PROCESS PIPING DESIGN SYSTEM

PIPING SYSTEM
Piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another for industrial purpose for example in Oil and Petrochemical industries, Water Supply Schemes etc. In piping not only pipes but also its components are included. The in-line components known as fittings, valves, and other devices, typically sense and control the pressure, flow rate and temperature of the transmitted fluid, and usually are included Piping Design. The methodology used for design of piping system in a plant is called process piping design system. The process piping system mainly includes Piping Components & their access requirement. Straight length pipe requirements. Material selection & Sizing of pipes and components Orientation pipes, components, etc. Piping Drains & Vents Insulation for pipes. Critical piping system for high temperature and pressure fluids Pipe Stress Analysis. Supports for pipes and its components.

Industrial process pipes and the piping components can be manufactured from wood, fiberglass, glass, steel, aluminum, plastic, copper, and concrete as per the requirement considering the fluids that are conveying, properties of fluid density pressure temperature etc. In petrochemical industries we use pipes made of carbon steel, stainless steels, mild steel whereas in water piping we use uPVC (unplasticized polyvinyl chloride), Ductile Iron(DI) etc.

The figure shows a process piping:-

PIPES COMPONENTS
Pipe components or fittings are mainly used to interconnect different branches of straight piece pipes to each other and to different equipments or instruments used in piping. Mainly used pipe fittings are:-

Elbow
An elbow is a pipe fitting installed between two lengths of pipes to allow a change of direction. Usually a 90 or 45 angle, though 22.5 elbows are also made. The ends may be machined for butt welding, threaded (usually female), or socketed, etc. When the two ends differ in size, the fitting is called a reducing elbow or reducer elbow

Coupling
A coupling connects two pipes to each other. If the size of the pipe is not the same , the fitting may be called a reducing coupling or reducer, or an adapter.

Reducer
A reducer allows for a change in pipe size to meet hydraulic flow requirements of the system, or to adapt to existing piping of a different size. Reducers are usually concentric but eccentric reducers are used when required to maintain the same top- or bottom-of-pipe level.

Olets
Whenever branch connections are required in size where reducing tees are not available and/or when the branch connections are of smaller size as compared to header size, olets are generally used

Tee

A tee is the most common pipe fitting. It is available with all female thread sockets, all solvent weld sockets, or with opposed solvent weld sockets and a side outlet with female threads. It is used to either combine or split a fluid flow. It is a type of pipe fitting which is T-shaped having two outlets, at 90 to the connection to the main line. It is a short piece of pipe with a lateral outlet. A tee is used for connecting pipes of different diameters or for changing the direction of pipe runs. They are made of various materials and available in various sizes and finishes. They are extensively used in pipeline networks to transport two-phase fluid mixtures. They are categorized as: Equal Unequal

When the size of the branch is same as header pipes, equal tee is used and when the branch size is less than that of header size, reduced tee will be used. Most common are tees with the same inlet and outlet sizes. Some of the industrial tees are Straight Tee, Reducing Tee, Double Branch Tee, Double Branch Reducing Tee, Conical Tee, Double Branch Conical Tee, Bullhead Tee, Conical Reducing Tee, Double Branch Conical Reducing Tee, Tangential Tee, and Double Branch Tangential Tee.

Flanges
Flanges are generally used when there is a connection to valves, in-line instruments and/or connection to equipment nozzles is required. Flange fittings generally involve pressing two surfaces to be joined tightly together, by means of threaded bolts, wedges, clamps etc. Often, a gasket, packing, or an O-ring is installed between the flanges to prevent leakage.

VALVES
Valves are equipment designed to stop or regulate flow of any fluid (liquid, gas, condensate, stem, slurry, etc.) in its path in a pipe line. Various type of valves are available depending upon the usage as follows: Gate valve - used for isolation only Plug valve - used for isolation only

Globe valve - used for throttling Butterfly valve - used for isolation as well as throttling Check valve - used for preventing reverse flow (non-return) Diaphragm valve - used for isolation as well as throttling Ball valve - used for isolation only

STRAINER
Strainer is used in piping as a filter of impurities present in the fluid. If the impurities are not filtered these will get struck in instruments and equipments. Strainer should be inspected and cleaned regularly.

EXPANSION JOINT
Another important piping component to be installed in a piping is expansion joint. An expansion joint is an assembly designed to safely absorb the heat-induced expansion and contraction of various construction materials to hold certain parts together, or to allow movement. When a hot
fluid is stored in a tank, the nozzle of the tank expands resulting in breakage of the flange joint to the pipeline. In such case we need to fit a flexible pipe component which is called an EXPANSION JOINT
Pipe expansion joints are necessary in systems that convey high temperature commodities such as steam or exhaust gases, or to absorb movement and vibration. A typical type of expansion joint for pipe systems is a bellows which can be manufactured from metal (most commonly stainless steel), plastic (such as PTFE), fabric (such as glass fibre) or an elastomer such as rubber.

