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Pipe Wall Thickness
Pipe Wall Thickness
November 14th, 2017 | ammonia, ASME, B31.3, B31.5, IRC, Pipe, RAGAGEP
All uninsulated piping and associated components such as flanges and supports
shall be inspected annually for any damage to or deterioration of the piping or its
protective finish; take remedial action where necessary. Areas affected by slight
corrosion should be cleaned off and appropriately treated before reinstating the
protective finish. Deeper pitting or loss of metal, where considered by subjective
assessment to be greater than 10% of original wall thickness, should be checked
accurately by using techniques such as ultrasonic measurements. If such wall
thinning is confirmed, expert advice should be sought, for example from an
authorized inspection agency, to determine the need for, and the extent and timing
of, any replacements.
The “expert advice” referenced in §6.7.1 has lacked uniformity over the years,
partially due to lack of published information regarding best practices for
replacement of ammonia pipes based on wall thickness. In April 2016, Industrial
Refrigeration Consortium published Principles and Practices of Mechanical
Integrity Guidebook for Industrial Refrigeration Systems.
This guidebook includes recommended actions (Table 4-6) to be taken as a result
of the measured wall thickness. A summary of the recommended actions is
included below:
Where:
E = quality factor
The following example demonstrates tmin for an 8” Schedule A53 Grade B ERW
suction pipe:
E = 0.85 (for A53 ERW pipe, from ASME B31.3-2016 Table A-1B)