A Comprehensive Guide to Pipe Spooling

Constructing oil refineries, power plants, hospitals, municipal water treatment plants and other commercial and industrial buildings requires complex piping networks. Pipe spooling refers to prefabricating these piping networks in an offsite facility before installation. Here’s more about pipe spooling and how it can benefit your next construction project.

What is pipe spooling?

There are two phases of pipe spooling: offsite pipe spool fabrication and site installation. Pipe spool fabrication is when a piping company pieces sections of straight and bent lines together in a predetermined network. The network consists of components such as flanges, fittings, elbows, tees and bends (3D,5D), combined using a highly skilled process of pressure pipe welding. Pipe spooling can also include painting, coating and lining the pipes according to the project’s needs.

The pipes are thoroughly tested and inspected for integrity, cracks, leaks and other deformities that could compromise the network’s strength and durability.

When the piping networks are ready, they’re delivered to the construction site, ready to mount and install.

Pipe spooling materials

Depending on the application, pipe spooling can be done using these materials:

• carbon steel
• galvanized steel
• impact-tested carbon steel (ITCS)
• low-temperature carbon steel (LTCS)
• stainless steel
• malleable iron
• aluminum alloys
• cupronickel
• copper
• Inconel

Highly corrosive materials require pipes made from polymers such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

 

Benefits of pipe spooling

Using pipe spooling benefits construction companies that build facilities requiring complex pipe networks. Here are just a few advantages pipe spooling offers.

• Assembling the piping offsite produces a quality product, reducing or eliminating the risk of delays due to reworks

• Fabricating the pipes in an enclosed facility eliminates weather delays

• Fabrication and installation times are much shorter using pipe spooling instead of doing the work on-site

• Quality assurance testing such as radiography, magnetic particle inspection (MPI), hydro testing and ultrasonic testing is easier to do in a controlled environment

• Pipe spools are regulated to ensure optimal quality standards are met every time, guaranteeing customer satisfaction

Using pipe spooling allows you to construct complex networks using highly skilled and challenging operations. The results pipe spooling can achieve under controlled conditions are near impossible to attain on-site at such standards.

Pipe spooling and pipe bending in Calgary

Advanced Flow Systems offers pipe spooling and pressure pipe welding services to commercial and industrial customers across Western Canada. We seamlessly integrate with our sister company, Advanced Bending Technologies, to incorporate customized pipe bending into our spooling services. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your project.