Industrial Products

Hyspan designs and manufacturers a comprehensive selection of products related to industrial piping ranging from applications in chemical plants, hydrocarbon processing, power generation, steam and hot water distribution, and cryogenic fluids. The majority of these applications involve absorbing thermal expansion or contraction; however, other applications involve vibration isolation and relative motion compensation for as tank and building settlement, seismic isolation, and wave motion of ships and drilling platforms.

Because of Hyspan's complete line of products, the company has the unique capability to select the correct product for the application and service conditions. These products include metal bellows expansion joints, packed expansion joints, ball joints, metal hose and accessory products such as pipe guides, strut joints and hydraulic snubbers.

Although the product selected can be a standard Hyspan configuration or an adaptation of a standard, the majority of industrial applications are custom designed to meet specialized requirements and demanding customer specifications. Hyspan is staffed to meet challenging engineering problems and management of major contracts. Hyspan is a member of the Expansion Joint Manufacturers Association (EJMA ®) with engineering methods and quality standards conforming to the Standards of the EJMA ®.

Since the company was founded in 1968, Hyspan has specialized in the design of metal bellows and related products, and as a result has accumulated unmatched technical resources through experience designing, manufacturing, testing and field operation of products. This technical expertise is combined with comparable management experience managing complex projects involving material sourcing, logistics, oversize loads and financial accountability. Hyspan's quality system conforms to the requirements of the piping, boiler and pressure codes - ASME/ANSI B31.1, B31.3 and ASME Section VIII as well as the European Pressure Equipment Directive (PED). All nondestructive testing and inspections are performed by company personnel including radiography. Quality personnel are certified to the standards of the American Society of Nondestructive Testing (ASNT).

Metal Bellows Expansion Joints

Hyspan designs and manufactures metal bellows expansion joints ranging in diameter from 3/4" NPS through virtually any diameter. The 31' 0" diameter expansion joint shown in the top photograph was manufactured along with a 28' 0" diameter joint and two 18' 0" diameter joints in a mobile facility developed by Hyspan to manufacture large diameter bellows in one piece (without field splicing) on site. Hyspan also has the benefit of facilities at five locations across the United States that can be used for temporary production or field service.

Series 1500 Laminated Expansion joints Laminated bellows design provides low spring rate and extended life. Integral flow liner protects the bellows and reduces pressure drop.
Series 2500 Round & Rectangular Expansion Joints Low pressure designs for air handling, engine exhaust and other service at 15 psig and less.

Series 3500 Externally Pressurized Expansion Joints Standard designs 2" NPS through 24" for 150 & 300 psig with axial travel up to 16". Custom designs for higher pressures and optional materials of construction.

In-Line pressure Balanced Hinged or Gimbaled Expansion Joints    Hyspan proprietary designs that permit combined axial travel, angular and lateral offset – single plane for hinged and universal for gimbaled.  The pressure thrust force is reacted by integral linkage.  Custom designed to meet specific applications.

Packed Slip Expansion Joints

Hyspan Series 6500 Perma-Pax Packed Expansion Joints are premium quality products with proprietary features that are not available in comparable products. These features include a one-piece body that eliminates a circumferential weld in the outer shell, line bored inner and outer guides made from high strength bearing material, and Grafoil® flake graphite injected packing. This packing remains flexible throughout the life of the expansion joint, and permits packing under full line pressure.

The most common use of Perma-Pax expansion joints is for steam and hot water distribution; however, this product has been adapted for use in oil shale and tar sands transfer by hard facing the inner surfaces, corrosive environments by revising the materials of construction, and custom designed for high-pressure service.

Hyspan Barco Ball Joints

Hyspan Barco Ball Joints are available with standard sealing systems and design features that are not available in any other ball joint product. Well established by service since 1918, Barco ball joints have a proprietary design which permits them to be disassembled for maintenance, seal replacement, or adjustment of seal pressure. Hyspan manufactured proprietary seals ranging from Teflon®, glass filled Teflon®, phenolic, ductile iron and a variety alloy steel materials. Ductile iron and alloy steel seals are used with injected Grafoil® flake graphite.

