In today’s healthcare facilities there is no time for downtime, especially when it comes to vital systems such as HVAC, plumbing and fire protection. In recent years, time-scales for construction and repair have become increasingly tight with patient needs at the forefront.
Different approaches
| The anatomy of a grooved mechanical pipe joint |
A full range of pipe-joining solutions can be found in healthcare facilities across India and globally – including welding, flanging and mechanical grooved systems.
Whilst the history of techniques varies considerably – flanging was employed by the Romans whilst mechanical pipe joining is a relatively recent 20th century development – pipe joining remains a critical area where choice of method can have a great impact on installation times and system maintainability, particularly crucial in this environment. Skill levels, ease and speed of operations are key factors that determine not only installation costs but also maintenance costs over time.
For instance, in a traditional flanged system, multiple bolts are needed to create a joint. Even after installation, this can create maintenance issues, as removing these bolts is a manual and time-consuming process, and there must also be sufficient space around the joint for this operation to take place.
A traditional welded piping system is labour intensive to install and to maintain. To repair a system, workers have to cut out a damaged pipe section, which is time consuming, and can cause operational concerns and safety hazards, particularly in existing facilities and occupied spaces.
Alternative joints
| Mechanical piping systems are used throughout the healthcare sector, including cooling and heating water, as well as fire protection systems. |
Mechanical piping systems are used in a variety of different areas in the healthcare sector, including cooling and heating water, compressed air, fire protection systems, potable water, vacuum lines and waste water.
The design of a mechanical pipe joint is inherently easier to work with during installation and maintenance activities. The mechanical joint, also known as a coupling, is comprised of three elements: the pipe groove, the gasket, and coupling housings, along with its nuts and bolts. The pipe groove is formed by cold forming or machining a groove into the end of a pipe.
The key section of the coupling housing engages the groove. Within the housings is a resilient, pressure-responsive, C-shaped elastomer gasket that provides a triple seal. The coupling housing fully encloses the gasket, reinforcing it and securing it in position. All components are extremely safe, quick and simple to handle and very flexible for use in new installations, reconstructions and renovations. Maintenance and inspections of systems can be carried out easily and quickly at any time.
With mechanical pipe joints, only two bolts need to be removed to access the system, allowing more time-efficient maintenance procedures. Additionally, unlike a flanged joint, a two-bolt coupling can be “free floated” around the pipe for quick alignment adjustment and easy access.
Since mechanical pipe joining systems are easier to assemble and disassemble they require less labour and are installed much faster than other methods. For example, a traditional welded system is labour-intensive, taking up to 45 per cent more time than grooved systems.
Welding pipework is also potentially hazardous, creates toxic fumes and is a fire risk. Entire systems are required to be drained and dried prior to performing maintenance work since a pipe could burst when flame comes into contact with liquid. For example, if a welder accidentally opened the wrong pipe or if a system is not fully drained, the worker can suffer from molten metal splatter. An area where work is being carried out needs to be evacuated and costly fire-watch is necessary.
Grooved piping system assembly requires no hotworks and eliminates many of the risks traditionally associated with joining pipe, and allows healthcare or other activities to carry on unhampered in surrounding areas of a facility. For instance, work can continue safely with patients still in beds, and only the need to empty the most nearby wards.
Lifetime benefits
| The design of a mechanical pipe joint is inherently easier to work with during installation and maintenance activities than traditional systems. |
The design of the mechanical joint reduces maintenance requirements because there is a union at every joint, providing quick and easy system access during routine or repair work, as well as system expansion and affords a safe environment for workers and patients.
Other inherent benefits from installing a mechanical pipe joining system include the accommodation of noise and vibration and movement within the system without the need for periodic product repair or replacement. Vibration in a piping system can result in noise that becomes cyclical and droning, or that arrives in sudden bursts when equipment switches on. Increased noise levels increase patient anxiety and stress, which may lead to slower healing times or additional ailments.
With a thorough understanding of the stringent requirements in hospital construction, Victaulic products have a variety of approvals such as; VDS, DVGW, VGW, SVGW, SSIGE, UL, ULC, FM, PED, DNV, Bureau Veritas, Germ, Lloyd and ISO. Healthcare facilities also benefit from the Victaulic Construction Piping Services department (CPS) which offers a comprehensive estimating, pre-planning support, project management and coordination service. CPS also provides software solutions for any size project, helping to reduce both time and costs. Recently, SSA Acoustics in Seattle, US, conducted field measurements at the request of a client that showed “three Victaulic couplings placed in series in a pipe section have a comparable performance to twin-sphere neoprene connectors and a superior performance to braided metal hoses. Victaulic couplings dampened the overall vibration amplitude by 80 – 90 per cent.”As the pace of the healthcare construction industry continues to meet market demands there is a growing necessity to look to building methods like mechanical piping systems that decrease maintenance difficulties and make facility expansion easy to implement with little disruption to the peaceful healing environment.
For further information, please visit www.victaulic.com