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What is a buttweld pipe fitting? 2

Buttweld Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel Pipe Fittings

Buttweld pipe fittings comprises of long radius elbow, concentric reducer, eccentric reducers and Tees etc. Butt weld stainless steel and carbon steel fittings are an important part of industrial piping system to change direction, branch off or to mechanically join equipment to the system. Buttweld fittings are sold in nominal pipe sizes with specified pipe schedule. BW fitting’s dimensions and tolerances are defined as per ASME standard B16.9.

Butt welded Pipe fittings such as carbon steel and stainless steel offer many advantages compared to threaded and socketweld fittings. The later are only available up to 4-inch nominal size whereas butt weld fittings are available in sizes from ½” to 72”. Some of the benefits of weld fittings are;

• Welded connection offers more robust connection
• Continuous metal structure adds to the strength of the piping system
• Butt-weld fittings with matching pipe schedules, offers seamless flow inside the pipe. A full penetration weld and properly fitted LR 90 Elbow, Reducer, Concentric reducer etc. offers gradual transition via welded pipe fitting.

 All buttweld pipe fittings have beveled ends as per ASME B16.25 standard. This helps create full penetration weld without any extra preparation needed for the butt weld fitting.

Butt weld pipe fittings are most commonly available in carbon steel, stainless steel, nickel alloy, aluminum and high yield material. High yield butt weld carbon steel pipe fittings are available in A234-WPB, A234-WPC, A420-WPL6, Y-52, Y-60, Y-65, Y-70.  All WPL6 pipe fittings are annealed and are NACE MR0157 and NACE MR0103 compatible.

Trupply is one of the largest distributors of pipe flanges and fittings. We handle hundreds of requests every day. Some of the common misconceptions people have are;

• They call BW fittings in A105 material: Most common carbon steel buttweld fitting material is A234WPB. It is equivalent to A105 flanges, however there is no such thing as A105 or A106 butt weld fitting
• They request “Normalized” butt weld fittings: This is also a misconception since flanges are available in A105 and A105 N, where N stands for normalized. However, there is no such thing as A234WPBN. Some manufactures normalize their butt weld fittings as a standard procedure and such request require checking individual MTRs to verify if normalized heat treating process was done. Customer needing “normalized” butt weld fittings should request WPL6 fittings which are high yield and are normalized as a standard procedure
• They forget to mention pipe schedule: Buttweld fittings are sold as per pipe size but pipe schedule must be specified to match the ID of the fitting to the ID of the pipe. If no schedule is mentioned, we will assume a standard wall is requested.
• Differentiate between SCH 40 and True Schedule 40: Pipe fittings 12 inch or larger require specifying if fitting is standard wall (most commonly referred to sch 40) or a true schedule 40 is required. This is needed since schedule 40 do NOT correspond to standard wall for pipe sizes 12” and bigger. A true sch 40 will be thicker than standard wall for pipe fittings 12” or bigger.
• Stainless Steel butt weld pipe fittings are available in schedule 10s: Customer should specify if they need standard wall (sch 40s) or a thinner wall sch 10s stainless steel butt weld fitting. See pipe chart to clarify how the wall thickness for stainless steel pipes correlated to different pipe schedules.
• They forget to mention welded or seamless butt weld fitting: Butt weld fittings are available in both welded and seamless configuration. A seamless butt weld carbon steel or stainless steel fitting is made of seamless pipe and is generally more expenses. Seamless pipe fitting is NOT common in sizes bigger than 12”. Welded pipe fittings are made of ERW welded carbon steel or stainless steel pipe. They are available in sizes ½” to 72” and are more affordable than seamless fittings.

What does Short Radius (SR) or Long Radius (LR) means?

You will often hear SR45 elbow or LR45 elbow. The 45 or 90 refers to the angle of the bend for butt weld fitting to change the direction of flow. A long radius elbow (LR 90 Elbow or LR 45 elbow) will have a pipe bend that will be 1.5 times the size of the pipe. So, a 6 inch LR 90 has bending radius that is 1.5 x nominal pipe size. A short radius elbow (SR45 or SR90) has pipe bend that is equal to the size of fitting so a 6” SR 45 has bending radius that is 6” nominal pipe size.

What is a 3R or 3D elbow pipe fitting?

First, the term 3R or 3D are used synonymously. A 3R butt weld elbow has bending radius that is 3 times the nominal pipe size. A 3R elbow is smoother than SR or LR fitting.

