Moorthy,

Anything that is attached to the piping will transfer forces (the weight) to the piping. The weight will be there and the pipe supports and the turbine must accommodate it. Of course pressure balanced expansion joints are particularly heavy (relative to their associated pipe size) because there is so much more hardware involved. Usually, the pressure balanced expansion joint is supported from below (similar to a "base elbow").

The manufacturers of turbines sometimes make useful design manuals available to piping engineers. Many of the design suggestions in the manual generally apply regardless of who the manufacturer of the turbine is. The better of these manuals also provides design suggestions for including various types of expansion joints in the piping design. Also, you should read the NEMA SM-23 Standard to learn more about the design of piping systems connected to turbines.

Good luck my friend.

Regards, John.