Standard pipe support
Prepared by: Prof. DSc. Dževad Hadžihafizović (DEng)
Sarajevo 2025
Piping Support standards and Codes
ASME B31.3 specifies under section 321.1.1 that, layout and design of piping
support elements shall be designed to fulfill the following:
•
There should not be any leakage because of pipe supports.
•
No excessive thrust or movement on connected equipment and structure.
•
There should not be any disengagement of piping from its support.
•
Designed support should withstand fluid-induced vibration.
•
Thermal expansion or contraction should be considered while designing a piping
support system.
•
Type of pipe support should promote any heat loss or gain from the environment.
Some of the piping support standards are as follows:
ASME 31.1 and 31.3 i.e. Power Piping and Process Piping
MSS SP-58 Pipe Hangers and Supports – Materials, Design, and Manufacture
(USA)
MSS SP-69 ANSI/MSS Edition Pipe Hangers and Supports – Selection and
Application (USA)
MSS SP-77 Guidelines for Pipe Support Contractual Relationships (USA)
MSS SP-89 Pipe Hangers and Supports -Fabrication and Installation Practices
(USA)
MSS SP-90 Guidelines on Terminology for Pipe Hangers and Supports (USA)
MITI 501 for technical regulation in Japan
BS-3974 Specification for pipe Supports in the UK
RCC-M specification for pipe Support applicable in France
VGB-R-510 L Standard support guideline (Germany)
Piping Support Design
Among all the various types of support Selection and designing of piping, support is
elements that need to follow the rules of physics like tension, compression, vibration,
shear, and stress.
A piping system needs to be well designed and adequately support. If this fails many
problems like bending of flange joint, sagging of pipes, vibration, excessive
movement, higher deflection, over-stress on equipment nozzle can be observed.
Let us understand some of the important points for designing a support type for any
piping system:
Objective of Designing pipe support: A well designed piping support system with
proper selection of material imporve the quality of piping. This increase life span of
piping network and reduces the maintenance.
Support Tagging and Identification: All the piping support shown in piping isometric
drawing should be neatly tagged with unique identification. This identification of
support type can vary from organisation to organisation.
A drawing containing all those details like identification description, dimentions is
know as pipe support stndard. Some of the factor is special case can’t be covered in
Standard support drawing so Standard pipe support drawings are produced.
Piping Isometric: When preparing the piping isometric drawing all details including
piping material, pipe support tag, pipe size, quantity and materials that would be
welded on pipe need to be shown.
Pipe Support Data: Once all details and tagging of support is done you must list out
all the required support that going to be need for piping erection.
Pipe Support Material: Among the various types of support like saddle, spring,
sliding, a stress engineer need to find out a good fit for some specific piping network.
Right support material always improves piping stablity in extreme weather condition .
Purpose of Standard Support in Piping
All the types of Support in piping have some unique and important functionality
towards the piping system. The Various functions the Pipe support system serves
are:
Absorbs excess vibration of the piping system.
Eliminate excess stress on pipe produced because of sagging.
Restrain undesirable movement of pipe because of expansion or contraction.
Transfer load of pipe and it’s component to the main structure.
To prevent unwanted misalignment of pipes
To prevent any load of Pipe on equipment nozzles
Determination of Pipe support location
Location of piping support is decided depending on many factors and considerations
such as pipe size, Piping system configuration, Location heavy components, and
availability of supporting structure. Consideration for Piping support location follows:
Supports should not be positioned on valves, flanges, and any other piping
components.
Support should be located on the pipe as close as possible to heavy components on
the piping system.
At positions where vertical movements are minimum.
On piping sections that don’t require removal or disconnection of support during
maintenance of equipment.
Supports should be located as close as possible to change in direction of the piping
system.
For Pipes connected to pumps, the first support of the pipe should be connected to a
common civil foundation.
For stress, critical line support location should be considered as a stress analysis
outcome.
Pipe Support for Piping system Connected to Equipment
Pipe Supports for different types of equipment acts differently which should be considered
while designing of pipe support system.
Support systems connected to columns and vertical vessels
All supports for equipment piping should be designed and selected to cope with the
maximum temperature difference between the piping and the equipment.
The piping systems should have resting support as close as possible to the column or vessel
nozzle and be guided at suitable intervals to safeguard the line against wind load and/or
buckling.
Vertical pipe runs shall have a maximum guide distance as per the following: a. 6m for
piping systems of size < DN 200 (NPS 8); b. 10m for piping systems of size DN 200 (NPS 8).
Pipe supports on equipment should be of bolted type, connecting to welded cleats on the
equipment.
To support piping systems connected to equipment, maximum use should be made of
platforms, table tops, and fire decks.
Piping systems connected to heat exchangers
To allow adequate clearance for the removal of covers, heads, channels, bundles, and shells,
the piping system shall not be supported on heat exchanger shells and heads.
Piping systems connected to rotating equipment
Compressor piping systems should be supported independently from a grade level in order
to prevent transmission of vibrations to the compressor house.
Piping connected to rotating equipment should have adjustable supports to facilitate
alignment, spading, and equipment exchange.
Integral (e.g., interstage) piping system of reciprocating compressors and pumps should be
supported from the common foundation.
Vibration dampener type pipe supports should be used at pipe supporting locations for
piping systems connected to the reciprocating compressor to prevent the vibration forces
and allow the axial thermal movements of piping, as required.
Where lateral movements are essential, slotted holes shall be provided on the vibration
dampener pipe supports.
Conclusion
Each supported type in the pipe has a vital role in the stability of the piping system.
Supports are required to transfer a load of pipe and piping components to a Civil
foundation or Structure. From this article, we can conclude that:
There are generally two types of support: Primary supports and Secondary Supports.
While some supports take a load of pipes, some support restrain pipe movements.
There are multiple standards for support design that vary according to environmental
conditions and some specific requirements of each project.
Determination of support location is an important decision that is a result of the
stress analysis outcome of a piping system.
For any support directly attached to some equipment have different specification and
roles
Any support directly attached to any vessel or column is always having a bolting
connection with the equipment.
Support of Pipe flange connected to rotating equipment should not have any load on
equipment flange.
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