Pipe shoes, pipe supports, and saddles for the oil and gas industry form our main product line at Terrick Enterprises Ltd. in Edmonton. Our over 24,000 square feet of office and fabrication space, being a certified Canadian Welding Bureau shop, and a member of ISNetworld ensures we can meet your metal fabrication needs for plants, warehouses, office buildings and residential spaces.
However, most people don’t know what pipe shoes are and given the recent proliferation of pipeline approvals, including Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline and Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement, suggest this is a good time to explain pipe shoes.
Simply put, a pipe shoe, pipe support or pipe hanger is a designed structure consisting of a saddle and integral base that is used to support the pipe by transmitting the load or forces from the pipe to the adjacent structure. This load includes the weight of pipe proper, the content the pipe carries, all the pipe fittings attached to the pipe, and the pipe covering such as insulation. The four main functions of a pipe support are to anchor, guide, absorb shock and support a specified load. The overall design configuration of a pipe support assembly is dependent on the loading and operating conditions. Pipe supports used in high or low temperature applications may contain insulation materials.
Types of pipe supports include:
Pipe Guides categorized into two types: The first is as a shoe support attached directly to the pipe with external components which direct the pipe during the thermal deflection cycle. The second type of guide surrounds the pipe and is attached to stationary structures, allowing the pipe to move.
Rigid Support - are used to restrict pipe in certain direction(s) without any flexibility (in that direction). The main function of a rigid support can be Anchor, Rest, Guide or both Rest and Guide. Rigid supports can be provided from either the bottom or top.
Spring Support - uses coiled springs to support a load and allow movement. The resistance of the coil to a load changes during compression, which is why these devices are called variables.
Snubber/Shock Absorber – is used for the control and protection of piping and equipment subject to shock (impulse) loading and seismic (cyclic) conditions. Its use transfers any imposed forces on the piping or equipment directly to the building structure at the instant of shock occurrence, while at all other times allowing free unrestricted movement through its normal operating range.
Pipe shoes than are typically used to steady or sustained types of loads such as internal fluid pressure, external pressure, gravitational forces acting on the pipe such as weight of pipe and fluid, forces due to relief or blow down, and pressure waves generated due to water/steam hammer effects. These loads cause bending and the bending moment is related to normal and shear stresses. At Terrick Enterprises Ltd., our metal fabrication shop is focused on doing everything we can to ensure you get the best product, including pipe shoes, for your application. Contact Terrick Enterprises Ltd. at 780-417-3553 or toll free at 1-877-469-9707 today to discuss your metal fabrication, warehouse storage, and piping support needs.