PETRONAS TECHNICAL STANDARDS

Minimum Loadings And Load Combinations For

Onshore Structural Design

PTS 11.10.01
December 2016

© 2016 PETROLIAM NASIONAL BERHAD (PETRONAS)

All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form
or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the permission of the copyright
owner. PETRONAS Technical Standards are Company’s internal standards and meant for authorized users only.
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FOREWORD

PETRONAS Technical Standards (PTS) has been developed based on the accumulated knowledge,
experience and best practices of the PETRONAS group supplementing National and International
standards where appropriate. The key objective of PTS is to ensure standard technical practice across
the PETRONAS group.

Compliance to PTS is compulsory for PETRONAS-operated facilities and Joint Ventures (JVs) where
PETRONAS has more than fifty percent (50%) shareholding and/or operational control, and includes
all phases of work activities.

Contractors/manufacturers/suppliers who use PTS are solely responsible in ensuring the quality of
work, goods and services meet the required design and engineering standards. In the case where
specific requirements are not covered in the PTS, it is the responsibility of the
Contractors/manufacturers/suppliers to propose other proven or internationally established
standards or practices of the same level of quality and integrity as reflected in the PTS.

In issuing and making the PTS available, PETRONAS is not making any warranty on the accuracy or
completeness of the information contained in PTS. The Contractors/manufacturers/suppliers shall
ensure accuracy and completeness of the PTS used for the intended design and engineering
requirement and shall inform the Owner for any conflicting requirement with other international
codes and technical standards before start of any work.

PETRONAS is the sole copyright holder of PTS. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, recording or
otherwise) or be disclosed by users to any company or person whomsoever, without the prior written
consent of PETRONAS.

The PTS shall be used exclusively for the authorised purpose. The users shall arrange for PTS to be
kept in safe custody and shall ensure its secrecy is maintained and provide satisfactory information to
PETRONAS that this requirement is met.
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ANNOUNCEMENT

Please be informed that the entire PTS inventory is currently undergoing transformation exercise from
2013 - 2015 which includes revision to numbering system, format and content. As part of this change,
the PTS numbering system has been revised to 6-digit numbers and drawings, forms and requisition
to 7-digit numbers. All newly revised PTS will adopt this new numbering system, and where required
make reference to other PTS in its revised numbering to ensure consistency. Users are requested to
refer to PTS 00.01.01 (PTS Index) for mapping between old and revised PTS numbers for clarity. For
further inquiries, contact PTS administrator at ptshelpdesk@petronas.com.my
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Table of Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 5
1.1 SCOPE ......................................................................................................................... 5
1.2 GLOSSARY OF TERMS ................................................................................................. 5
2.0 MINIMUM STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS ........................................................ 6
2.1 ONSHORE STRUCTURES.............................................................................................. 6
2.2 DESIGN WORKING LIFE ............................................................................................... 6
2.3 DESIGN LOADS ............................................................................................................ 7
3.0 LOAD COMBINATIONS ................................................................................... 14
4.0 FACTOR OF SAFETY FOR DESIGN CONSIDERATION ......................................... 16
5.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................. 17
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1.0 INTRODUCTION

This PETRONAS Technical Standards (PTS) provides the minimum structural design
requirements for onshore structures. This PTS adopts various International Standards with
additional requirements based on PETRONAS lesson learnt and best practices.

1.1 SCOPE

The scope covers loadings and load combinations as minimum structural design requirement
for onshore structures listed in Section 2.1.

1.2 GLOSSARY OF TERMS

1.2.1 General Definition of Terms & Abbreviations

Refer to PTS Requirements, General Definition of Terms, Abbreviations & Reading Guide PTS
00.01.03 for General Definition of Terms & Abbreviations

1.2.2 Specific Definition

None

1.2.3 Specific Abbreviations

No Abbreviations Description

1 EN EURO Code

2 IBC International Building Code

3 UBBL Uniform Building By-Law

Table 1.1: Specific Abbreviations
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2.0 MINIMUM STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS

