“Wenling Taihu Reservoir Pumping Pipeline” Hinged Double Ball Rubber Expansion Joint Case Study
Shanghai Songjiang Vibration Absorber Co.,Ltd. presents a case study: “Wenling Taihu Reservoir Pumping Pipeline” – Hinged Double Ball Rubber Expansion Joint.The customer needed to pump water from the lake, with the pumps mounted on floating boats. These boats would float up and down with the water level, causing excessive movement in the pumping pipeline, leading to bursting and leakage. To address this issue, the customer chose a double ball hinged rubber expansion joint product to absorb the movement of the pipeline, ensuring the smooth operation of the water pumping pipeline.
1.The Introduction of Wenling Taihu Reservoir:
Taihu Reservoir is located in the western part of Daxi Town, Wenling City, downstream of Taihu Creek. The reservoir is 2.5 km away from Daxi Town, 2.0 km from National Highway 104, and 0.7 km from the Yongtaiwen Expressway. The main components of the reservoir hub include the dam, water diversion culvert (with a maximum discharge flow of 13 cubic meters per second), spillway (with a crest elevation of 29.46 meters, net width of 68 meters, and maximum flood discharge of 597 cubic meters per second. There are three floodgates, each with a net width of 3 meters, and a maximum flood discharge of 113 cubic meters per second), and the powerhouse behind the dam (also for flood control and irrigation, with a flow of 2.2 cubic meters per second). The dam site is on a soft clay foundation, with the dam type being a sand and gravel shell loess core wall dam. The dam is 24.0 meters high, 4.0 meters wide at the top, and 633 meters long, currently classified as a Class II dam. The flood control standard of the reservoir is designed for a 100-year flood, verified for a 1000-year flood, and secured for a 3000-year flood. The total storage capacity of the reservoir is 23.20 million cubic meters, with a corresponding water level of 32.17 meters (based on the 1985 national elevation datum, the same below). It is a medium-sized reservoir mainly used for flood control and irrigation (irrigating 45,000 mu of farmland, including 7,000 mu of gravity irrigation), combined with comprehensive utilization such as water supply, power generation, and aquaculture. In 2005, it was listed as a national key flood control medium-sized reservoir by the National Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.
2.Case Introduction of “Wenling Taihu Reservoir Pumping Pipeline” Hinged Double Ball Rubber Expansion Joint:
3.Introduction of Hinged Double Ball Rubber Expansion Joint for Wenling Taihu Reservoir Pumping Pipeline:
The customer opted for a hinged device processed with DN500mm double ball rubber expansion joint. This hinged device was designed to address excessive swinging of the pipeline, which caused the rubber expansion joint to experience large deviation angles and resulted in pulling and detachment. After adding the hinged device, the staff at Songjiang Group implemented a 15° limit based on the deviation angle of the DN500 double ball rubber expansion joint. This ensured that the double ball rubber expansion joint effectively absorbed vibrations in the floating pipeline without causing issues such as pulling, excessive displacement, or over-angle.
Note: When rubber expansion joints are used outdoors, they need to be protected against ultraviolet (UV) rays. In simple terms, insulation cotton can be used for external protection to prevent direct sunlight from shining onto the surface of the rubber expansion joints. Prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause surface cracking, affecting the service life of the rubber expansion joints.
Related link: Certificate of Qualified Supplier from Shanghai Pudong Water Supply Group
