Piping design

Process Auxiliaries and utilities

3170516
OPEN ELECTIVE COURSE

Kaushik Nath
Department of Chemical Engineering
G H Patel College of Engineering & Technology
Piping network in chemical industries
Piping network in chemical industries
 Process piping
One of the most important components of the process infrastructure is
the vast network of pipelines —literally millions and millions of
miles.

 The term process piping generally refers to the system of pipes that
transport fluids (e.g. fuels, chemicals, industrial gases, etc.) around an
industrial facility involved in the manufacture of products or in the
generation of power.

 It also is used to describe utility piping systems (e.g., air, steam,

water, compressed air, fuels etc.) that are used in, or in support of the
industrial process.

 Also, certain drainage piping, where corrosive or toxic fluids are

being transported and severe conditions may be present, or where it is
simply outside the scope of plumbing codes, is also sometimes
classified as process piping.
 The basics of piping system

A piping system is an assembly of pipe, fittings, valves, and specialty

components. All piping systems are engineered to transport a fluid or
gas safely and reliably from one piece of equipment to another.
Piping is divided into two main categories:
• Small bore lines
• Large bore lines

As a general practice, those pipe lines with nominal diameters 2” (50mm) and
under are classified as small bore and greater than 2” (50mm) NB as large bore

ABBREVIATIONS
NPS Nominal Pipe Size
DN Diameter Nominal
ID Inside Diameter
OD Outside Diameter
SCH Schedule (Wall Thickness)
STD Standard Weight Wall Thickness
XS Extra Strong Wall Thickness
XXS Double Extra Strong Wall Thickness
 Pipe sizes
Pipe sizes are designated by two numbers: Diameter and Thickness.
In the US, pipe size is designated by two non-dimensional numbers: Nominal
Pipe Size (NPS) and schedule (SCH). Let’s check some key relationships:

Nominal pipe size (NPS) is used to describe a pipe by name only. Nominal pipe
size (NPS) is generally associated with the inside diameter (ID) for sizes 1/8” to
12”. For sizes 14” and beyond, the NPS is equal to the outside diameter (OD)
in inches.
Outside diameter (OD) and inside diameter (ID), as their names
imply, refer to pipe by their actual outside and inside
measurements. Outside diameter (OD) remains same for a given
size irrespective of pipe thickness.
Schedule refers to the pipe wall thickness. As the schedule number
increases, the wall thickness increases, and the inside diameter (ID)
is reduced.
• Nominal Bore (NB) along with schedule (wall thickness) is used in
British standards classification.
 Pipe sizes
In process piping, the method of sizing pipe maintains a uniform
outside diameter while varying the inside diameter. This method
achieves the desired strength necessary for pipe to perform its
intended function while operating under various temperatures and
pressures. It is also important to maintain certain interchangeability
of pipe fittings.
 Pipe schedules
The Schedule of pipe refers to the wall thickness of pipe in the
American system.
Eleven schedule numbers are available for Carbon Steel Pipes:
5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, & 160
The most popular schedule, by far, is 40.
Schedules 5, 60, 100, 120, & 140 have rarely been used. Thickness of
the pipe increases with the schedule number.

This means that

Schedule 80 steel pipes will be heavier and stronger than
schedule 40 pipe.
 Schedule 80 pipe will provide greater factor of safety allowing
it to handle much higher design pressures.
Schedule 80 pipe will use more material and therefore costlier
to make and install.
 Pipe schedule

Stainless steel piping schedules generally match

with Carbon Steel piping schedules, but are
always identified with Suffix S from 1/8” to 12”.
Schedule 40S and 80S are the same as their
corresponding schedule 40 and 80 in all sizes
except 12” in schedule 40.
 How to calculate pipe schedule??

A simple rule of thumb expression is:

Schedule Number = (1,000) (P/S)
Where,
• P = the internal working pressure, psig
• S = the allowable stress (psi) for the material of construction at
the conditions of use.
Example:
Calculate allowable internal pressure P for Schedule 40 mild
steel pipe having ultimate tensile strength (S value) of 65,300
psi.
Rearrange the schedule equation:
P = SCH x S/1,000
Therefore, P = 40 x 65,300/1,000 = 2,612 psi.
This is reasonable, based on a current-day published value of
2,849-psi for 1-inch Schedule 40 steel pipe.
 Internal diameter (ID)of pipe

For process engineers, the most important parameter

for hydraulic sizing is the pipe Internal Diameter (ID).
The ID can then easily be calculated as:
ID = OD - 2t

Example
A 4 inches Schedule 40 pipe has an outside diameter of
4.500 inches, a wall thickness of 0.237 inches.
Therefore, Pipe ID = 4.5 inches – 2 x 0.237 inches = 4.026
inches
A 4 inches Schedule 80 pipe has an outside diameter of
4.500 inches, a wall thickness of 0.337 inches.
Therefore, Pipe ID = 4.5 inches – 2 x 0.337 inches = 3.826
inches
 Pressure rating
The pressure rating of the pipe is associated to the maximum allowable
working pressure. It is the ability of the pipe material to resist the internal
pressure and pressure surges.
It is defined by pipe schedule or thickness. Minimum wall thickness of pipe is
calculated by ASME B31.3 code (hoop stress) formula

Where,
• t = required wall thickness, inches
• tm = minimum required wall thickness, inches
• P = Design pressure, psi
• D = Pipe outside diameter, inches.
• A = Corrosion allowance, inches
• S = Allowable Stress @ Design Temperature, psi (From ASME B31.3, Table
A-1)
• E = Longitudinal-joint quality factor (From ASME B31.3, Table A-1B)
• Y = Wall thickness correction factor (From ASME B31.3, Table 304.1.1)
 Difference between pipe and tube