Hyspan Barco ball joints are commonly used in steam hot water heating systems because of their safety and reliability. When used in sets of two or three they absorb thermal expansion or contraction by the Off-Set method of lateral displacement. The ball joints are installed in pipe run or loop oriented perpendicular to the movement. Main anchors are not required because the design of ball joints reacts pressure thrust, and the flex torque reaction force is moderate.

Because of their ability to react pressure thrust and absorb rotational and torsional motions, ball joint are used for tank and building settlement, seismic isolation, solar arrays, and piping displacement from wave motion. Hyspan Barco ball joints are approved by Factory Mutual System for fire protection systems, and they have been tested to 8.3 seismic simulation.

Hyspan Barco ball joints have been used extensively for shipboard applications including oil platforms and drill ships. They have been designed and qualified to ASME Class 2500 through 8" NPS, and Class 900 through 12" NPS. They have been fire tested to API 6FA, they meet ASTM F1298 shipboard piping specifications, and they have been approved by ABS Americas and Lloyd's register.

Specialty Products

Hyspan Barco Flexible Struts and Vibrasnubs provide a complete selection of strut assemblies capable of resisting high tensile and compressive loads while allowing lateral, angular and rotational movements. The precision ball and socket construction permits a maintenance free rigid connection to brace piping, pressure vessels, boilers, tanks and other equipment. Hyspan Vibrasnub hydraulic vibration snubbers combined with strut joints absorb axial extension and compressive shock and vibration loads while allowing gradual axial movement for thermal growth. Vibrasnubs are specifically designed for this application and are totally self-contained with no external tubing and fittings.

Hyspan Series 9500 Alignment Guides are designed for installation adjacent to expansion joints, pipe loops and as intermediate guides in anchored and guided pipe runs. Standard guides are available 1 1/2" through 14" for copper tube or steel pipe; however they are made to order through 24". Series 9500 guides provide a reliable inexpensive method to ensure proper pipe run alignment.

Hyspan Series 5500 Bellows Pump Connectors are an industrial quality metal bellows connector designed specifically to isolated pumps and other equipment from rigid piping. The bellows element of all Series 5500 connectors is a minimum of three plies for maximum flexibility and fatigue life. The design is minimum length with full thrust tie rods.

A complete product line of Metal Hose products is manufactured by a Hyspan subsidiary, Universal Metal Hose. Universal manufactures industrial weight strip wound and corrugated metal hose made from austenitic stainless steel, alloy 625, Monel® 400, bronze and carbon steel. A complete selection of end fittings, armor protection and covers are available.

Safety Relief Valve Connectors are manufactured by Hyspan to meet the special requirements of safety relief valve discharge piping. The design provides a transition from the safety valve to the larger diameter discharge piping, multiply externally pressurized bellows, an integral flow liner to protect the bellows from the high flow rate, and adequate axial and lateral motion capability.

Fabricated Expansion Joints are manufactured by Hyspan for specialized low-pressure circular ducting requirements. They are very deep convolutions and therefore have a very low spring constant and high motion capability. The primary application is ducting that conveys highly corrosive substances. The material is thicker than conventional expansion joints and drain ports can be readily added.

ASME Section VIII, Division 1 Code Expansion Joints are manufactured by Hyspan in accordance with Appendix 26 of the Code as a holder of a "U" stamp. Code stamp certification is renewed every three years by a survey performed by The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors. Metal bellows expansion joints are normally manufactured to the Code for installation in boilers and pressure vessels. As a part of the manufacturing to the Code the individual design is approved and inspected by a third party inspection agency. In addition to the "U" stamp Hyspan has a "R" stamp that provides for field fabrication and repair.