Chapter 2

CHAPTER-2: PROCESS DESIGN OF PIPING
• Design of piping system incorporates all major disciplines of engineering like

chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, instrumentation
& control engineering, electrical engineering, etc.
• Process design of pipe is a balance between size of a pipe & pressure drop in the
pipe. For a given flow rate of fluid if large size of pipe is selected then it gives
lesser pressure drop. Larger size of pipe increases the fixed cost of pipe & lesser
pressure drop means lower power consumption or less operating cost of pipe.
Lesser pressure drop in pipe may reduce the size of flow moving device like pump
& thereby it may reduce the fixed cost of pump. Thus capital cost of pipe
increases with diameter, whereas pumping or compression cost decreases with
increasing diameter. Ideally, one should find the pipe size which gives the sum of
amortized capital cost plus operating cost a minimum cost or one should find the
optimum pipe size.
• Several equations & nomographs are available in literature to estimate optimum
pipe diameter. But these equations or nomographs are not reliable as optimum
• pipe diameter depends on the current cost of material, cost of power, rate of interest at
particular place & at a particular time. For example, optimum pipe diameter equation,
derived in USA, cannot be used to find the same in India. One such equation derived for
the carbon steel pipe & turbulent flow of an incompressible fluid is
• 𝛒-o.37 ------------(1)
• Where =diameter of pipe, mm
• m= Flow rate, kg/s
• 𝛒= density of fluid, kg/cu. m.
• This equation was developed by the Institute of Chemical Engineers, U.K. , based on cost data of
1987, updated in mid. 1992.
• Recommended fluid velocity in pipe: The velocities, recommended in Table below are only for
approximate calculation of pipe diameter which can be used for quick calculations of short
distance pipe.
FLUID SERVICE RECOMMENDED VELOCITY, m/s

Water Pump suction line 0.3 to 1.5
Pump discharge line 2 to 3
Average Service 1 to 2.5
Gravity flow 0.5 to 1
Steam 0 to 2 atm. g.-saturated 20-30
2 to 10 atm. g. –saturated 30-50

Steam Superheated, below 10 atm. g. 20-50
Superheated, above 10 atm. g 30-75
VACUUM LINES 100-125
Air 0 to 2 atm. g 20
> 2 atm. g. 30
Ammonia/ Liquid 1.8
refrigerant gas 30

Natural gas 25-35
Chlorine Liquid 1.5
Gas 10 to 25
Hydrochloric Aqueous 1.5
acid gas 10
Inorganic 1.2 to 1.8
liquids
Gas & 15 to 30
vapours
• Pressure drop in pipes: Relation between pressure drop & pipe diameter is given by Fanning
or Darcy equation. It is derived for steady flow in uniform circular pipes running full of liquid
under isothermal conditions:
• ∆p/L= 2f𝛒v2/g c Di =32fm2/∏2𝛒 g c Di 5 --------2.
For S.I. units, g
c - is Newtons conversion factor=1
• ∆p pressure drop , Pa
• L Length of pipe, m
• m mass rate of fluid, kg/s
• 𝛒 fluid density, kg/cu.m.
• Di pipe inside diameter, m
• v velocity of fluid, m/sec
• f Fanning friction factor
• The Fanning friction factor is a function of the Reynolds number & the
roughness of inside surface (€)
•
• Values of € for the various materials is given below:
MATERIAL SURFACE ROUGHNESS, €,

