COLD SHOES BEING SUPPLIED TO AN LNG EXPORT TERMINAL IN USA

CPA is supplying 100’s of cryogenic pipe supports (or ‘cold shoes’) to an LNG export terminal in the USA.

The cold shoes will support both horizontal and vertical piping.

On this job, sold shoes supporting horizontal piping are supplied with a single leg/base (1st photo).

Where axial loads are acting on the pipe (as well as the vertical load), the cold shoes incorporate internal ‘center stops’ and external thrust flanges to prevent axial slippage.

The upper and lower ‘center stops’ are welded to the inside center of the steel cradle which then fit into machined slots on the outer PUF shells. This ensures that there is no axial slippage between the steel cradle and the PUF.

At site, external thrust flanges are welded to the pipe at either end of the cold shoe. This ensures that there is no axial slippage between the PUF and the pipe.

Cold shoes supporting vertical piping are supplied with two legs/bases (2nd photo). They also incorporate center stops and thrust flanges to prevent axial slippage.

Each cold shoe is supplied with two layers of PUF, each layer consisting of two 180° shells. Each shell is colour coded depending on its density. For cold shoes supporting horizontal piping, the lower PUF shells are often required to be of a higher density than the upper shells. Higher density results in increased compressive strength which is required to adequately support the vertical load of the pipe from underneath.

The cold shoe is clamped to the pipe using disc springs (3rd photo). This ensures that there is an adequate clamping force after radial contraction of the pipe and insulation. The disc springs are factory-installed in the correct configuration and CPA’s non-removable arrangement means that disc springs cannot be lost or installed incorrectly.

The steel is hot dip galvanized which provides adequate protection against corrosion.