2.1 ONSHORE STRUCTURES

This PTS covers the design loadings applied on common structures in PETRONAS onshore
plants. Typical structures and foundation in PETRONAS plants are as followings but not limited
to:

i. Equipment supporting sStructure

ii. Pipe Support - pipe sleeper and pipe rack for piping and cable trays & pipe bridge

iii. Flare Structure, cooling tower and water retaining structure

iv. Occupied and non-occupied building, shed and shelter

v. Jetty and coastal protection

2.2 DESIGN WORKING LIFE

The design working life of a structure is the assumed period for which a structure or part of it
is to be used for its intended purpose with anticipated maintenance but without major repair
being necessary. This requires knowledge of the ambient conditions, loadings and rates of
deterioration of the elements of the structure throughout its life span.

The values given in Table 2.1 shall be used for determining time-dependent performance (e.g.
fatigue-related calculations). The table shall be read in conjunction with Annex A1 (BS EN
1990) for application for buildings and Annex A2 (BS EN 1990) for application for bridges. The
minimum design working life (unless stated otherwise) can vary depending on the use of the
structure or on the design life of the overall facility/plant or refinery, and shall be agreed by
the Owner.

Design working Minimum design

life category working life (years) Examples

1 10 Temporary structures(1)

2 10 to 30 Replaceable structural parts eg. bolt & nut

Building structures and other common
3 50 structures
Monumental building structures, bridges, and
4 100 other civil engineering structures
Table 2.1: Minimum design working life
NOTE(S):
(1) Structures or parts of structures that can be dismantled with a view of being re-used should not be considered as temporary.

Source: BS EN 1990 and PETRONAS best practices.

Reference shall be made to PTS 11.16.01 Design of Jetty or approved equivalent codes and
standards as a guideline jetty design working life.
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2.3 DESIGN LOADS

2.3.1 General

All new onshore structures shall be designed to resist the minimum loads in accordance to
this PTS, local and international building codes and standards.
Future loads shall be considered as specified by Owner. For existing facilities, actual loads may
be used in lieu of the minimum specified loads.

Refer to Table 2.7 for minimum load types. Other loads that is not listed in Table 2.7 shall be
included in the design, if required by the Owner or local and International Codes and
Standards.

2.3.2 Imposed Load

The imposed load in Table 2.2 shall be taken into account:

*Minimum Uniformly *Minimum Single

Purposes Distributed Load Point Load
1. Floors, platforms, walkways and
staircases
a) Operational/maintenance 5.0 kN/m2 7.5 kN
b) Access only 2.0 kN/m2 3.0 kN
2. Roofs (1)
a) Accessible for inspection and 1.0 kN/m2
repair only 2.0 kN
b) Non accessible for inspection 0.25 kN/m2
and repair
3. Railings
a) Horizontal force of at any point - 1.0 kN
4. Ladders
a) Vertical force at any point - 1.33kN
Table 2.2: Minimum Imposed Load
NOTE(S):
*Whichever is the more unfavourable for the structural element(s)
(1) Proper signage should be provided to warn personnel not to access and climb the roof

For imposed load for buildings, refer to PTS 11.14.01 and PTS 11.14.03.

2.3.3 Wind Load

i. Wind load shall be determined in accordance with local or international codes and
standards as agreed by Owner.

ii. The wind can blow in any direction and the most unfavourable case shall be
considered.

iii. Where applicable, due regard shall be given to the allowable reduction of live
loads for multi-storey buildings or open structures under maximum wind load
conditions.
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iv. Overhead pipe racks

a) 4m wide or less: Wind load on the three largest pipes shall be taken into
account
b) Over 4 m wide: Wind load on the four largest pipes shall be taken into
account

2.3.4 Earthquake Load

Reference for earthquake load shall be made to PTS 11.10.02 Seismic Hazard Assessment for
Onshore Facilities.

i. Earthquake load shall be taken into account.

ii. The frequency of occurrence of earthquakes, and their intensity and duration
shall be derived from seismological data and/or accelerograms (i.e. recordings of
actual ground accelerations during an earthquake), local and international codes
and standards or as specified by the Owner.

iii. Expansion joints shall be designed to avoid collision of structures.

iv. Where necessary a special soil investigation shall be conducted to predict the
possibility of ground displacements, settlements and soil liquefaction.

v. The origin of the earthquake data shall be given in the calculations.

