Piping Systems
Piping Systems
PIPING SYSTEMS
Note: The source of the technical material in this volume is the Professional
Engineering Development Program (PEDP) of Engineering Services.
Warning: The material contained in this document was developed for Saudi
Aramco and is intended for the exclusive use of Saudi Aramco’s employees.
Any material contained in this document which is not already in the public
domain may not be copied, reproduced, sold, given, or disclosed to third
parties, or otherwise used in whole, or in part, without the written permission
of the Vice President, Engineering Services, Saudi Aramco.
Chapter : Civil and Structural For additional information on this subject, contact
File Reference: CSE-110.03 PEDD Coordinator on 874-6556
Engineering Encyclopedia Analysis and Design of Tanks, Vessels and Piping
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INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 6
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Calculation Procedure.............................................................................. 46
Friction................................................................................................................ 48
TYPES AND FUNCTIONS OF SUPPORTS AND RESTRAINTS FOR
VARIOUS PIPING SYSTEMS ....................................................................................... 49
Background ........................................................................................................ 49
Types and Functions of Supports ....................................................................... 50
Rigid Supports ......................................................................................... 50
Flexible or Resilient Supports .................................................................. 56
Stops........................................................................................................ 60
Guides ..................................................................................................... 60
Anchors.................................................................................................... 63
SUMMARY.................................................................................................................... 68
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FIGURE LIST
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INTRODUCTION
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Background
• Plant piping
• Cross-country pipelines
Plant Piping
Components
• Supports.
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Horizontal drum
Vertical drum
H80
in . SC
10 A
H40
i n. SC R
8
A R δ
HE-A R
HE-B S Y
S
Z
X
where:
R = Rigid support
S = Spring support
HE = Heat exchanger
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Uses
• Compressors
• Furnaces
• Heat exchangers
• Pressure vessels
• Pumps
• Storage tanks
Cross-Country Pipelines
• Wellhead
• GOSP
• Gas treating
• Gas mains
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Components
Uses
• Underground
• Aboveground
• Submarine
Underground Pipelines
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Aboveground Pipelines
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Submarine Pipelines
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Production platform
Anchor
Sea level
Grade
Riser
Anchor
Sea bed
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• ANSI/ASME codes
- ANSI/ASME B31, Code for Pressure Piping
+ ANSI/ASME B31.3, Chemical Plant and Petroleum
Refinery Piping
+ ANSI/ASME B31.4, Liquid Transportation Systems
for Hydrocarbons, Liquid Petroleum Gas, Anhydrous
Ammonia, and Alcohols
+ ANSI/ASME B31.8, Gas Transmission and
Distribution Piping
• ANSI and API standards and publications
ANSI/ASME B31.3, Chemical Plant and Petroleum Refinery Piping
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• Condensate
• Crude oil
• Liquid alcohol
• Liquid anhydrous ammonia
• Liquefied petroleum gas
• Liquid petroleum products
• Natural gas liquids
• Natural gasoline
• Pipe
• Flanges
• Bolting
• Gaskets
• Valves
• Relief devices
• Fittings
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The industry codes that are noted above, and the Saudi Aramco
standards and specifications that will be discussed later, include
references to ANSI, API, and other industry standards and
publications. By reference, these publications become integral
parts of the industry and Saudi Aramco design standards.
These publications provide additional detailed requirements for
specific piping system components, such as valves and flanges,
and for particular piping system applications, such as offshore
production platform piping or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
installations. These ANSI and API standards are not discussed
since they provide detailed information that is beyond the scope
of this course. Participants are referred to the ANSI/ASME B31
Codes and relevant Saudi Aramco standards and specifications
as necessary for additional information.
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SAES-H-002, Internal and External Coatings for Steel Pipelines and Piping
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• Layout considerations
• Detailed design considerations
Background
Supports
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• Operations
• Maintenance
• Safety
These considerations influence both the overall and detailed
design of the structural steel and associated foundations
needed for piping systems.