 A concentric reducer buttweld fitting is symmetrical: both ends are aligned along the center.

An eccentric reducer butt weld fitting is not symmetrical: ends are off center of one another.

 Trupply is an authorized distributor of Weldbend which is one of the largest manufacturer of domestic butt weld fittings and flanges. Trupply also offers approved and unapproved import pipe fittings for more cost-conscious customers. All butt weld fittings are provided material test reports (MTR).

What is the difference between Class 150, 300 & 600 flange 0

We get this question a lot from customers who are new to piping industry. Steel pipe flanges are classified as per ASME B16.5 standard. The pressure rating of flange ranges from 150# to 2500#. The term "lb", "class" and "#" are used interchangeably to designate the pressure rating of the flange. The fact is that 150 lb has no relation to 150 psi and so does the 300 or 600 lb does not correlate to 300 or 600 psi pressure rating. Pressure rating of the flange depends on the material (A105, stainless, nickel alloy etc.), the heat treat condition and pressure "class". Here we will use the term "class" to NOT confuse it with pressure "rating". So what is class 150 flange or ASME B16.5 class 150 flange, as the question raised by many customers.

First lets clarify the pressure rating of steel pipe flange. The table below shows the pressure and temperature rating of A105 carbon steel flange.

As you can see the pressure decreases with increasing temperature and has no real correlation with pressure "class".

Trupply has made a video using slip on flange to clarify the difference between different pressure classes of a flange. The video uses 2 inch slip on flange as an example. The table below shows the difference between 2 inch flange of class 150, class 300 and class 600.

If you have any question about ANSI Flange, ASME Flange, Flange Standards or Pressure Classification, email us at service@trupply.com. We believe in educating our customers so they can make an informed buying decision. You can visit our steel pipe flange collection page for convenient online shopping. 

What is the difference between ASME B16.5, ASME B16.47 Series A, Series B and API 605 Flanges 0

ASME B16.5 standard covers Steel Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings from NPS 1/2 through NPS 24 Metric/Inch in pressure class 150 to class 2500. It covers pressure-temperature ratings, materials, dimensions, tolerances, marking, testing, and methods of designating openings for pipe flanges and flanged fittings. Two very important flanges such as weld neck flange and blind flanges are very commonly used in piping systems. The term "B16.5" or "B16 5" is used interchangeability and refers to same standard. However, the standard ASME B16 5 (ANSI B16 5) only covers size up to 24 inches. For bigger sizes, ASME B16.47 standard covers pressure-temperature ratings, materials, dimensions, tolerances, marking, and testing for pipe flanges in sizes NPS 26 through NPS 60 and in ratings Classes 75, 150, 300, 400, 600, and 900.

Standard ASME B16.5 weldneck flanges can be bought online here 

Standard ASME B16.5 blind flanges can be bought online here  

However, the standard ASME B16.47 is further divided into ASME B16.47 series A and ASME B16.47 series B flange for Blind flange and Weldneck flange. Series B flange was also formerly known as API 605 flange. Term B16.47 or B 16 47 or ANSI B 16 47 are all used interchangeabily and refers to the same standard.

ASME B16.47(Large Diameter Steel Flanges) is a standard for large diameter steel pipe flanges sized from NPS 26 through NPS 60. The latest version provides dimensions and ratings in both metric and inch units. The ASME B16.47 incorporate MSS SP-44: Steel Pipeline Flanges and API 605: Large Diameter Carbon Steel Flanges. Therefore, the MSS SP-44 flanges are designated as ASME B16.47 Series A flanges, while API 605 flanges are designated as ASME B16.47 Series B flanges within this standard. Materials covered in this standard are as that in ASME B16.5 except for nickel alloys which means they share the same pressure-temperature chart for the selection of flange materials.

So what is the difference between ASME B16.47 Series A and Series B (API605) flanges?

Generally speaking, ASME B16 47 Series A flanges are much thicker, heavier and stronger than Series B flanges in the same size and pressure rating thus can withstand more external loading than Series B type. ASME B16.47 Series B flanges need more but smaller fasteners (bolts & nuts) than Series A flanges and have a smaller bolt circle diameter than that of Series A flanges. The smaller bolt circle diameter results in less flange movement after installation. Both Series A and Series B standards define weld neck flanges and blind flanges in raised face type (RF) but only Series A defines ring type joint (RTJ) flanges from Class 300 through Class 900 within this standard. From a commercial point of view, ASME B16.47 Series A flanges are more expensive than ASME B16 47 Series B flanges.

