Construction zones, plumbing and pipelines would get nowhere in their work if flanges were not available to them. Yes, flanges are an indispensable item in all these areas of work! A flange is a collar or a ring that has holes so that it can be welded or screwed over the pipe or tube end for serving several purposes. Connecting pipes, pumps or valves, changing the course of the pipe work system are just to name a few of them.
General Information
Flanges are considered a vital item as they lend added strength and reinforcement to the pipes. In fact, pipe flanges constitute maximum percentage of the flanges sold globally. Flanges have to meet the set standards as laid down by the regulatory body which differs from country to country. They are mostly made of steel and hence they last long and come in a smooth finish. Flangesare available in the branded as well as the non-branded variety. Branded ones are costlier than the non-branded variety but they give guarantee of top quality. You have to make the right choice depending upon your requirement. There are many manufacturing companies that provide flanges of top-notch quality.
Types of Flanges
The most commonly used flanges in the chemical and petro industry are the Weld Neck flanges, Lap-joint flanges, Slip-on flanges, Threaded flanges,Blind flanges,Large diameter flanges and so on. Certain special flanges are also used in certain applications such as the Orifice flanges, Long Welding Neck flanges, Expander flanges, reducing flanges etc. However, one of the most important among them all is the Weld neck flange.
This type of flange is characterized by the long tapered hub that moves gradually into the wall thickness from a fitting or a pipe. Theflange which is butt welded to the pipe provides added strength in all the applications. It is used in setups where the temperatures range from high to sub-zero ones or pressures are very high. Boring is done to the flange so that it fits snugly into the attached fitting or pipe, thus preventing obstruction to the flow of product. The tapering hub is extremely beneficial especially when there is going to be repeated bending arising due to several variable forces.
The slip-on flange is suitable for use under normal service conditions while the socket flange is suitable for moderate services especially in high pressure smaller sized piping. Lap joint flanges do not need any welding or fastening as they slip on to the pipe and this provides certain advantages. Threaded flange is useful in case of pipes which have thick wall thickness as threading is not possible on thin pipes.
Piping & Flanges
Flanges provide the same advantages whether used for ERW pipes or seamless steel pipes India. Seamless pipes are those pipes which do not contain any joints or welding and are produced from solid round billet where the metal is extruded to the required length. However, in case of ERW pipes or Electric Resistance Welding pipes there are joints in its cross-section as it is produced by rolling and then longitudinally welding the metal across its length.