Piping Stress Job Interview questions

The following list will provide few interview questions asked in different interview for a Piping Stress
Engineer post. Hope you will be able to find the answers from ASME B 31.3 and any piping stress text
books or from piping hand book. In case you could not find out a specific answer reply in comments
section. This is the part one of the collection. Keep checking the website regularly for other parts.
1) How to make critical line list or flexibility log? How will you decide critical line list with help of ASME
B31.3?
2) How to decide Stress critical systems for analysis using Caesar II?
3) Which lines can be eliminated from formal Stress analysis?
4) Can you make a typical Sketch & supporting for column piping? How to decide how many load bearing
clip supports to be used?
5) Draw a typical Sketch & supporting arrangement for tank farm piping? How tank Piping analysis is
different from normal pressure vessel connected piping system analysis?
6) What is SIF? Formulas for In plane, outplane sif for elbow (B31.3)?
7) Value of sif, flexibility factor for Bend?
8) What are the necessary documents required for stress analysis?
9) Why a Spring hanger is used? Can you write the formula for spring HL, CL & variability?
10) What are the different types of supports used in piping systems?
11) What do you know about Expansion joints and thier types? When these come into picture?
12) What are the normal types of load cases? Write the load cases for a typical stress system using static
method of seimic and wind?
13) What is slug flow? What parameters are required to calculate Slug force?
14) What are the dynamic restraints? What is snubber and when do you use a snubber?
15) What is the minimum swing allowed in top mounted hanger? What will you do if that amount exceeds
in a typical piping system?

16) What is cold pull and why it is used?

17) What is difference between Variable Hanger and Constant Hanger? What is the variability of Constant
Spring hanger?
18) What are the inputs required for stress analysis? What do you check in Caesar analysis of a piping
system?
19) What do you mean by the term liberal stress?
20) What is hot-cold philosophy for pump? Have you heard the term Pump alignment?
21) Write equation for SE in terms of Sb and St from ASME B 31.3?
22) What are the major difference between WRC 107 and WRC 297?
23) How Anchor load for a rack is calculated at the initial phases of project? What are the normal
guidelines assumed?
24) Draw a typical control station layout and show its supporting?
25) How pump piping is routed and supported?
41) What does B31.3 tell about SIF for sockolet and reducer?
42) Explain the role of Appendix V of B31.3?
43) Does B31.3 allow a stress limit of 1.33Sh in PSV pop up case or is it 1.20 Sh?
44) Explain how to model snubber in CAESAR II.
45) Briefly explain the modeling of Sway Brace is CAESAR II.

46) What is the basic difference between a snubber and a sway brace in terms of applicability?
47) Explain with reason as to what should happen to the SIF and Flexibility factor of a bend when a
trunnion is attached to it?
48) Explain the terms SIF and FLEXIBILITY factor.
49) Why SIF is not so significant with primary loading?
50) What happens to SIF of a reinforced connection if thickness of reinforcement increases beyond 1.5
times header thickness?
51) What special note B31.3 provides for SIF of welding tees (B16.9) ?
52) Explain with reasons as to which one is having higher SIF: a 45 bend or a 90 Bend?
53) Explain with reasons as to whether for a non 90 degree branch the same SIF can be taken as that
for a 90 branch?
54) If thickness of the header of a branch connection increases, what happens to its SIF, other
parameters kept constant?
55) What are the methods for flange leakage checking? Write euations used for flange leakage checking
in pressure equivalent method?