Most piping users or designers may choose Series A flanges for the new pipeline or equipment. But if you are doing some refurbishment, replacement job or non-critical piping design, Series B flanges are more popular.

See documents below for comparison of flange sizes in two main standards (B16.5 and B16.47)

Flange Dimensions as per ASME B 16 5 standard for 150# Welding Neck Flange, Blind Flange, Slipon, Socketweld & Lapjoint flange is here

Flange Dimensions as per ASME B16 47 series A standard for 150# weldneck and blind flange is here

Flange Dimensions as per ASME B 16.47 series B standard for 150# weld neck and blind flange is here

Conclusions: Standard weld neck, slip on, blind etc. flanges are covered by standard B16.5 for sizes up to 24" nominal pipe. Sizes 26" and bigger are covered by B16.47 series A or series B for weldneck and blind flanges. Series A flange is heavier, thicker and cost more whereas series B flange has more bolt holes and is lighter cheaper than series A. API605 flange and series B flanges are same thing.

All you need to know about Dresser Style 90 Compression Coupling 0

Buy Dresser Style 90 Fitting Online 

Video Transcript (see video below)

Hello. We are talking about Dresser style 90 fitting, it’s also called style 90 compression coupling or compression fitting. This is a style 90 universal coupling, this is a style 90 regular coupling, this is a style 90 compression elbow, and this is a style 90 male adapter. I just want to give you a quick comparison. This is a style 65 coupling that you can see in our other videos, and if you compare it with a style 90, they are both for a 1 inch pipe, and you can see that a style 90 is much heavier than the style 65. They are both are compression coupling, compression fitting, style 65 is 150 pound coupling whereas style 90 is a 300 pound. For a much more rugged application, you will use a style 90.

Style 90 couplings are also very popular in gas applications, and that’s where you use style 90 universal coupling. The main difference between a style 90 universal coupling and a regular coupling is that a universal coupling has a lock ring so it prevents from the pipe pulling out. You can see right here, again, this one is even beefier than this, a slightly different nut to accommodate the lock ring, and I’ll show you that.

Let’s talk about the style 90 universal coupling first that has the ability to restrain the axial movement of the pipe. You can see, this is the lock ring that goes like this. Once you tighten it up, the sealing closes and there are jaws right here that would grip on the pipe and prevent it from pulling out. The other end is pretty much similar, it has a gasket. In fact, this gasket is interchangeable with the style 38 coupling gasket, so it’s a much bigger gasket. In fact, I’ll show you for comparison purpose. If you take the style 65 out, you can see the difference. They both are for 1 inch pipe, but this is, for style 90, a much beefier gasket and a retainer cup, style 65, for much lighter application.

These are the components of a style 90 universal coupling, retainer cup, gasket, lock ring, and the same thing on the other side, like this. The way you put this together is, remember, you just measure the coupling, make a line right here. You don’t want your coupling to be touching in the middle; it’s always good to leave about an inch of room. Subtract an inch from here, make a line here, so start from the very outer, this is the nut, slide this on, this is the lock ring that goes like this, and the way to remember is that the tapered edge goes like this, then the retainer cup. In fact, it’s better to assemble the retainer cup and the gasket. On the gasket and retainer cup, the wedge end is always pointing inside. Put it like this, and like this, slide it on, and once you... Of course, you will use a pipe vise or something to grab onto it, and once you make it tight, the lock ring will grab onto the pipe and prevent any axial pullout. Then you repeat the same thing on the other side and you have a compression coupling.

These can also be used on HDPE pipe, we get that question a lot. You have to remember, if you are using it on a PVC pipe or a PE pipe, then the rigidity of the pipe is also important because this thing will really clamp onto it. We usually recommend that, if you’re using it on a PVC pipe or a PE pipe, then use stiffeners that will prevent the pipe from crushing. But it can be used as long as the size matches, you can use it on a PVC pipe also.

This is a style 90 regular coupling. This does not have a lock ring; that’s the only difference between this one and the universal coupling. You can see. This one has a lip, this is an armored gasket. Again, as I said, the style 90 coupling is very popular in gas applications where sometimes you want to maintain electrical contact and this armored gasket, this lip here, gives a little bit more rigidity, it also creates a contact with the pipe, a metal to metal contact, so this is how an armored gasket looks like on a style 90 coupling. As I mentioned, this is the exact same gasket that is usually style 38 coupling also. But remember, that’s not the case with a style 65.

