Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CODE
A group of general rules or systematic procedures for design, fabrication,
installation and inspection prepared in such a manner that it can be adopted by legal
jurisdiction and made into law.
STANDARDS
Documents prepared by a professional group or committee who are believed to be
good and proper engineering practice and which contain mandatory requirements. The
users are responsible for the correct application of the same. Compliance with a standard
does not itself confer immunity from legal obligation.
RECOMMENDED PRACTICES
Documents prepared by professional group or committee indicating good
engineering practices but which are optional.
Each country has its own Codes and Standards. On global basis, American
National standards are undoubtedly the most widely used and compliance with those
requirements are accepted world over. In India, other than American standards, British
standards and Indian standards are also used for the design and selection of equipment
and piping systems. The major organizations for standards are;
11) ANSI/API 602/ - Compact Design carbon steel Gate, Globe and
ISO 15761 Check valves ≤ 100 NB.
16) API 609 - Butterfly valves – Double flanged, Lug and Wafer
Type.
22) API 2009 - Safe Welding, Cutting and Hot Work Practices
in the Petroleum Industries.
23) API 2201 - Safe Hot Tapping Practices in the Petroleum &
Petrochemical Industries.
Of the above, the most commonly used code is ASME B 31.3. Refineries and chemical
plants are designed based on the same. All power plants are designed as per ASME
B31.1.
It is the responsibility of the user to select the Code Section, which most nearly applies to
a proposed piping installation.
When no section of the Code specifically covers proposed installation, the user has the
discretion to select any section determined to be generally applicable. However, it is
cautioned that supplementary requirements to the section chosen may be necessary to
provide for safe piping system for the intended application.
The Code sets forth engineering requirements deemed necessary for the safe design and
construction of pressure piping. While safety is the basic consideration, this factor alone
will not necessarily govern the final specification for any piping installation.
The Code prohibits designs and practices known to be unsafe and contains warnings
where caution, but not prohibition, is warranted. The designer is cautioned that the
Code is not a design handbook; it does not do away with the need for the engineer or
competent engineering judgement.
Other major ASME dimensional standards referred for the piping elements are:
12) ASME B 16.24 - Cast copper Alloy Pipe Flanges and Flanged
Fittings
15) ASME B 16.34 - Steel Valves, flanged and butt welding ends.
20) ASME B 18.2 1 & 2 - Square and hexagonal head Bolts and Nuts –
(inch & mm)
In Part-II, the materials are listed in the Index based on the available forms such as plates,
castings, tubes, etc. and also on the numerical index.
The selection of ASTM specification depends upon the type of manufacture, form
of material, its mechanical strength and the corrosion properties.
The specification number is given on Alphabetical prefix, ‘A’ for Ferrous materials
and ‘B’ for Non-ferrous materials.
ASTM also specifies standard practice for numbering metal and alloys as Unified
Numbering System.
The UNS number was established by ASME & SAE in 1974. The UNS number itself is
not a specification, since it establishes no requirements for form, condition, quality etc. It is a
unified identification of metals and alloys for which controlling limits have been established in
specification elsewhere.
The UNS provides means of correlating many naturally used numbering systems
currently administered by Societies, trade associations, individual users and producers of
metals and alloys, thereby avoiding confusion caused by use of more than one
identification number for the same material and by the opposite situation of having the
same number assigned to two different materials..
UNS establishes 18 series numbers of metals and alloys. Each UNS number
consists of a single letter prefix followed by five digits. In most cases the alphabet is
suggestive of the family of the metal identified.
4. E00001 - E 99999 - Rare earth and rare earth like metals and
alloys
manufacturers have given their own brand names for the various electrodes and are sold
under these names.
There are certain British Standards referred to by Indian Manufacturers for the
construction of piping elements such as valves. The most commonly referred British
Standards in the Piping Industry are:
1) BS 10 - Flanges
10) BS 1873 - Steel Globe & Check Valves for Petroleum Industry
19) BS 3601 - C.S. Pipes & Tubes for pressure purposes at room
temperature
20) BS 3602 - C.S. Pipes & Tubes for pressure purposes at high
temperature
21) BS 3603 - C.S. and Alloy steel Pipes & Tubes for pressure
purposes at low temperature.
22) BS 3604 - Alloy steel Pipes & Tubes for high temperature
28) BS 5150 - CI Wedge and Double Disc Gate Valves for general
purposes
37) BS 5160 - Flanged steel Globe and Check Valves for general
purposes.
38) BS 5163 - Double flanged Cast Iron wedge Gate Valves for
water works purposes.
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) have so far not developed an Indian standard for
the design of Piping Systems. Hence, ANSI standards ASME B 31.1/31.3 are widely
referred for the design. These standards also accept materials covered in other standards.
Unlike American Standards, Indian Standards cover dimensions and material
specifications under the same standard. There are also no groupings done based on the
series/branch of engineering as well. Some of the most commonly referred Indian
Standards by the Piping Engineers are:
There are certain other International Standards also referred in the Piping Industry. They
are the DIN standards of Germany and the JISC standards of Japan. DIN standards are
more popular and equivalent British and Indian standards are also available for certain
piping elements.
Periodic review of the standards by the committee is held and these are revised to
incorporate the modified features based on the results of research and feedback from the
industry. Although some technological lags are unavoidable, these are kept minimum by
those updations. Hence, it is necessary that the latest editions of the codes and standards
are referred for the design and the year of publication is also indicated along with the
choice of a specific standard.
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