Ensure Piping System Reliability with Rubber Expansion Joint Management

As detailed by Pumps & Systems in their article “Manage Rubber Expansion Joints in Piping Systems to Maximize Reliability & Efficiency,” rubber expansion joints (REJs) play a critical role in the reliability of piping systems. Historically, approaches to REJ management have varied widely, from overly conservative replacement programs to risky practices of running equipment to failure.

Maximizing the benefits of REJs while minimizing risks has been a longstanding industry goal. Traditionally, end users relied on performance replacement REJs and best practices for maintenance, reliability, and operations (MRO). However, advancements in failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) programs and new technologies like synthetic aperture radar (SAR) have significantly improved the detection of failure modes in REJs.

Ken Downes, a manager at StanPro®, a division of Cooper-Standard Automotive, emphasizes, “Combining performance replacement REJs with traditional and advanced inspection methods in an FMEA program can help end users to improve the management of REJs in piping systems to maximize plant reliability and efficiency.”

REJs offer critical design functions such as accepting all directional movements, reducing noise and vibration, compensating for misalignments, and relieving pipe and anchor stresses. However, the rubber’s natural degradation over time, accelerated by stress and temperature, poses a significant risk, particularly in power and process systems.

Unchecked degradation can lead to catastrophic failures and potential plant shutdowns. Rigid piping systems designed without REJs or a means to handle thermal growth and external movements can face similar catastrophic outcomes, regardless of inspection or maintenance frequency.

For optimal REJ management, combining performance replacement REJs with both traditional and advanced inspection methods within an FMEA framework is crucial. This integrated approach ensures that plants maintain high reliability and efficiency.

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Article with all rights reserved, courtesy of pumpsandsystems.com