Building an industrial pipeline with modular construction is like working with pre-assembled Lego pieces instead of starting from scratch. It’s faster, easier, and makes adjustments or repairs much simpler. By cutting down assembly time and reducing on-site risks, modular construction saves you time and money.
But just like sturdy Lego creations need strong pieces, your pipeline needs high-quality stainless steel to keep everything solid and reliable. Join the steel pipe experts at American Stainless as we explore how you can use stainless steel for your modular constructions and push your projects to new heights of quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
Your Modular Pipelines Are Only As Strong As Their Supports
Offsite and modular construction are catching on among construction and fabrication contractors—but in order for these practices to deliver the efficiency, cost savings, and performance enhancement they promise, you need to build with high-quality materials.
Not using high-quality stainless steel for your modular assemblies can lead to:
- Rust, corrosion, and degradation over time, especially in harsh industrial environments
- A lack of adequate support to ensure your modular assembly’s structural integrity
- A need for more frequent repairs or replacements, driving up maintenance costs
- Higher risks of leaks, structural collapses, or product contamination
- Compromised functionality and reduced longevity
Exploring Stainless Solutions for Modular Construction
From the pipe, tubing, valves, and fittings that form the backbone of your flow control systems to the brackets, hangers, and process and equipment skids that hold it together, the right material makes all the difference—and for many applications from light to heavy industry, the right material is stainless steel.
How to Choose the Right Stainless Steel for Modular Construction
Stainless steel comes in all types. Various alloys created by adjusting the ratios of certain materials in their composition, such as nickel and chromium, offer differing amounts of tensile strength, corrosion and temperature resistance, performance under high pressures, and so on.
From the pipe and tube themselves to the hangers, supports, and structural materials that support them, choosing the most appropriate type of stainless steel for your environment ensures that the modular systems you build will stand up to the environments they will operate in and the media that will flow through them.
For example, you might prefer chromoly steel for high-pressure environments and temperatures up to 600 degrees Celsius, austenitic stainless steel for especially corrosive and high-temperature environments, or carbon-manganese steel as a lower-cost alternative for low-temperature environments.
Check out our previous blog post to learn more about the properties and advantages of various types of steel alloys for various industrial applications:
Dive Deeper Into Types of Stainless Steel Alloys
Improving Your Modular Construction with Industrial Valves
Every pipeline needs the appropriate flow control systems for its operating environment and fluid media. Between gate valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, and more, there’s an appropriate stainless steel valve for low-pressure or high-pressure fluids, viscous fluids or slurries, liquids or gases, and everything in between.
When you’re constructing a pipeline out of modular assemblies, it’s not just about the type of valve you use—it’s about where you put it, and the sooner in the design process you start thinking about where your valves should go for maximum efficiency, the better.
The placement of valves in your modular assemblies determines how easily technicians can access them for inspection, maintenance, or operation. Especially if your design or use case requires manually operated valves, your modular assemblies should be designed to ensure those valves are still easily accessible after you’ve assembled your pipeline on-site!
Find Out How to Choose the Right Industrial Valve
Selecting Industrial Pipe Fittings for Modular Construction
Modular construction involves building sections of your pipelines and process lines off-site and assembling them on-site. This means, of course, that your choice of connections makes all the difference when it comes to the efficiency and safety of your pipelines and process lines.
Using the appropriate types of fittings and high-quality flanges in your modular projects ensures reliable, leak-free connections and smooth performance. To make sure you’ve chosen the right fittings and flanges, ask yourself:
- Are these fittings and flanges compatible with your pipe materials?
- Do they meet the required pressure and temperature ratings for your modular system?
- Do they resist corrosion based on the surrounding environment and media?
- Are the sizes and dimensions compatible with your existing system’s design specifications?
- Does your choice of fittings or flanges allow for future expansions or modifications of your pipeline?
- Is your supplier capable of reliably providing consistent quality flanges and fittings on time?
Select the Right Stainless Steel Alloy
American Stainless: A Superior Stainless Steel Supply
Looking for the right stainless steel for modular construction? With American Stainless as your PVF supplier, the right steel products for your projects are always within your reach. From pipe, valves, and fittings to essential cladding, scaffolding, and supports, you’ll find everything you need to take full advantage of modular assembly practices and deliver better project outcomes for your customers, on time and under budget.
Contact us today to get started with a price quote.