3.

Piping system
3.1 introduction to piping

• pipe is a tube made of metal, plastic, wood,

concrete or fiberglass.

• A piping system is an assembly of pipe, fittings,

valves, and specialty components.

• All piping systems are engineered to transport a

liquids, gases, slurries, or fine particles safely
and reliably from one piece of equipment to Fig 3.1 typical process plant
another
.
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 cont.….
• Pumps, heat exchanges, valves and tanks are also considered part of
piping system.

• Fig.3.1 illustrates the magnitude of piping required in a typical

chemical process plant.

• Piping systems accounts for a significant portion of the total plant cost,
at times as much as one-third of the total investment.

• The initial design of a piping system is established by the functional

requirements of piping a fluid from one point to another

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 cont…..
• The detailed design is decided by criteria such as type of fluid being
transported, allowable pressure drop or energy loss, desired velocity,
space limitations, process requirements like free drain or requirement
of straight run, stress analysis, temperature of fluid, etc.

• The supporting of piping systems requires a significant engineering,

design, fabrication and erection effort.

• In some cases, special structures (like structural T or inverted L,

cantilevers, U portals, pedestals, etc) must be built solely for the
purpose of supporting piping systems.

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 3.2 Process piping material
• The material to be used for pipe manufacture must be chosen to suit the
operating conditions of the piping system.

• Guidance of selecting the correct material can be obtained from standard

piping codes.

• The objective being to ensure that the material used is entirely safe under
the operating conditions of pressure, temperature, corrosion, and erosion
expected.

• The choice of materials for process piping depends on factors such as

fluid characteristics, temperature, pressure, and the environment.

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 Process piping material
• Carbon Steel: Suitable for general-purpose applications, it offers good

strength and affordability but is prone to corrosion in certain environments.

• Stainless Steel: it has excellent corrosion resistance, and is widely used in

industries where hygiene and durability are critical.

• Alloy Steel: In the chemical and petrochemical industries where applications

involve high temperature and pressure, alloy steel materials are suitable.

• Copper: Frequently used for water and gas distribution, copper is valued for

its corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity, and ease of installation.

• Plastic: PVC, CPVC, and PTFE are used for non-corrosive applications,

offering benefits such as chemical resistance, lightweight, and ease of

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installation.
 Pipe Fittings
• A fitting is used in pipe systems to connect straight pipe sections,
adapt to different sizes or shapes, and for other purposes, such as
regulating (or measuring) fluid flow.

• Pipe Fittings (especially uncommon types) require money, time,

materials, and tools to install, and are an important part of piping and
plumbing systems.

Types of pipe fitting

• Elbows – for making angle turns in piping.

• Nipples – for making close connections. They are threaded on

both ends with the close nipple threaded for its entire length.

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 Pipe fitting …
• Couplings – for connecting two pieces of pipe of the same size in a straight line.

• Unions – for providing an easy method for dismantling piping.

• Tees and Crosses – for making branch line connections at 90º.

• Y-bends – for making branch line connections at 45º.

• Return Bends – for reversing the direction of a pipe run.

• Plugs- used to close off the end of a pipe temporarily for maintenance or testing
purposes. They provide a temporary seal.

• caps -used to permanently close off the end of a pipe, making it a dead end.

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 Piping Supports
• Piping must be supported in such a way as to prevent its
weight from being carried by the equipment to which it is
attached.

• The supports used must prevent excessive sagging of

the pipe and at the same time must allow free movement
of the pipe due to expansion or contraction.

• The supporting arrangement must be designed to carry the

weight of the pipe, valves, fittings and insulation plus the
weight of the fluid contained within the pipe.

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 Piping symbols
• Various symbols are used to show piping components or process
units on a diagram. Some of the symbols are shown below.

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 Design procedure
The steps in pipeline design are as follows:

I. The determination of the problem, which includes:

a. The characteristics of the fluid to be carried, including the flow rate
and the allowable headloss;
b. The location of the pipelines: its source and destination, and the
terrain over which it will pass, the location of separator station and
the power plant;
c. The design code to be followed; and
d. The material to be used.

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 Design procedure
II. The determination of a preliminary pipe route, the line length and static head
difference.

III. Pipe diameter based on allowable headloss;

IV. Structural analysis:

a. Pipe wall thickness; and
b. Stress analysis.

V. The stress analysis is performed in pipe configuration until compliance with

the code is achieved.

VI. Support and anchor design based on reaction found in the structural analysis.

VII. Preparation of drawings, specification and the design report

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 Fluid characteristic
• Important factors to be considered are the mass flow rate, pressure, temperature,
saturation index and the allowable headloss over the pipeline length.

• The steam and water flow patterns in the pipe vary from annular, slug to open
channel flow; depending on the velocity and wetness of the steam.

• Slug flow generates high dynamic load and vibration that can damage the piping
system.

• The preferred flow regime in the pipes is usually the annular flow.

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 Fluid characteristic
• Pipes need to be sized correctly and run flat or on a downhill slope to achieve
annular flow.

• The pressure loss in two- phase line is usually high and not easy to predict.

• The piping for two- phase fluids has to be designed for high pressure, dynamic
load, possible slug flows, erosion, corrosion, minimum pressure loss (by
running the pipe as short as possible), the desired flow regime (by selecting the
correct fluid velocity and slope for the pipes), vibration prevention.

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Design conditions

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 Loading conditions

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 Example

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 Solutions

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