This is a style 90 compression coupling elbow. Again, it looks exactly like a regular coupling; instead, it’s just in a 90° elbow shape. The same thing, armored gasket, a retainer cup goes like this, and I’ve shown you how to assemble it. Take it out, slide your pipe in, measure how far it has to go, leave about an inch room, put the gasket, and it’s better you put it on a vise, and then you use a torque wrench and tighten it to that required torque and that’s how you get a compression coupling.

Remember, other than the universal coupling, which has a lock ring, the elbow, the regular coupling, the male adapter does not prevent axial pullout. This one will create a seal and will hold the pipe to some extent but if there’s a lot of axial force, then it can pullout.

This is a style 90 compression male adapter. As I showed you for the style 65, it allows you to take a threaded connection and make a compression coupling out of it. This has a cap on it, but this is a male thread and you can thread it onto any coupling, any 3000 pound, any 2000 pound, or threaded coupling and then the other end now becomes a compression coupling, which is exactly like the other ones. This also has a retainer cup and a gasket, and the installation is exactly the same. The male adapter allows you to convert any regular threaded connection into a compression fitting.

In summary, Dresser offers a line of compression couplings. These are available in sizes of up to 2 inch nominal pipe. This is a style 90 compression coupling; this is a style 90 universal compression coupling. The only difference between a universal and a regular coupling is that the universal coupling has lock rings and it prevents from the pipe pulling out. This is the style 90 compression elbow, and this is a style 90 male adapter. Once again, if you compare it with the style 65, you can see it’s much more heavier, much more beefier connection. Style 90 coupling are rated for 300 pound service, it’s also very popular in gas service because of the armored gasket. A style 90 coupling, universal coupling, can be used on a PVC pipe or a PE pipe as long as the size matches. You may have to use a stiffener.

All you need to know about Dresser Style 65 Compression Coupling 0

Buy Dresser Galvanized Coupling Online 

Video Transcript (see video below)

 Hello. Today we are talking about Dresser style 65 coupling. They are also called Dresser compression coupling or compression fitting or galvanized Dresser coupling. This is a standard, 1 inch style 65 coupling, this is how it looks like. This is a style 65 coupling elbow and a style 65 male nut.

Let me show you the component of these. If you open it up, and these are very simple to assemble, you can see that they have a gasket on both sides and the gasket, if you look here, has a retainer cup. This is a retainer cup, this is a gasket, and that’s how you put it together. Style 65 is 150 pound coupling, they are not good for more than 150 psi, used for light industrial application, light plumbing application; a place where you don’t want to thread, you don’t want to weld, you can use a compression fitting.

Let me show you how this goes together. Again, very simple. You just pass on the nut from one side, the gasket on the other side, and this goes like this, and that’s how you make a connection. Same thing on this side, slide the nut, make sure the retainer cup is on the gasket, and the lip of the gasket should be pointed inwards. If you just slide it on, and then push this thing on, and that’s how you make it. The better practice is that you want to leave a slight gap in the middle, so you should mark your pipe, make sure that you don’t push the one side too much. Leave about an inch, an inch and a half gap in the middle so this pipe will come all the way up to here, this will come all the way up to here, and you can just adjusted. Then, once you take a wrench and once you tighten it up, then it will create a seal. Remember, these type of coupling will not prevent a pipe pullout. If you have a situation where the pipe can pull out, then there is another solution. You can use a universal style 90 coupling that comes with lock ring, but they are generally used in an application where the pipe pullout is not an issue. Slight movement is okay, but don’t expect a lot. If there’s a lot of axial force, then this thing can come apart.

This is a style 65 compression elbow. This works on the exact same principle as the coupling, you just put one pipe right here, you put the other one right here, and it creates a seal. Remember, the style 65 coupling does not prevent an axial pullout, so if you have something pulling the pipe out, it will not prevent it; it just seals gaps the pipe. It holds it a little bit, but don’t expect a lot of pullout resistance. Again, to show you, this is the exact same thing. This is the nut and it has a retainer cup and the gasket. This is how it looks like, the gasket, the retainer cup, and the nut. Trupply also sells the spare parts, so if you have this in an installation, you want to replace the nut or the gasket or the retainer cup, we sell those separately also.

