Challenge

Our client needed to mitigate damage to equipment from differential settlement and movement due to freezing and thawing by removing the slab-on-grade pipe supports and supporting directly off the equipment frame. Therefore, if the entire system were to move, it would all move as one.

Solution

Valdes Architecture & Engineering performed stress and structural walk-downs during the scoping phase to propose possible solutions to the client. Ultimately, Valdes added miscellaneous steel to the existing interstage cooler frame to support piping from the structure instead of from grade, thus resolving the possibility of damage due to settlement and movement.

Impact

The solution utilized was the least costly option for the client and completely avoided the need for stress reanalysis on a complicated system.

Services

Structural

Pipe Stress Analysis

Piping & Plant Layout