Tubing is supplied in sizes up to four inches in diameter but

has a wall thickness less than that of either large bore or
small bore piping. The essential difference between pipe
and tube is that pipe is specified by nominal bore and
schedule. Tube is specified by the outside diameter (OD)
and a wall thickness.
For example: The actual outside diameter of 1¼" pipe is
1.625" – while 1¼" tube has a true 1.25" outside diameter
Internal diameter (ID)of pipe
 Selection of piping materials
Carbon Steel
The vast majority of piping is made of Carbon Steel.
Carbon steel contains only a tiny amount of carbon; sometimes much less than
1% and is classified as:
• Mild Steels - up to 0.3% Carbon
• Medium Carbon Steels (or simply Carbon Steels) - 0.3 to 0.6 % carbon
• High Carbon Steels - over 0.6% Carbon

The carbon %age influences the mechanical characteristics of the material.

• Material containing carbon more than 0.35 becomes brittle.
• Material containing carbon more than 0.43 are NOT weldable

Low carbon steel is the most common industrial piping material.

The material specifications are governed by ASTM A53 and
ASTM A106 standards which defines three Grades A, B and C.
The grades refer to the tensile strength of the steel, with Grade
C having the highest strength. Grade B permits higher carbon
and manganese contents than Grade A. A106 is preferable for
more stringent high temperature and high pressure services.
 Piping materials
Alloy Steel
• Nickel Steels - These steels contain from 3.5% nickel to 5% nickel. The
nickel increases the toughness and improves low temperature properties (up
to -150°F/-100°C). Nickel steel containing more than 5% nickel has an
increased resistance to corrosion and scale.

• Molybdenum - Molybdenum provides strength at elevated temperatures. It

is often used in combination with chromium and nickel. The molybdenum
adds toughness to the steel and can be used in place of tungsten to make
the cheaper grades of high-speed steel for use in high-pressure tubing. An
addition of about 0.5% Molybdenum greatly improves the strength of steel up
to 900°F/480°C. Moly is often alloyed to resist corrosion of chlorides (like
sea water).

• Chromium Steels - Chromium and silicon improve hardness, abrasion

resistance and corrosion resistance. An addition of up to 9% Chromium
combats the tendency to oxidize at high temperatures and resists corrosion
from sulfur compounds. Stainless Steels contain at least 10.5% Chromium.
 Piping materials
Stainless steel pipe and tubing are used for a variety of reasons: to
resist corrosion and oxidation, to resist high temperatures, for
cleanliness and low maintenance costs, and to maintain the purity of
materials which come in contact with stainless.
The ability of stainless steel to resist corrosion is achieved by the
addition of a minimum of 12% chromium to the iron alloy. Nickel,
molybdenum, titanium and other
 Plastic piping system
The two most common types of plastic pipe are
Polyethylene (PE) and Polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
• Polyethylene pipe (PE) and HDPE are lightweight,
flexible pipes that come in large coils 30 meters or more in
length. The pipe varies in density and is generally joined
by heat fusion. The joint is typically leak free.

• Plastic polyvinyl chloride pipe (PVC) is a rigid pipe,

usually white or gray in color. It comes in 3 or 6 meter
lengths and is joined primarily by solvent cement. The
pipe varies in density and, when buried is extremely
resistant to corrosion.
 Pipe procurement

Standard Sizes
− NPS1/8, ¼, 3/8, ½, ¾, 1, 1½, 2, 3, 4, 6,
8,10,12,14,16,18, 20, 24, 28, 30, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52,
56, 60.
− NPS1¼, 2½, 3½, 5 are NOT used.
• Standard Lengths
− Pipe is supplied in Random length (18 to 25 ft.) or
double random length (38 to 48 ft.).
 Basics of piping design
The piping design and engineering involves six (6) major steps:

Selection of pipe materials on the basis of the characteristics

of the fluid and operating conditions including maximum
pressures and temperatures.
Finding economical pipe diameter and wall thickness.
Selection of joints, fittings and components such as flanges,
branch connections, extruded tees, nozzle branches etc.
Developing piping layout and isometrics.
Performing stress analysis taking into account the potential
upset conditions and an allowance for those upset conditions in
the design of piping systems.
Estimating material take-off (MTO) and raising material
requisition.
 Codes and standards
The design basis for any project should state the required
design codes for materials and equipment. This is usually
set by the client, and the engineer should review the
requirements to assure they are complete and not
contradictory. Local laws may require special
requirements for hurricanes, earthquakes or other public
safety issues.
The main associations involved in generating piping
codes and standards for process industry in US are:
• ASME: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• ANSI: American National Standardization Institute
• ASTM: American Society of Testing Materials
• API: American Petroleum Institute (primarily for Oil &
Gas Industry)
 ASME code
The basic rules for piping engineering are ASME B31 codes. The
important codes are:
− ASME B31.1 - Power Piping
− ASME B31.2 - Fuel Gas Piping
− ASME B31.3 - Process Piping
− ASME B31.4 - Liquid Piping
− ASME B31.5 - Refrigeration Piping
− ASME B31.8 - Gas Distribution and Transportation

ASME B31.9 - Building Service Piping

− ASME B31.11 - Slurry Piping
− ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code applies to boiler supplied piping.
− For pipelines there are Department of Transportation requirements that
may apply, such as CFR Part 192.
− For modifications to existing plants, OSHA 1910.119 may apply to
Management of Change, Mechanical Integrity and Inspection Requirements.