• mm
Commercial steel 0.045
Galvanised iron 0. 152
Cast iron 0.259
Concrete 0.305-3.05
Riveted Steel 0.914-9.14
Brass, Lead, Glass, Cement 0.001524
& Bitumen lining, plastic
• Inferences:
• 1. f is function of €/D, i.e. large diameter pipes will behave nearer to smooth
pipe than smaller diameter pipe.
2. At higher Re, f is weak function of Re.
3. For any selected value of Re, f increases significantly with increase in €/D.
•
• For turbulent flow in commercial steel pipe, f=0.0394Re-0.16 -------3
• Above equation gives the value of f on higher (safer) side. One of the more
accurate relationships between f & Re for turbulent flow:
• 1/f 0.5 =-1.7372ln [Re/(1.964lnRe-3.8215)]
• Where Re=Di v𝛒/µ =4m/ ∏Di µ --------4
• µ-viscosity of fluid, Pa. s or kg/ms or Ns/m2
• From equation 2, 3 & 4,
• ∆p/L=0.1229024m1.84 µ0.16 Di-4.84 𝛒-1-----5

• Normally, pipe diameter is in mm & ∆p is in KN/sq.m., then
• ∆p/L=4.07*1010 m1.84 µ0.16 Di-4.84 𝛒-1 -----6
• Example: Estimate the optimum pipe diameter for a flow of dry chlorine
gas of 10000 kg/hr at 6 atm & 200 C using equation 1.
• 𝛒-o.37
• m=10000 kg/hr=2.7778 kg/s
• 𝛒=pM/RT=(pm/T)*(T/pV)s = [6*71/(273+20)]* (273/1*22.4)
• = 17.71 kg/cu.m.
• (17.71-o.37)
• =173.855 mm
• Use next higher size of standard pipe, i.e., 200 mm NB standard pipe.
• Standard Pipes:
• Standard pipes are available from 3 mm to 600 mm size. Standard pipes
are specified with three different diameters, namely, inside
•Diameter, outside diameter & nominal diameter. For standard pipes having diameter more
than 300mm, nominal diameter are equal to the actual outside diameter. For smaller pipe,
there is no relation between nominal diameter & outside diameter or inside diameter.
• The wall thickness of standard pipe is indicated by the schedule number as per the US
standards.
•Schedule Number: SCH=(pd * 1000)/ бs
•Where pd-Safe Working pressure, N/sq. mm
• бs -Safe allowable stress, N/sq. mm
•Scheduled pipes are available with variety of Schedule numbers-5,
10,20,30,40,60,80,100,120,140,160.With carbon steel pipe, schedule 40 up-to 150mm &
with stainless steel pipe, Schedule 10 are used for general purpose, Thickness of standard
pipe increases with increase in schedule number. Seamless standard pipes do not have
welding joints. Fabricated pipes are fabricated by rolling the plates, followed by joining the
ends of plate by welding which are also known as Electric Resistance Welding (ERW) pipes.
•
•
•
•
•
• Pressure Drop in fittings & valves:
• In addition to pipes, piping system contains fittings & valves. These fittings &
valves offer the the additional friction loss or additional pressure drop. The
additional friction loss of fitting or valve is expressed either as an equivalent
straight pipe length (Le ) or as a number of velocity heads (K) lost in pipe of same
size & same material.
• There is subtle difference between two methods.
• For equivalent length method, ∆p/L Total= (2f𝛒v2/g c) *Di
• L Total = L straight + ∑L fittings
• Thus effect of Re on f is considered.
• For number of velocity heads method,
• ∆p={[ (2f𝛒v2/g c) *Di]* L straight + Kv2 /2 g c }
• In this method, K is independent of Re.
• However, both methods give practically same numerical answer because for
turbulent flow, f is weak function of Re.

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CHAPTER-2: PROCESS DESIGN OF PIPING

• Design of piping system incorporates all major disciplines of engineering like

• Where =diameter of pipe, mm

• m= Flow rate, kg/s

• 𝛒= density of fluid, kg/cu. m.

FLUID SERVICE RECOMMENDED VELOCITY, m/s

FLUID SERVICE RECOMMENDED VELOCITY, m/s

FLUID SERVICE RECOMMENDED VELOCITY, m/s

MATERIAL SURFACE ROUGHNESS, €,

• From equation 2, 3 & 4,

• ∆p/L=0.1229024m1.84 µ0.16 Di-4.84 𝛒-1-----5

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