56) What are the major difference between ASME B 31.3 and B31.1?
57) Place the following lines in Rack and show the placement of expansion loop?
a) A 16 inch High pressure steam line
b) A 6 inch Low pressure steam line
c) A 10 inch Medium pressure steam line
d) A 30 inch flare line
e) A 8 inch process line and
f) A 24 inch cooling water line.
58) How to decide the Spring height for a top mounted Spring hanger? What are the attachments used?
59) How do you calculate SIF for 45 degree lateral connections entering into flare header?
60) What are the transfer lines? Why does the stress analysis of transfer lines considered critical?
61. If a power plant is designed inside a Process refinery then where the specification break between
ASME B31.1 & ASME B31.3 should occur?
62.What is category M fluid service? Provide some examples?
63.What will be the consequences of a steam piping having low pocket but not having a steam trap?
64.When and why the reducer of a pump suction piping is installed in bottom flat condition?
65. If you found a specification break (at flange) between carbon steel and stainless steel in a typical
P&ID. What are the additional arrangements which a piping engineer should make for this?
66.Assume a straight pipe of length L anchored at both ends. When a temp change occurs the anchor
force at one anchor becomes F1. Now the length of the same pipw increased to L2 and with similar temp
change anchor force becomes F2. What is the relation between F1 and F2?
67. What is Piping Speciality item? How many types of piping speciality items are used in piping
engineering? Can we include them in standard piping specification, explain with reason?
68.Why does the sustained sagging for steam lines are limited within 3-5 mm?
69. What is a Double block & Bleed valve? When such type valves are required?
70.In a normal tie-in where do you insert the spectacle blind? a) before block valve and towards new plant
or b) after block valve and towards existing plant . Explain why.
71.What is the difference between a pipe elbow and a bend?
72. Among the following which material have the highest co-efficient of thermal expansion? A) Carbon
steel b) Cast Iron c) Duplex steel d)Stainless steel e) Galvanized Carbon steel
73.What are the major parameters to be reported in support tag for a Shoe/Saddle type support?

74.What are the Metallic expansion joints? When they are used and when they could be avoided?
75.What is hot sustained stress? Why do we check it? Do we need to chech expansion stress for hot
sustained case?

76. What is the philosophy of arranging pipes in the Pipe rack and why? Normally what % of area is kept
reserved for future expansion?
77.What are the major difficulties faced by a stress engineer while analysis two vertical rebolers
connected with a single column?
78.What are the different types of combination methods available is Caesar II? What is the difference
between Scalar and Absolute method?
79. Are process plant water lines considered pressure piping systems?
80. For what fluid service category may a hydro test be waived off as per B31.3?
81. Check the following load cases and tell me what is the difference between load case L3 and L4?
L1. W+T1+P1
OPE
L2. W+P1
SUS
L3. L1-L2
EXP
L4. T1
EXP
82. Which comes first?Stress or Strain?
83. What is the difference between Stress and Pressure?
84. What are the major differences between a Pipe and a Tube?
85. What is seismic co-efficient? How this is decided?
86. What is wind shape factor? How the value of wind shape factor is decided?
87. Why does the manufacturer produce pipes with OD constant for a specific size and varying ID?
88. What are the major responsibilities of a stress engineer?89. What are the major differences between
primary and secondary stresses in Piping?
90. Do you consider the vertical thermal growth for modelling fired heater in Caesar II? Explain with
reason?
91. Why does the dummy of a piping system is also insulated for cold insulated piping system but not
insulated for hot insulated piping system?

92. What are the major parameters and process inputs required for performing dynamic slug flow
analysis?
93. Which parameters do you seek from civil department for performing underground piping analysis in
Caesar II? Describe briefly the method of performing underground piping analysis using caesar II? What
are the outputs to check and what to interpret from caesar results?
94.

How

to

calculate

pipe

thickness

for

externally

pressured

piping

system?

95. What do you mean by the term flexibility ? How to ensure that the flexibility of a piping system is
appropriate? What are the means for increasing flexibility? What will happen if more flexibility is provided
to a piping system?
96. As per code ASME B 31.3 how many types of fluid service is available?