2.3.5 Snow Load, Ice Load, Sand Load and Water Load
i. Snow, ice, sand and water load shall be taken into consideration in roof design. The
load shall be derived from local regulations or experience.

2.3.6 Crane Loads (Lifting and Travelling)

This load criterion applies to all cranes, monorails and hoists.

The maximum values to be included for lifting load shall be as follows:

i. Lifting capacity including operational capacity and test load level

ii. Maximum horizontal loads caused by braking or acceleration.

For the design of each structural element the most unfavourable position of the crane or other
moving loads shall be considered.

i. Maximum Wheel Load

The maximum wheel loads shall be the wheel loads produced by the weight of
the bridge, as applicable, plus the sum of the rated capacity and the weight of
the trolley with the trolley positioned on its runway at the location where the
resulting load effect is maximum.
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ii. Vertical Impact Force

a) The maximum wheel loads of the crane shall be increased by the
percentages shown below to determine the induced vertical impact or
vibration force:

Crane Types % Increase

Monorail cranes (powered) 25

Cab-operated or remotely operated bridge 25

(powered)

Pendant -operated bridge cranes (powered) 10

Bridge cranes or monorail cracnes with hand- -

geared bridge, trolley, and hoist
Table 2.3: Percentage increased to maximum wheel loads

iii. Lateral Force

a) Shall be calculated as 20% of the sum of the rated capacity of the crane
and the weight of the hoist and trolley.
b) Shall be assumed to act horizontally at the traction surface of a runway
beam, in either direction perpendicular to the beam.
c) Shall be distributed with due regard to the lateral stiffness of the runway
beam and supporting structure.

iv. Longitudinal Force

a) Shall be calculated as 10% of the maximum wheel loads of the crane.
b) Shall be assumed to act horizontally at the traction surface of a runway
beam in either direction parallel to the beam.

2.3.3 Traffic Load

Reference for traffic load shall be made to PTS 11.12.02 Roadworks and Surfacing

i. At least one road leading to the main process or distribution area(s) shall be
designated as a heavy equipment route.

ii. Bridges/culverts including other underground facilities shall be designed for the
maximum expected loading condition caused by transportation of heavy
equipment.

2.3.4 Bundle Pulling Load

The supports of heat exchangers with removable bundles shall be calculated on a pulling force
of 200% of the weight of the bundle unless the bundles are pulled by means of a mechanical
device which acts on the principle of equilibrium of forces.
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2.3.5 Stresses Induced by Thermal Loads

i. When thermal expansion results in friction between equipment and supports, the
friction force shall be taken as the operating load on the support times the
applicable friction coefficient.

Surfaces Friction Coefficient

Steel to steel 0.30

Teflon to Teflon 0.08

Graphite to graphite 0.15

Stainless steel to teflon 0.08

Steel to concrete 0.45

Table 2.4: Friction coefficient

ii. Steel pipe rack beam

The horizontal slip forces exerted by expanding or contracting pipes on steel pipe
racks shall be assumed to be 15 % of the operating weight on the beam. These
'slip forces' shall not be distributed to the foundations.

iii. Concrete pipe rack beam

Shall be designed for an arbitrary horizontal pipe anchor force of 15kN acting at
mid span, and shall not be distributed to the foundations.

iv. Pipe anchor and Guide Loads

Normally, pipe anchor and guide load and location will be supplied by piping stress
group from the piping stress analysis. For pipes where the anchor and guide loads
are not supplied by the piping stress group, anchor/guide load may be calculated
based on the arbitrary forces of 5 % of the total pipe load per layer.

