A pipe nipple is a pipe’s short piece, usually with male or external threads in its two ends or one end used to connect two other fittings or pipes. The threads found at the pipe nipple’s two ends are available in different or same types like NPT threaded to BSP threaded pipe parts and nipple.
Sometimes, pipe nipples are called barrel nipples which, unless otherwise declared, are tapered NPT threaded at each end with an unthreaded section in their center.
Usually, this kind of nipple is employed as legs for oil tanks. They are sometimes confused with weld nipples, but real weld nipples are nipples with a beveled end finishing specifically required for butt weld connections.
These nipples do not have threads. They connect to tube fittings by threading versus welding and can be used in extreme conditions like temperature changes, pressure surges, and vibration. Weld nipples are undermined not by the cut threads, which can cut down the thickness of the wall and thus undermine the wall’s structural strength.
These nipples have no unthreaded area, which tells us that when screwing of two female pipe fittings is tightly done onto these nipples’ both ends, these nipples’ tiny portion will be still exposed.
These nipples are longer than a close nipple. They include a concise, unthreaded area between the threads. The unthreaded area of shoulder pipe nipples is not massive enough for fitting a pipe wrench. Whenever two female pipe fittings are screwed onto either end, a nipple’s small piece will continue to be exposed.
Hex nipple has got its name from its hexagon-shaped middle section. Its hexagon shape lets the wrench safely grasp it. If you find a hex nipple with two different sizes on each end, then remember such a nipple is called unequal or reducer nipple.
These nipples have a left-hand thread on one end and a right-hand thread on the other hand. Usually, this type of pipe nipple is employed for piping applications where unions are not allowed or in gas piping. Right left-hand nipples can be also used for connecting female pipe threads in an installation where no room exists for a union.
These nipples are employed to bring the fluids’ flow from one pipe to another. Swage pipe nipples are available with threaded, beveled or plain ends. Their function is to change the pipe’s diameter and to connect two different sized pipes.
Swage pipe nipples are offered in two types. These include eccentric swage nipples and concentric swage nipples. Concentric swage nipple is employed for the vertical pipeline; eccentric swage nipple is used mainly in horizontal pipelines.
These nipples are seamless as they do not have a repaired seam that runs up the pipe nipples’ length. They are stronger structurally and are built for high-pressure applications.
