Stainless steel sanitary tubing and fittings are particularly important for industrial applications that require a highly sterile environment. Some of the most synonymous applications of sanitary tubing include food and beverage, pharmaceutical and chemical plants, jet engine, laboratory equipment, and more.
Why Stainless Steel Is Highly Preferred for Sanitary Piping?
The reason is that stainless steel offers numerous advantages over other materials. Some of these are cost benefits, corrosion and wear resistance, as well as durability. However, there are various types or grades of stainless steel and they differ in properties, in that, high-grade metals have excellent corrosion resistance than low-grade metals.
Here are some of the grades of stainless steel:
- Stainless Steel 303 is the main variation of 304 it’s corrosion-resistant to most food and cleaning solutions.
- Stainless Steel 304 is the number one most common grade of stainless steel and has exceptional resistance to a wide range of chemicals, foods and cleaners
- Stainless Steel 304L is a low carbon variation of SS 304 that has slightly reduced mechanical performance characteristics, which makes it ideal during the welding process to eliminate carbide precipitation
- Stainless Steel 316 has added molybdenum that ensures higher corrosion and pitting resistance and strength at high-temperature applications.
- Stainless Steel AL – 6XN is a super-austenitic grade associated with superior pitting, stress and chemical corrosion and it’s commonly employed in food and beverage production.
Stainless Steel Sanitary Tubing and Fittings
The application and selection of sanitary tubing have been made easy with the standardization and increased approval of seamless stainless steel within the metal industry. Here are several specifications of sanitary tubing, however, the two main ones are for sanitary tubing are outside diameter and gage.
- Outside diameter
- Gage
- Wall thickness
- Internal diameter
- Volume per gallon
- Dry weight
- Flow capacity>
Stainless steel sanitary fittings are massively produced by metal fabrication companies employing various joint styles and sealing techniques such as tri-clamp connections, which has neuter-style ferrules for easy design and installation — Jonh Perry, S-Line, H-Line, HDI-Line, I-Line Butt-weld, and Bevel Seat.
Tri-clamp connection, however, is considered the industry standard for making different types of fittings including, tri clamp ferrule, gasket, clamp, elbows and tees. These fittings are being developed for specific applications. For instance, when it comes to connecting different types of sanitary fittings, there are tri clamp ferrules and adapters specifically for that.
But there are also adapters specifically designed for connecting non-sanitary piping like pipe thread, valves, pipe outside diameter, filter, flanges and other fittings. Both clamp and threaded fittings are developed to be used in the food and beverage industry.
Sanitary Tubing and Fittings Installation
When it comes to installing sanitary pipelines, there are quite several essential measures and planning to keep in mind. That’s why it’s recommended to hire the services of a professional to ensure proper installation. The cost of installing stainless piping vary across installers, and it depends on many factors such as cost of material, design and welding techniques.
Sanitary tubing is essential part of chemical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage processing operations. When properly designed and installed, the fittings and pipes will ensure no product contamination and require less maintenance. This article will help you understand some of the essential fittings including tri clamp ferrule, concentric and eccentric reducers, wall plate, valves, as well as choosing the right component material, size and types.
Having this information will assist you to choose the right sanitary fittings and tubing for proper installation.