This anchor and guide load which acting simultaneously with thermal friction load
shall be considered for the design of piperack beam, column, struts, bracing
system and foundation.

v. Thermal Friction Loads

Thermal friction load shall be considered as loads acting lateral to the pipe
support beam based on the operating weight (dead + contents). Minimum 15% of
the operating load shall be considered as thermal friction load. Thermal friction
loads will not be included in the design of vertical bracing system, columns and
foundations.
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vi. Thermo-mechanical forces and stresses

a) Foundations and liquid retaining structures (including fireproofing) that
are subjected to thermo-mechanical effects shall also be designed for the
thermal loads and for any temperature difference that may occur.
b) Heat transfer calculations shall be used to determine the effects of:
i. Thermo-mechanical forces and stresses;
ii. Changing of any properties of materials used.

Specific attention to potential changes in properties shall be given if the

temperature of the concrete exceeds 70 °C.

2.3.6 Dynamic Loads

Reference for dynamic load shall be made to ASCE 7 and BS EN 1991.

A detailed design and vibration analysis for rotating equipment foundations and structures
subject to vibration shall be made in accordance with Table 2.5.

Type of Loads Requirements

Static i. Shall be calculated and shown to be within the limits stated by

deformation the Vendor of the equipment.

ii. The calculations shall include the following causes of

deformation:

a) Shrinkage and creep of concrete;

b) Temperature effects caused by radiation and

convection of heat or cold generated by machinery,
piping and ducting;

c) Elastic deformation:

a. Due to vapour pressure change in

condensers;

b. Due to soil settlement or elastic compression

of piles.

Vibration i. A three-dimensional vibration analysis shall be made and shall

analysis show that the dynamic amplitudes shall not exceed the lower of
the following values:

a) The maximum allowable values stated by the

Manufacturer of the equipment;

b) The amplitude (single amplitude) which causes the

effective velocity of vibration to exceed:
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a. 2 mm/s at the location of the machine-

bearing housings

b. 2.5 mm/s at any location of the structure

ii. The effective velocity is defined as the square root of the

average of the square of the velocity, velocity being a function
of time. In the case of a pure sinusoidal function the effective
velocity is 0.71 times the peak value of the velocity.

Excitation i. Shall be taken as the maximum values that, according to the

force Vendor of the equipment, will occur during the lifetime of the
equipment.

Schematic i. The vibration calculation shall be based on a mechanical model

mechanical wherein the weights and elasticity of both structure and
model foundation and the weight of the equipment are represented in
an appropriate way.

Frequencies i. All natural frequencies below 2 times the operating frequency

for reciprocating equipment and below 1.5 times the operating
frequency for rotating equipment shall be calculated.
ii. It shall be demonstrated that the amplitudes of the natural
frequencies between 0.35 and 1.5 times the operating
frequency are within the allowable values even assuming that
resonance occurs due to differences between the actual
structure and the assumed model. In this case a reasonable
amount of damping should be estimated.
iii. The natural frequency of the supporting structure shall not
coincide with any resonant frequency of the equipment.

Dynamic i. The dynamic amplitudes of any part of the foundation including

amplitudes any reciprocating compressor shall be limited to a peak to peak
amplitude of less than 50 µm or as otherwise specified by the
Owner or Vendor Data.
Table 2.5: Dynamic Load Requirements
Source: International Building Code

2.3.7 Explosion and Impact Loads

Reference for explosion and impact Loads shall be made to PTS 11.14.03 Blast Resistant
Building Design.

Explosion and impact loads due to explosion or collision shall be included in the design, if
required by the Owner or local standards.
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For the purpose of design, the weight of machinery and moving loads shall be increased as
follows to allow for impact:

Percentage
Types of member Source of Impact increased (%)

Supporting Elevators and elevator machinery 100

Light machinery, shaft or motor

Supporting driven 20

Reciprocrating machinery or power-

Supporting driven units 50

Hangers Floors or balconies 33

Table 2.6: Percentage increased to the weight of machinery for impact load

2.3.8 Construction and Maintenance Loads

i. All possible loading conditions during construction and maintenance shall be

taken into account. The most unfavourable condition shall be taken into account
for each structural member.

ii. The loads of scaffolding, including the wind load, shall be taken into account for
the design of the structure.

iii. Heavy equipment lowered onto a supporting structure can introduce extreme
point loads on structural members, exceeding any operating or test load. After
placing of equipment, the exact positioning (lining out and leveling) can also
introduce extreme point loads. The above should be interpreted on the basis of
the Contractor's practical experience and the Vendor's information.

iv. Beams and floor slabs in multi-storey structures, e.g. fire decks, shall be designed
to carry the full construction loads imposed by the props supporting the structure
immediately above. A note shall be added to the relevant construction drawings
to inform the field engineer of the adopted design philosophy.

