-in-one solutions to vessel supply projects. All of the pipe spooling, instrumentation, and electrical fit-out components are shipped in one package as part of self-enclosed vessel fabrication solution.

Contact Details

Fusion - Weld Engineering Pty Ltd
ABN 98 068 987619

1865 Frankston Flinders Road,
Hastings, VIC 3915

Ph: (03) 5909 8218

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