January 16, 2004
U.S. Bellows, Inc. custom designed and manufactured a 55 O.D. universal gimbal expansion joint with floating rings for the FCC overhead vapor line at the refinery. This expansion joint has an overall length of 310 and is fabricated from A387 Gr 11 CI2 spool and Inconel® 625 LCF bellows. It is designed for 50 PSIG and 1075°F with 13 of lateral movement.
To ensure quality, 100% dye-penetration, 100% x-ray and pressure tests were performed on the bellows. Pneumatic tests were also conducted on the expansion joint and between bellows dry plies at 55 and 15 PSIG, respectively, prior to shipping.
