What I am going to suggest in this article is NOT necessarily a code or standard requirement, but just some SOUND ADVICE on how to improve safety around expansion/seismic joints where hoses are utilized to allow for flexibility. As my clients know, I HATE hoses in a chemical process and I am OCD when it comes to the required utilization of hoses such as loading/unloading hoses. I am a huge fan of The Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers (ARPM) RAGAGEPs for the use and maintenance of all hoses used in a chemical process. But this article will focus on some very short run of a “hose” called an “expansion loop” or “seismic shift” protection where the hose is embedded into a pipe run so that should the pipe need to flex/move, the hose allows this. But these short runs of hose are often forgotten about and many will assume the hose is equal to the pipe in its ability to withstand atmospheric and process conditions. Back in my days in Petro-chem plants, I had a large LOPC incident involving an HHC/EHS from one of these hoses failing. What I learned from that event has stayed with me till this day and now I want to pass it on to you and your engineering team for consideration…
#1 – the hose MUST be in the Process Safety Information with its documented for materials of construction and pressure ratings.
#2 – the hose MUST be in the Mechanical Integrity for change-out frequency, inspection/testing, etc.
Here is my advice on the pipe/hose design: (See reference to the IFC, Chapter 50 below)