This is a style 65 compression coupling adapter, it’s also called a male adapter. It helps you connect to a threaded fitting and have a compression fitting on the other end. So if you have a threaded coupling, you can thread this on and then the other side now becomes a compression coupling in the similar fashion that you use the coupling. You slide the nut, put the gasket, and then you have a compressed coupling on this end.

This is an insulating adapter. If you are connecting a nominal pipe to a copper pipe or copper tubing, then you will use this insulating adapter. The way this thing works is you will have a regular coupling connection right here, imagine this is all made up, and on the other side, you will just drop this thing in, you have to make this loose, drop this thing in, and then you will slide your copper tubing through here. Once you tighten the nut, it will grab onto the pipe. What it helps is this copper tubing dimensions are different than nominal pipe dimensions. It helps collect a 1 inch regular pipe to a 1 inch copper tubing through the use of this insulating adapter. The way it works is, it’s hard to see from here, but it has a little lip so you don’t have to worry about it. You just make sure the opening end is facing outside and the little step on the inside, so once you drop the tubing in, it will just stop. It’s very simple to install, you just put this one in and then slide this onto your copper tubing, put this other thing here, and then, once you tighten the nut, it will grab onto it and it will make a compression fitting. Style 65 insulating adapter to join regular pipe to a copper tubing.

In summary, this is style 65 Dresser compression coupling, also called compression fitting. This particular one is 1 inch and this is available in a coupling, in a 90° elbow, in a male adapter, an insulating adapter to compensate for a difference in size from a regular pipe to a copper tubing. So if you want to connect a regular pipe to a copper tubing, slide this on on one end, put the copper tubing on and then you have a compression coupling that can be used on a copper tubing. Again, the components are very simple, you have a nut, and then you have a gasket and a retainer cup, and that’s what creates the sealing element. Remember style 65 compression coupling has 150 pounds psi pressure rating, generally for lighter application, water application, light plumbing industrial application. Style 65 compression coupling will not prevent a pipe pullout, so if you are in a situation where you think the pipe may pullout, then this might not be a good use. Thank you.

Super Duplex Butt Weld Fittings & Flanges 0

Trupply recently supplied super duplex buttweld fittings and flanges to a customer in US. This was a large project for petro-chemical customer requiring corrosion resistance and strength properties of 2507 Stainless Steel. We were able to work with local and overseas manufacturers to procure these material as per customer provided AVL.

Browse through our buttweld fittings and flange collections here.

Happy 4th of July Greetings from Trupply 0

Independence Day is one of the important days in the history of any country. 4th Of July is therefore an important day for United States as the country became free and declared its independence on this special day. This independence was first enjoyed in the year 1776 and could be possible only by the efforts made by the leaders and the great personalities. Their efforts as well as sacrifices finally broke the chains to become a free nation. This day is celebrated with great pomp and show with a number of events being organized to showcase the culture and the traditions of the country.

We at Trupply wish you all a very happy and blessed Independence Day.

Oil extends gains, Saudi minister sees market balance 0

Crude prices extended gains on Monday in Asia, supported by comments from the Saudi energy minister saying the oil market is heading toward balance.

London Brent crude for September delivery LCOc1 was up 17 cents at $50.52 a barrel by 2247 GMT on Sunday, after settling up 64 cents at $50.35 on Friday.

NYMEX crude for August delivery CLc1 was up 5 cents at $49.04 a barrel, after closing up 66 cents, or 1.4 percent, on Friday. There will be no West Texas Intermediate crude settlement on Monday as U.S. financial and commodity markets are closed for the Independence Day holiday.

The energy minister of Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, and the secretary general of OPEC agree that the global oil market is heading toward a balance and that prices are starting to settle, according to comments carried by Saudi state news agency SPA.

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Oil at $50: What life looks like in the oilpatch 2 years after prices plummeted 0

Two years ago, $50 oil would have been considered a nightmare scenario. Even last June, no one in the energy sector would have welcomed it. But two years into the oil price rout, that is the world the oilpatch is living in.

So what does life at $50 US a barrel look like?

The last two years have been a mess for the energy sector. Tens of thousands of jobs have been cut, capital spending dove, drilling is expected to be at a 40-year low, bankruptcies are piling up and cash flow doesn't come close to cover spending.

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