2.3.9 Geotechnical Load

Reference for geotechnical loads shall be made to PTS 11.13.01 Geotechnical Engineering for
Onshore Facilities; e.g. settlement, liquefaction, hydrostatic, bouyancy.
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3.0 LOAD COMBINATIONS

The following load combinations shall be included in the structural design:

i. Dead Weight of Empty Equipment (Static and/or Rotating) derived from Vendor
Data including insulation, protection and fireproofing.

ii. Operating Weight of Equipment (Static and/or Rotating) including internals and
weight of maximum content during operational stage.

iii. Hydrostatic Test Weight of Equipment (Static and/or Rotating), with equipment
completely filled with test liquid as required throughout the test duration, which
shall be used for the supporting structure design purpose. When considering
multiple equipment on one support structure, the design shall include the test of
only one of equipment at any one time with the other equipment considered as
empty or under operation stage.

Load combination shall consider all the possible situations that could occur during the
structure’s lifetime.

Structures shall be designed using the loading combinations given in Table 2.7.

Operation

Without With Construction/

wind wind Test Maintenance Earthquake

Load A B C D E

Structure dead load x x x x x

Equipment dead load x x x x x

Lifting/Moving load x x x

Equipment empty weight xa x

Equipment operating weight x xa x

Equipment hydrostatic test load x

Imposed loads x x x x x

Wind loads x xc d xd

Snow/ice/sand/water loads x x x

Dynamic loads x x xb x

Thermal effects x x x
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Construction and maintenance

loads x

Earthquake loads x

Differential settlement x x x x

Traffic Load x x

Bundle Pull Load x

Explosion Load x

Impact Loads (Jetty) x x

Table 2.7: Load Combinations A to E

NOTE(S):
i. The most unfavourable load combination shall be taken into account.
ii. Only if the structure supports rotating equipment that will be in operation while a vessel is being tested with water.
iii. Only 50% wind load shall be taken into account.
iv. The effect of wind forces acting on temporary scaffolding erected during construction or for subsequent maintenance
which will be transferred to the vessel or column shall be considered. When considering these effects, the actual
projected area of the scaffold members together with the correct shape factor and drag coefficient should be used. As
an initial approximation, the overall width of the scaffolding itself can be taken as 1.5 m on each side of the vessel or
column with 50% closed surface and shape factor 1.
Source: BS6399
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4.0 FACTOR OF SAFETY FOR DESIGN CONSIDERATION

The stability of the structure shall be checked for the non-factored load combinations B, C and
D and, if applicable, E. The following stability ratios shall be used in calculations to prevent
foundations from overturning owing to horizontal loads:

i. Load combinations B, C and D a minimum factor of 1.5.

ii. Load combination E a minimum factor of 1.25.

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5.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY

In this PTS, reference is made to the following other Standards/Publication. Unless specifically
designed by date, the latest edition of each publication shall be used, together with any
supplements/revisions there to:

PETRONAS TECHNICAL STANDARDS

Index to PTS PTS 00.01.01
Requirements, General Definition of Terms, Abbreviations & Reading PTS 00.01.03
Guide
Seismic Hazard Assessment For Onshore Facilities PTS 11.10.02
Geotechnical Engineering for Onshore Facilities PTS 11.13.01
Design and Engineering of Buildings PTS 11.14.01
Blast Resistant Building Design PTS 11.14.03
Design of Jetty PTS 11.16.01

MALAYSIAN STANDARDS
Uniform Building By-Laws UBBL

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
Minimum design loads for buildings and other Structures ANSI/ASCE 7-95
Basis of Structural Design BS EN 1990
Euro Code 1: Action on structures BS EN 1991
International Building Code IBC