Operations Requirements
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The layout of the piping system must allow for inspection, repair,
or replacement of components with minimum difficulty. The
layout must provide adequate clearance for maintenance
equipment, such as cranes and trucks, and provide access to
the supports. The system also must not interfere with
maintenance and possible removal of large pieces of
equipment. For example:
• Heat exchanger tube bundles must be pulled out for
cleaning.
• Rotating equipment requires frequent monitoring
and maintenance, and sometimes must be removed.
Safety Requirements
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• Material selection
• Allowable stress
• Flexibility
• Equipment tie-in
• Deflection tolerance
Material Selection
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Allowable Stress
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Flexibility
• Damaged equipment
• Excessive maintenance
• Leaky flanges
• Pipe failure
• Operating problems
The flexibility of the piping system may be increased by the use
of the following:
• Offsets
• Bends
• Expansion loops
• Expansion joints (SAES-L-011 limits the use of
expansion joints.)
• Spring supports instead of rigid supports
Restraints are sometimes installed to minimize thermal and
friction loads at equipment and/or to direct thermal movement
toward a more flexible portion of the system that is better able to
absorb the movement.
Equipment Tie-In
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Weight Stress
Deflection Tolerance
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• Pipe layout.
• Pipe design conditions, especially temperature.
• Location of end points and any thermal movements
to be considered.
• Location of support and restraint points.
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Weight
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t= (2SE
PD + A
)
(1 − M.T.)
where:
t = Minimum thickness that is required for pressure
plus allowances for corrosion, erosion, thread,
and groove depth, as required by the applicable
code, in inches.
P = Internal design pressure of the pipe at the point
under consideration, in psig.
D = Outside diameter of the pipe, in inches.
S = Allowable stress for the pipe material at the
design temperature considering the piping code
used for the design, in psi.
Note that in ANSI/ASME B31.1 and B31.3, "S"
denotes the material allowable stress. B31.1 and
B31.3 contain tables that specify allowable stress
as a function of material specification and design
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temperature.
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Given:
Solution:
t = 0.2936 inch
The design engineer must design the piping system and its
associated supports for the weight of the pipe, its contents, and
other piping components.
Given:
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Solution:
Dead Weight
LS = LDW + LLL
LS = 5,927 + 2,374
LS = 8,301 lb
Answer:
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When designing the support system for the piping, the design
engineer must consider the weight of the empty pipe and the
maximum weight of its contents. Since petroleum products are
all lighter than water, and since almost all piping systems are
hydrostatically tested, the heaviest content load occurs during
hydrostatic testing. However, if a support holds more than one
pipe, such as in a pipe rack structure, typically only one pipe at
a time undergoes hydrostatic testing. Therefore, the design
engineer designs the support and associated foundation for the
worst-case combination of one pipe undergoing hydrostatic
testing while the other pipes are under normal operating load.
Solution:
2. LW = Wwpf DS
Lw = 158.26 20
Lw 3,165 lb.
3. LH = LDW + LW
LH = 5,927 + 3,165
LH = 9,092 lb.
Answer:
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Wind
Wind
Wind
A B
D X = 5D
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Calculation Procedure
Calculate the design wind load on the pipe in a pipe rack and
the resulting overturning moment on the pipe rack.
Given:
For the purpose of simplifying the calculation, this pipe layout is assumed
to be as shown below:
Wind
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Solution:
1. 5.5D i – d ji
D j = Dj –
e− i 5.5
De − 1 = 1.05
0
De − 2 = 8.625 in . since 5.5 x 1.05 - 12 ≤ 0
i
(5.5 × 8.625) − 20
De − 3 = 16 − = 11.01 in.