INSTRUMENTS USED IN PIPING

When some fluid is flowing in a pipe we may also like know the parameters like, pressure, temperature, flow rate etc. of the fluid. In process piping we should have knowledge about the variations in these factors. For that to measure we use instruments attached to the pipe line. The main instruments used are:Pressure gauge -measure pressure in the line Flow meter - to measure the flow rate

SUPPOTING SYSTEMS IN PIPING

A pipe support is a device designed to carry the weight of the pipe, any in-line equipment and the material in the pipe over a defined span. The four main functions of a pipe support are to guide, anchor, absorb shock and support a specified load. Pipe supports used in high or low temperature applications may contain insulation materials. The overall design configuration of a pipe support assembly is dependent on the loading and operating conditions. Pipe supports of any kind may incorporate springs, snubbers, dampers, or combinations of these devices to compensate for thermal expansion, or to provide vibration isolation, shock control, or reduced vibration excitation of the pipe due to earthquake motion. There are different types of supports like rigid, flexible etc. The pipe supports used in piping are hanger,strut,stanchion, spring box(flexible support). Mainly three types of supports are used:1.Rigid:-In this no movement is allowed in the direction of restrain or loading. 2. Spring:- It allows the movement of pipe in direction of loading. Spring type support is of two types:a) Variable load support b) Constant load support 3.Dynamic Support):- These dynamic restraints are fitted to protect piping and other plant components against unforeseen displacement resulting from shocks. Normal operational thermal expansion must not be thereby obstructed. Shocks can be caused by internal or external such as water hammer or earthquake. An example for dynamic support is Shock absorbers (Snubbers)

These pipes and the piping components together comprises the Piping design. Steps involved in piping are: Decide the flow scheme which means the direct of the pipe line from what point to which point, that is from one equipment to other (from a vessel to pump) etc. Decide the pipe size, pipe material, the wall thickness necessary for the pipe considering the fluid which is flowing and is properties and the environmental conditions. Types of valves to be used to control the fluid flow Various instruments to be used for the process analysis.

All these piping systems are documented in Piping and Instrumentation Drawings (P&IDs). A piping and instrumentation diagram/drawing (P&ID) is a diagram in the process industry which shows the piping of the process flow together with the installed equipment and instrumentation.

List of P&ID items

Instrumentation and designations Mechanical equipment with names and numbers All valves and their identifications Process piping, sizes and identification Vents, drains, special fittings,reducers Permanent start-up and flush lines. Flow directions. Interconnections references.

For the generation of this P&IDs we depend upon different softwares like Smart Plant P&ID (SPP&ID). SPP&ID gives information about pipe size, material, flowing fluid etc. After preparing the SPP&ID we do the plant layout work including the pipe routing, equipment layout by specifying the position coordinates. For this use a software Plant Design Management System (PDMS)3D. In this software we can do pipe routing in virtual 3D space which gives exact location. While doing piping routing using PDMS software some important points to be considered for easy and efficient design. Pipe routing from source to destination should be short as possible and the change in direction of pipe line should be minimum. Should not hinder any normal passage way and any equipment area. Valves, strainers, instruments on the pipe should be easily accessible for easy maintenance .

Access platforms to be provided. The location and orientation of valves and instruments and other pipe components are to be checked and maintained. Specific requirements for instrument installation to be checked. Specific requirements of straight length of pipe for some components to be maintained, like for flow orifice we need to provide 15 times diameter straight pipe length at upstream of orifice and 5 times diameter straight at down stream of orifice.

Vent connection is to be provided at the top most point of the pipeline to give out air in liquid flowing lines. Drain connection is to be provided at the top most point of the pipeline to drain out liquid if required.

INSULATION IN PIPING
Another main aspect in piping is the insulation for pipe. The insulating material should be bad conductor of heat. There are two basic categories 1) Fibrous Material -which has large voids full of air between fibers Eg: Cork, Glass Wool, Mineral Wool, Organic Fibers. 2) Cellular Material, which has closed void cells full or air Eg:Calcium Silicate, Cellular Glass (Foam Glass), Polyurethane Foam (PUF), Polystyrene (Thermocol), etc. Cast material like Cement Plaster or Plaster of Paris are also used

Thermal insulation materials shall meet the property requirements of one or more of the following specifications as applicable to the specific product or end use: a. ASTM C 547, "Standard Specification for Mineral Fiber Pipe Insulation" b. ASTM C 585, "Standard Practice for Inner and Outer Diameters of Rigid Thermal Insulation for Nominal Sizes of Pipe and Tubing (NPS System)"

INSULATION CLADDING
Insulation materials are generally soft or fragile. So the outer surface of insulation are protected with Aluminum sheet or GI sheet cladding

There are mainly two types of insulation-cold insulation and hot insulation. HOT INSULATION:-When hot fluid flows through pipe the pipe it is insulated. There are two primary reasons for insulating the pipe carrying hot fluid. Insulation preserves the heat of the fluid flowing inside the pipe. It is called Hot Insulation To avoid people working in the plant do not get burn injury by touching hot surface of pipe. It is called Personnel Protection Insulation COLD INSULATION:-Cold or chilled fluid carrying pipes are insulated to prevent heating of cold fluid from outside. Some times cold pipes are insulated to prevent condensation of atmospheric water vapor on pipe surface. It is called Anti-Sweat Insulation.

