To support a massive water tower for a NASA launch pad, Sauer Group Inc. employed Anvil pipe supports and rollers for their durability and history of quality manufactured products. When rockets and spacecraft launch from NASA’s flight facility at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, VA, the engine exhaust generates an enormous amount of heat and vibration. To keep the launch pad cool, stable, and safe, a special deluge system pumps water from a 307-foot water tower, the tallest in the world. The Sauer Group’s support structure keeps the deluge system safe during tumultuous takeoffs.
For previous projects, Anvil pipe rollers were used to accommodate lateral movement in horizontal pipe applications. The 48” vertical header on the launch pad water tower required 360-degree support after the header turned 90 degrees to horizontal and was threaded through a welded steel channel structural support system. Four custom pipe rollers were at each of the support points inside the channel frames.
The other pipes in the deluge system ranged in size down to 8” in diameter and also required custom slide assemblies (Anvil Fig. 439). Anvil worked with engineering to design the supports and provided assistance during installation, demonstrating their flexibility and willingness to go above and beyond to meet these unique customer needs. Anvil piping products used on the project were specially fabricated pipe rollers (Anvil Fig. 76SD) and structural H slide assemblies (Anvil Fig. 439). Missions will launch from MARS to resupply the International Space Station.
For more information about Anvil’s products, visit www.anvilintl.com.
