Fire-Resistant Pipe Rack Structure With Adjustable Foundation Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pipe racks in oil refineries are vulnerable to fire, leading to structural integrity loss and potential catastrophic failures, and require precise foundation placement, which is time-consuming and costly.
Innovation Solution
A pipe rack system made of fire-resistant materials, such as pre-stressed concrete, with adjustable legs and horizontal supports that allow for flexible placement and alignment, reducing the need for exact foundation positioning through apertures and adhesive bonding for enhanced stability and adjustability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If steel bents are used for pipe rack construction, then structural strength is achieved, but fire resistance is lost and structural integrity is compromised during fire events
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction by encasing steel bents in concrete to create a composite structure that combines the high strength of steel with the fire resistance of concrete. This allows the rack to maintain structural integrity during fire events while still achieving the necessary load-bearing capacity for pipe support.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent addresses the inherent vulnerability of steel to fire by applying concrete protection, effectively converting the harmful effect of fire exposure into a controlled scenario where the concrete acts as a thermal barrier, protecting the steel core and maintaining structural reliability throughout the fire event.
2Manufacturing precision
If precise foundation placement is required for steel bents, then accurate pipe support alignment is achieved, but construction time and labor costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the tolerance parameters for foundation placement by designing the concrete-encased bent structure to accommodate greater variability in foundation positioning. The concrete envelope provides adjustment capacity that allows for less precise foundation work while still achieving proper pipe support alignment, thereby reducing construction time and labor requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the foundation placement process by allowing independent positioning of foundation elements within acceptable tolerance ranges, where the concrete-encased bent structure can be adjusted and aligned during assembly, rather than requiring all foundation elements to be precisely positioned before assembly begins.
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe rack and a method for making a pipe rack where the pipe rack may include at least one foundation, two legs, and a horizontal support. The two legs are supported by the at least one foundation. Each of the two legs includes at least one aperture. The horizontal support has two ends. The first end is located in an aperture in a first leg of the two legs and a second end of the horizontal support is located in an aperture in a second leg of the two legs. A rod forms a joint between the foundation and one of the two legs. The rod is located in the aperture in the upper surface of the foundation and in an aperture in a lower surface in the one of the two legs.