2 5.5
(5.5 × 16) − 12.5
D e − 4 = 2.375 − =0
3 5.5
(5.5 × 16) − 18.5
De − 5 = 4.5 − =0
3 5.5
2. DE = ∑De
D E = 1.05 + 8.625 + 11.01 + 0 + 0
D E ≅ 20.685 in. = 1.72 ft
3. Lwp = CsKhDsDEGqr
Lwp = 1.2 x 0.8 x 20 x 1.72 x 1.32 x 15.6
Lwp 680 lb
4. Mwind-p = hLwp
Mwind-p = 680 x 10
Mwind-p 6,800 ft-lb
Solution:
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Friction
As pipe expands and contracts due to heating and cooling, the
pipe applies forces to anything to which it connects to or rests
against. If design engineers do not design the pipe support
structure properly, the forces from the pipes supported by the
structure could damage the structure. For pipe racks that
support rather than actively restrain the pipe, these forces result
from friction between the structural steel supports and the pipe.
The frictional forces act opposite to the direction of pipe
movement. Unless a pipe is restrained at a support point, the
friction forces act both longitudinally and laterally. When
designing the pipe support structure for friction loads, engineers
generally assume that all the pipes expand (or contract) in the
same direction at the same time, which is the worst possible
case.
Engineers sometimes must reduce the magnitude of friction
loads in order to reduce the size of the structural steel and
foundations that are required. These reductions are
accomplished through use of special materials with lower
coefficients of friction. A common method of reducing friction
loads between pipe and pipe rack structures is to install Teflon
bearing pads on both the pipe supports and the structural steel.
Work Aid 1D provides the procedure for calculating frictional
force.
Sample Problem 5: Friction
Calculate the friction force on a support rack from the pipe in
Sample Problem 2: Dead and Live Loads.
Given:
The pipe and pipe rack do not have any special friction-reducing
mechanisms (steel-on-steel).
Solution:
The following step numbers correspond to the step numbers in
Work Aid 1D:
1. LS = 8,301 lb.
2. Ff = CfLS
Ff = 0.4 x 8,301
Ff 3,320 lb
Answer:
The force due to friction on the pipe rack is approximately 3,320
lb. from this pipe.
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Background
• Weight load
• Restraint load
• Clearance available for attachment to pipe
• Availability of nearby existing structural steel
• Direction of loads to be absorbed or movement to
be restrained
• Design temperature
• Allowance required for thermal movement of pipe
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• Rigid
• Flexible or resilient
Rigid Supports
Rigid supports are the more common of the two support types.
Engineers use rigid supports when weight support is needed
and no provision to permit vertical thermal expansion is
required. A rigid support does the following:
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• Variable load
• Constant load
The type of flexible support selected from standard available
models is based on the following factors:
• Design load
• Required movement
• Installation geometry
• Standard models available
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Load and
deflection scale
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Relatively
constant load
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- Wind
- Earthquake
- Slug flow
- Water hammer
- Flow-induced vibration
Several different types of restraints may be used. The selection
of the type of restraint and its specific design details depends
primarily on the following:
• Stops
• Guides
• Anchors
Note: Multiple types may be used.
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Stops
Stops are restraints that limit the movement of the pipe in the
longitudinal direction. Stops are designed to keep the pipe from
moving axially beyond a point or from moving axially at all.
Figure 17 shows an example of a stop.
Guides are types of supports that limit the movement of the pipe
perpendicular to the pipe axis in one or more directions while
allowing movement along the pipe axis. Pipe rotation may or
may not be restricted. Typical applications for guides are as
follows:
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Vessel
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Anchors
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Bearing Bearing
surface surface
Typical thrust block for Typical thrust block for Typical thrust block for
90° bend or elbow 45° bend or elbow TEE connection
Bearing
surface
Bearing
surface
Typical thrust block Typical thrust block
for end cap for reducer
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SUMMARY
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Note: The letters s, x, and xx in the SCHEDULE NUMBERS column indicate standard, extra
strong, and double extra strong pipe, respectively.
Source: “Crane Technical Paper No. 410 - Flow of Fluids.” Reprinted with permission of Crane
Valves.
SI Conversion Factors: in. = 25.4 mm, lb./ft. = 14.6 N/m
Figure 31. Commercial Wrought Steel Pipe Data
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Source: “Crane Technical Paper No. 410 - Flow of Fluids.” Reprinted with permission of Crane
Valves.
