Compensation of thermal deformations of heat supply network with radial expansion bends

A methodology for structural analysis of compensation of thermal expansions used for channel or aboveground sections of heat network pipelines with radial expansion bends has been proposed. The methodology is based on the methods of structural mechanics and allows to find technically based dimensions of radial expansion bends. Increased flexibility of the heat pipe angles and stress-raisers of additional bending stresses have been taken into account, the functional and graphical dependencies of the stress caused by thermal deformations of the heat pipe section with the U-shaped radial expansion bends on the temperature of the coolant have been presented. The authors developed and presented the computer program used for calculating radial expansion bends. Due to the program analyzing the model of a heat pipe section with a radial U-shaped expansion bend has been calculated. Comparison of the calculation results with the results obtained by means of the well-known software system “Start” developed by the scientific-and-technological enterprise “Pipeline” has shown a sufficient convergence of results, which confirms the efficiency of the presented methodology and computer program.