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Part 3 - System Design and Installation 
5.3.5 Bending piping 
Bending copper piping reduces the number of brazed joints required and can improve quality and save material. 
 
 
5.4 Refrigerant Piping Supports 
When the air conditioning is running, the refrigerant piping will deform 
(shrink,  expand,  droop).  To  avoid  damage  to  piping,  hangers  or 
supports  should  be  spaced  as  per  the  criteria  in  the  Table  3-5.2.  In 
general, the gas and liquid pipes should be suspended in parallel and 
the interval between support points should be selected according to 
the diameter of the gas pipe.   
 
Suitable insulation should be provided between the piping and the supports. If wooden dowels or blocks are to be used, use 
wood that has undergone preservative treatment. 
 
Changes in  refrigerant flow  direction  and refrigerant  temperature  result in  movement,  expansion and  shrinkage  of the 
refrigerant piping. Piping should therefore not be fixed too tightly, otherwise stress concentrations may occur in the piping, 
with the potential for rupturing. 
 
   
Table 3-5.2: Refrigerant piping support spacings 
Interval between support points (m) 
Piping bending methods 
  Hand bending is suitable for thin copper piping (Ф6. 35mm - Ф12. 7mm). 
  Mechanical bending (using a bending spring, manual bending machine or powered bending machine) is suitable 
for a wide range of diameters (Ф6. 35mm - Ф54.0mm). 
 
Caution 
  When  using  a  spring  bender,  ensure  that  the  bender  is  clean 
before inserting it in the piping. 
  After bending a copper pipe, ensure that there are no wrinkles or 
deformation on either side of the pipe. 
  Ensure that bend angles do not exceed 90°, otherwise wrinkles 
may appear on the inner side of the pipe, and the pipe may buckle 
or crack. Refer to Figure 3-5.3. 
  Do not use a pipe that has buckled during the bending process; 
ensure that the cross section at the bend is greater than 2/3 of 
the original area. 
Figure 3-5.3: Pipe bending in excess of 90°