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Source: “Crane Technical Paper No. 410 - Flow of Fluids.” Reprinted with permission of
Crane Valves.
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Source: “Crane Technical Paper No. 410 - Flow of Fluids.” Reprinted with permission of
Crane Valves.
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Source: “Crane Technical Paper No. 410 - Flow of Fluids.” Reprinted with permission of
Crane Valves.
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2. Using the following formula, determine the approximate dead weight from the
pipe on each support:
where:
Live Load
1. Look up the specified pipe in Figure 31 and determine the weight of water that
the pipe can hold per foot of pipe, Wwpf.
2. Using the following formula, determine the live load from the pipe on each
support:
where:
Wwpf = Weight of water the pipe can hold from Figure 30, N/m (lb./ft.)
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Using the following formula, calculate the total static load on a support:
1. Using the Dead Weight portion of Work Aid 1, calculate the dead weight from the
specified pipe on a support.
2. Using the following formula, calculate the hydrostatic weight from the specified
pipe on a support:
LW = WwpfDs (Eqn. 4)
where:
LW = Load from the water that a pipe can hold, N (lb.)
Wwpf = Weight of water the pipe can hold (from Figure 31), N/m
(lb./ft.)
Ds = Distance centerline-to-centerline between supports, m (ft.)
3. Using the following formula, calculate the hydrostatic test load on a support:
LH = LDW + LW (Eqn. 5)
where:
LH = Hydrostatic test load on a support, N (lb.)
LDW = Dead weight load from the weight of the pipe on a support, N
(lb.)
LW = Load from the water that a pipe can hold, N (lb.)
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Work Aid 1C: Procedure and Information for Calculating Wind Load on a Piping
Support in Open Terrain
1. Determine the amount, if any, of the shielding from one pipe to another. The
pipes must have their centerlines aligned perpendicular to the prevailing wind
direction. Use the following formula:
5.5D i – d ji
D e− j = D j – (Eqn. 6)
i 5.5
where:
Di = Actual outer diameter of the pipe i doing the shielding including any
insulation, m (in.)
Note: If the quantity of 5.5 Di-dji is ≤ 0, then Dej/i = Dj. If Dej/i ≤ 0, then use zero for the
effective diameter of the pipe in subsequent calculations.
2. Using the following formula, calculate the effective total cross section exposed to
the wind from all of the pipes:
DE = ∑De-j/i (Eqn. 7)
where:
De-j/i = Effective diameter after shielding of each of the pipes in the pipe
rack, m ( ft.)
3. Using the following formula, calculate the wind force on the pipes in the pipe
rack:
Lwp = CsKhDsDEGqr (Eqn. 8)
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where:
Lwp = Wind force on the pipes, N (lb.)
Source: Based on Tables 6 and 8 in "Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures,"
ASCE 7-88 (formerly ANSI A58.1), copyright 1990.
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4. Using the following formula, calculate the overturning moment on the support
structure resulting from the wind load on the pipe:
where:
Work Aid 1D: Procedure for Calculating Friction Force on a Piping Support
1. Use Work Aid 1A to calculate the total static load on the support.
2. Using the following formula, calculate the friction force on the support:
where:
Ff = Force due to friction on the pipe rack, N (lb.). Note that for
structural design purposes, this load may be applied both parallel
and perpendicular to the pipe axis.
LS = Total static load on the pipe support from the pipe, N (lb.)
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GLOSSARY
damping device A dashpot or other frictional device that offers high resistance
against rapid displacements caused by dynamic loads, while
permitting essentially free movement under gradually applied
displacement, such as from thermal expansion.
resilient or flexible A support that includes one or more largely elastic members
support (that is, a spring).
resting or sliding A device for providing support from beneath the piping but
support offering no resistance other than friction to horizontal motion.
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rigid (solid) support A support providing stiffness in at least one direction that is
comparable to the stiffness of the pipe.
two-axis limit stop A device that prevents transitional movement in one direction
along each of the two axes. A "two-axis double-acting limit
stop" prevents transitional movement in the plane of the axes
while allowing such movement normal to the plane.