97. What are the code cases for ASME B 31.3?

98. Describe step by step methods for modelling a sway brace in caesar II?
99. In which way PDS, PDMS and SP3D differs? Which one is the best user friendly?
101. Can we exceed the design pressure of a piping system more than its design pressure. If yes then in
what condition?
102. What is the limitation of using PTFE slide plate? What can be done in such situation?103. How to
decide whether hydrotest or pneumatic test will be performed for a piping system?
104. What is bourdon effect of Piping system? When this effect become critical?
105. How do you check dummy ot trunnions for any project? Can you write the formulas used for this
checking?
106. What is the difference between pressure safety valve and pressure relief valve?
107. Why do you consider slug flow in a piping system as critical?
108. What is the function of a gasket in flanged joint?
109. Why sustained stress is considered as a primary stress?
110. What are the major differences between SIF and SCF (Stress Concentration Factor)?
111. Lets assume from a 24 inch pipe header two tapping, one 2 inch and other one 4 inch, are taken. At
the interconnection point in which case the SIF will be higher?
112. What is the industry accepted procedure for transferring anchor load for intermediate anchors
(anchor in between two loops) where normally caesar shows very less value?
113. How to analyze stress packages when D/T ratio for the pipe exceeds 100?
114. Arrange the following piping elements with respect to flexibility and SIF (either increasing or
decreasing order). Assume pipe size and thickness are constant.: 1.5D bend, 1D bend, Straight Pipe, 4D
bend, 10D bend.
115. What is primary membrane stress?
116. Which one is more flexible : 45 bend or 90 bend? Which one is having more SIF?
117. Can we call piping shoe a pipe component as per code? Explain with reason. What is your opinion
about RF pad in this respect?
118. What does the piping code says about the operation and maintenance of piping system?

119. You want to make some changes in the existing plant and want to add a new line by hot tapping.
From which point the ASME B 31.3 code will be applicable?
120. What are the terms Code Case and Code Interpretation signifies?
121. How to model Air fin Fan Cooler in Caesar II? Why do you consider equipment weight in AFC
modeling while for other heat exchanger we do not consider? What code need to be followed for nozzle
load checking and what the code says about nozzle load checking? Why do we need thrust blocks for air
fin fan cooler?
122. Can you write the NEMA equipment nozzle equation sets? What are the major differences in
between API 617 and NEMA SM 23 from stress point of view? Draw a typical steam turbine piping layout?
123. Which standard is used for designing plate fin heat exchanger? Which table is normally followed for
nozzle load checking?
124. How do you consider tank settlement while stress analysis? Is it a primary or secondary stress? Do
you add tank settlement with sustained load cases? If yes why? What code says about tank settlement?
What is tank bulging and why does it happen?
125. Draw a typical layout of a line connected with fired heater (Heater Piping)? Which standard is used
for allowble nozzle loads?
126. What are the major differences in between B 31.3 edition 2012 and 2010?
127. Which standard says about rotary equipment alignment check? What is the criteria mentioned in that
standard? While alignment checking spring will be in locked or design condition?
128. Calculate the number of loops for a 400 meter long carbon steel pipe having a temperature of 400
degree centigrade running over a pipe rack?
129. How do you calculate PSV reaction forces in absence of reaction force in vendor data? What is the
major difference in between pressure safety valve and pressure relief valve?
130. Do you perform trunnion check while analysing a stress system? What are the associated formulas
for trunnion checking?
131. What is the equation for calculating seismic co-efficient? How to calculate the wind force?
132. What is guided cantilever method? What is the importance of this method?
133. What does the Appendix F of API 610 ensures? What are the equations? What the standard says for
vertical inline pumps?
134. What do you mean by weld joint strength reduction factor and quality factor? What is the importance
of these factors?
135. While providing preliminary rack loading what assumptions do you consider?
136. What was the most critical system you analysed in the last company? Draw the layout? What
changes you recommended? What is temperature of that line?
137. What are the minimum load cases required to consider while performing stress analysis of a vertical
reboiler connected piping system?
138. Have you performed stress analysis of reciprocating compressor connected line? What are the
considerations? What is the minimum frequency you achieved before sending for pulsation study? How
do you consider upto what length of piping is to be send for pulsation study?
139. What actually do you check during flange leakage checking by NC 3658 method?
140. Can we reduce the hydrotest pressure of pipe to less than 1.5 times the line design pressure? If yes
then in what condition?