ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9.

Reactions

ASME B31.3 Process Piping

Charles Becht IV, PhD, PE

Don Frikken, PE
Instructors

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Piping Development Process

1. Establish applicable system standard(s)
2. Establish design conditions
3. Make overall piping material decisions
ƒ Pressure Class
ƒ Reliability
ƒ Materials of construction
4. Fine tune piping material decisions
ƒ Materials
ƒ Determine wall thicknesses
ƒ Valves
5. Establish preliminary piping system layout & support
configuration
6. Perform flexibility analysis
7. Finalize layout and bill of materials
8. Fabricate and install
9. Examine and test
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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

9. Reactions
¾ General Considerations
¾ Fabricated Equipment
¾ Rotating Equipment
¾ Supports
¾ Cold Spring

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The Material in This Section is

Addressed by B31.3 in:
Chapter II - Design

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

General Considerations
¾ Main purpose is to provide sufficient
support and flexibility to prevent the piping
from exerting excessive reactions on
equipment and restraints
¾ The calculation methods are different for
fabricated equipment than for rotating
equipment or supports
¾ Reaction limits are determined differently
for fabricated equipment than for rotating
equipment or supports

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Fabricated Equipment
¾ Calculation Methods
¾ Reaction Limits
¾ Nozzle Flexibility

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

Calculation Methods
¾ Usually the accuracy of a formal analysis
using a computer stress analysis program
is required
¾ Both sustained loads and displacement
loads are considered
¾ Failure modes for fabricated equipment
include:
ƒ Gross deformation or collapse
ƒ Fatigue

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Calculation Methods
¾ In order to evaluate fatigue, the entire
range of loads must be considered, so the
temperature range for this calculation is
the same as for calculating the
displacement stress range

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

Reaction Limits
Reaction limits for
nozzles are calculated
using
ƒ Welding Research
Council Bulletin 107
“Local Stresses in
…Shells due to
External Loadings”
ƒ Finite element analysis

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Reaction Limits
¾ Allowable stresses values used in the
calculation are taken from the applicable Code,
and stress evaluation is usually done using the
stress evaluation criteria described in ASME
B&PV Code Section VIII, Division 2, Alternate
Rules for Pressure Vessels
¾ Advantages to doing these calculations yourself
ƒ Cycle time is reduced considerably
ƒ Easier to decide between reinforcing the
nozzle and lowering the reactions

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

Rotating Equipment
¾ Calculation Methods
¾ Reaction Limits

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Calculation Methods
¾ Usually the accuracy of a formal analysis using
a computer stress analysis program is required
¾ Failure modes for rotating equipment include:
ƒ Detrimental misalignment
ƒ Rubbing interference
¾ In order to evaluate failure modes, only the
magnitude of the loads during operation needs
to be considered, so the temperature range
from the installed condition to the operating
condition is used

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

Temperature Range Examples

¾ Outdoor cooling tower water line:
ƒ Minimum water temperature is 45ºF (7ºC)
ƒ Maximum water temperature is 90ºF (32ºC)
ƒ The piping is installed during February,
which has an average daily temperature of
53ºF (12ºC)
ƒ Minimum average daily temperature is 30ºF
(-1ºC)
ƒ Temperature range is _______ to ________

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Temperature Range Examples

¾ Outdoor compressed air piping
ƒ Minimum compressed air temperature is
ambient
ƒ Maximum compressed air temperature is
150ºF (65ºC)
ƒ The piping is installed during July, which has
an average daily temperature of 64ºF (18ºC)
ƒ Minimum average daily temperature is -30ºF
(-35ºC)
ƒ Temperature range is _______ to ________
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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

Temperature Range Examples

¾ Outdoor steam traced water line:
ƒ Minimum water temperature is 40ºF (4ºC)
ƒ Maximum water temperature is 60ºF (16ºC)
ƒ The piping is installed during September,
which has an average daily temperature of
76ºF (24ºC)
ƒ Minimum average daily temperature is 30ºF
(-1ºC)
ƒ Calculated maximum temperature for no flow
condition with steam tracing on is 280ºF
(140ºC)
ƒ Temperature range is _______ to ________
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Reaction Limits
¾ Limits are specified by the equipment
manufacturers
¾ Manufacturers of certain types of
equipment are required to at least meet
the allowable reaction requirements in
applicable industry standards, so
¾ Many manufacturers refer the users to
these standards

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

Reaction Limits
Equipment Industry Standard
Centrifugal Pumps ASME B73.1
API 610
Steam Turbines NEMA SM-23
API 611
API 612
Centrifugal Compressors API 617
Positive Displacement API 619
Compressors

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Supports
¾ Calculation Methods
¾ Reaction limits

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

Calculation Methods
¾ Usually the accuracy of a formal analysis using
a computer stress analysis program is required
¾ The failure modes of concern for supports is
collapse and excessive deformation
¾ The structural codes don’t recognize the
distinction between displacement and sustained
loads, so only the magnitude of the loading
extremes needs to be considered, so
¾ The temperature range from the installed
condition to the operating condition is used
¾ Some codes differentiate between “normal”
loads and “occasional” loads

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Reaction Limits
Reaction limits are determined by either the
maximum stress or the stability limit of the
structure.

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

Cold Spring
Cold spring is the intentional deformation of piping
during assembly to produce a desired initial
displacement and stress. (319.2.4)
Cold springing:
ƒ Does not change the stress range
ƒ Does not change the reaction range
ƒ Is not helpful for reducing reaction ranges at fabricated
equipment
ƒ Can be helpful for reducing reactions rotating
equipment and supports
ƒ Can be used to control displacements
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Cold Spring

Neutral Neutral

Cold Cold

Hot Hot

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 9. Reactions

Cold Spring
Because cold spring is difficult to achieve
accurately in practice, B31.3 permits only
partial credit in calculating reaction forces
ƒ For two anchor systems with no intermediate
restraints, B31.3 gives equations for estimating
reactions giving 2/3 credit for cold spring
(319.5.1)
ƒ For other systems, B31.3 requires that each
case be studied to estimate reactions (319.5.2)

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Cold Spring
Note that unintentional cold spring
(misalignment) has the same effect as
intentional cold spring.
ƒ The Code says “Any distortion of piping to
bring it into alignment for joint assembly which
introduces a detrimental strain in equipment or
piping components is prohibited.” (335.1.1)
ƒ Some owners are more restrictive than the
Code on misalignment.

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