What is a Pipe Sleeve?
A pipe sleeve is a higher-sized pipe section that is used to protect the inner pipe from higher loads or to provide free movement in a certain direction. It is often made from materials such as carbon steel, cast iron, stainless steel, copper, nickel, aluminum, PVC, rubber, and composites. The pipe sleeve is used in many industries such as the process and power piping industry.
Functions and Uses of a Pipe Sleeve
A pipe sleeve acts as a barrier between the main pipe and its surrounding environment. This helps to protect the main pipe from corrosion and other external factors. Furthermore, the pipe sleeve does not restrict the thermal growth of the piping, thus keeping the thermal cycle unaffected. Pipe sleeves are commonly used in various industries to protect the pipes from damage and to provide free movement in a certain direction. Examples of typical pipe sleeve applications include power piping, process piping, and pipeline industries.
Uses of Pipe Sleeves in the Piping Industry
Pipe sleeves are commonly used in the piping industry for a variety of purposes. One of the most common uses of pipe sleeves is to run through dike-walls or bund walls in tank farm areas when a pipe does not need to be anchored. Additionally, buried pipes are often routed through pipe sleeves when crossing rail or roads, or bridges and culverts, in order to protect the main pipe from the heavy loads of vehicles and trains. Pipe sleeves are also used in piping insulation and plumbing applications in both industrial and residential buildings.
Temporary Repair and Reinforcement with Pipe Sleeves
Pipe sleeves can also be used to temporarily repair a pipe and avoid costly shutdowns. By properly selecting the sleeve pipe thickness, they can be welded directly onto the main pipe and serve the same purpose. In addition, pipeline sleeves are used to temporarily repair pipeline leakages. Full encirclement pipe sleeves are used in the weaker sections of the pipe to provide reinforcement to the parent pipe. Furthermore, they are frequently used during hot tapping operations to create branch connections from operating lines. PVC pipe sleeves are commonly used for cable and wiring solutions in buildings. In certain cases, spacers are used to support the pipe or pipeline inside the pipe sleeve, particularly for buried composite piping systems (FRP and GRP piping systems) passing through rail or road crossings.