When it comes to dealing with large diameter pipes in Dallas, Texas, there are a lot of things that could go wrong. This is why large pipe inspection, Dallas, Texas is important and should be done regularly. If not, then this can cause a lot of trouble in the future. Read on as we go through a complete rundown on some of the common flaws of large diameter pipes that could lead to failure.
Pipe corrosion
Corrosion is one of the possible causes of failure of your large diameter pipes. Since these are buried, they are subject to internal water pressure, which involves static pressure transients. This is due to surges, self-weight of the actual pipes and their contents, external loads, and even the movement of the surrounding soils.
Rapid Crack Propagation (RCP)
RCP happens when there is a crack on your pipes that propagates rapidly for hundreds of feet. RCP is also referred to as Fast Brittle Fracture or Linear Split. This can lead to internal defects in the pipes, entrapped contamination, and uneven fusion.
Design mistakes
Without proper hydraulic considerations, it is not uncommon to have design mistakes. One of the more common hydraulic design mistakes for large diameter pipelines is underestimating pipe resistance and friction head losses.
Improper maintenance and cleaning
Any build-up of biological material and sediment can greatly reduce the pipe diameter. This could also increase interior roughness, which could potentially impact the pumping costs. Moreover, large diameter pipe systems would require large pipe inspection, Dallas, Texas. A common maintenance method is Pigging, wherein a cleaning pig is placed inside the pipes to clear out any sediment or debris.
Aging of pipeline materials
Similar to corrosion, the aging of your pipeline materials are out of your control. However, you cannot simply ignore this. The best way to go about it is to hire large pipe inspection services in Dallas, Texas. Furthermore, your design engineer should take into account the natural degradation of the pipeline.
Inadequate pipe pressure class
The pipe pressure class should be adequate to ensure the planned maximum capacity. It is crucial to analyze expected pressures along the route. This is done during the designing stage and, without this, various issues mentioned before could add up leading to an increase in friction head losses and higher pressures.
The air valve is not adequately sized
In pipeline design, installing air release valves is a common practice. However, if it is not adequately sized or not installed at all, air bubbles can partially and completely fill the diameter of the pipe. This can cause blockage or even restriction that could lead to an air-lock.
Manufacturers in Dallas, Texas that have to replace the pipelines due to these mistakes know that this would cause them to lose money and reputation. The worst part is that they don’t know what could have caused these failures. They would typically attribute it to mishandling or incorrect installation. Nevertheless, it does not change the fact that regular large pipe inspection is important.
Do you need help with large pipe inspection, Dallas, Texas? If yes, contact our team today at Advanced Pipe Repair for more information.