Acoustic Insulation:-When gas flows through pipes at high velocity, it creates noise. In
such cases pipes are insulated to reduce noise. Acoustic insulation can prevent this noise transfer by acting to damp the pipe wall and performing an acoustic decoupling function wherever the pipe passes through a fixed wall or floor and wherever the pipe is mechanically fixed.

Heat Tracing Insulation :-Some times pipe and its content are heated from outside, by
heat tracing element. It is a system used to maintain or raise the temperature of pipes and vessels. Trace heating takes the form of an electrical heating element run in physical contact along the length of a pipe. The pipe must then be covered with thermal insulation to retain heat losses from the pipe. Heat generated by the element then maintains the temperature of the pipe. Trace heating may be used to protect pipes from freezing, or to maintain process temperatures for piping that must transport substances that solidify at ambient temperatures. In that case pipe along with heat tracing element are insulated to conserve the heat of the tracer. It is called Heat Tracing Insulation.

PIPING CALCULATIONS
Piping calculations is the procedure of selecting pipe material, pipe size and pipe wall thickness.

PIPE MATERIAL SELECTION

Steps in pipe material selection:1.Which type of fluid is conveyed through the pipe 2.What is the temperature and pressure of the fluid during conveyance through pipe. 3.How much life for the pipe the vendor demanding. 4.Select the material as per the past experience with cost in mind and after referring material listed in design code. If material is not listed in code select next suitable material in the code list.

PIPE SIZE CALCULATION

Steps in pipe size calculation:1. What is the flow volume per second through the pipe. 2. Calculate the allowable flow velocity per second through the pipe. 3. Calculate the flow area required to acquire the allowable flow volume and velocity. Thus we can calculate the pipe size and diameter. 4. Calculate the pressure drop in that size of pipe. 5. Check whether pressure drop meets the pressure required by the vendor. 6. Otherwise increase the pipe size repeat from step 4.

CRITICAL PIPING
Critical piping is the pipes carrying fluids at very high temperature and pressure. At most care should be taken in designing and handling of this piping. These critical piping are the pipes which carry main fluids and so they are the main pipe lines in a plant design. Important points to be cared while designing a critical piping:-

1.The pipe material selection for critical piping is very important. It should withstand the high pressure and may be also high temperature. 2. As these pipes carry the main system fluid of the power plant, they are routed at beginning of the overall plant layout. 3. Pipes convey hot fluids at very high temperature will expand. So this hot pipes are built in much flexibility in the high temperature pipe routing so that the expansion force is absorbed within the piping and the high loads are not transferred to the nozzles and other components. 4. The international standards like ASME ANSI B31.3 (Power Piping Coding) and the IBR(Indian Boiler Regulation) should be maintained for designing of critical piping.

PIPE STRESS ANALYSIS

Process piping and power piping are typically checked to verify that the routing, nozzle loads, hangers, and supports are properly placed and selected such that allowable pipe stress is not exceeded under different situation such as sustain, operating, pressure testing etc. It is necessary to evaluate the mechanical behavior of the piping under regular loads (internal pressure and thermal stresses) as well under occasional and intermittent loading cases such as earthquake, high wind or special vibration, and water hammer. We have to confirm that the pipe will not fail by the high temperature, high pressure and the fluid loads.

In pipe stress analysis we apply some loads from our logical reasoning on the pipes and calculate the resultant stress on the pipes. Then by referring the ASME and other codes check whether the resultant load are in the acceptable limits. Then the support loads and the movement of the support may induce loads on pipes.

The terminal point loading generated from pipe to the equipment should be calculated. This loading are to be within acceptable limits of the equipment suggested by the vendors. If this load is more the connections like flange joints to the nozzle if the equipments may fail. The movement or vibration of pipe due to fluid flow should be within acceptable limits and the pipe expansion and contraction due to change in temperature. After confirming all this aspects only the stress analysis if completed.

The data to be known for pipe stress analysis Geometric routing of the pipe line. Pipe supports configuration Pipe size and wall thickness Pressure inside pipe Cold and hot temperatures of pipe Weight of pipe and insulation provided Weight of conveying fluid Pipe material Property (Youngs Modulus, Thermal Expansion Coefficient) Thrust on pipe due to wind earthquake etc. Load of Snow on pipe Any other load on the piping Transit loading due to steam hammer at elbows.

Outputs of the pipe stress analysis: Resultant stress of the pipe when various loads acting on it. Load at various supports and restrains. Movement or vibration of pipe at support locations Loading at the connection between pipe and any equipment at the terminal points.

For pipe stress analysis refer to codes like ASME ASNI B31.1 and IBR. This evaluation is usually performed with the assistance of a specialized (finite element) pipe stress analysis computer program such as CAESAR II (Computer Aided Engineering Software And Routing).

Doubts 1. In piping calculations during pipe sizing calculation how we get the flow volume/sec, velocity allowable/sec, flow area required? 2. What is pressure budget? 3. Explain material thickess again?