Pipe Sizing..

Sizing of pipes has been always a nightmare for the engineers and estimators. Do not agree. Ok then enlighten us on the following ..... What the stage is for and what are the criterions used for, preliminary pipe sizing. When you say this is my final pipe sizing? etc.....

Konstantinos Vardakastanis Sizing piping its one of the most easy things to do when you desinging actually.

Client or situation will provide you with the max pressures, temperatures and velocities in the pipes for wach fluid. If they dont you can easily find them from your design. For example ets say the HP pressure steam for a Steam Turbine (ST) is 1. bars, 600 degC and 25 kg/s And the max velocity from the client or from your experience is 30 m/s max then you can calculate the required inlet diameter for the pipe: V (m3/s) = u (m/s) * A (m2) m (kg/s) = V (m3/s) * r (kg/m3) A (m2) = * d^2 / 4 d - diameter A - pipe inlet face area r - density of the fluid So from the above you can calculate the d diameter From the pressure and the temperature you can find the schedule of the pipe so the outlet diameter. From the working fluid you can choose material of the pipe. And for your PIDs you can multiple the working conditions with lets say 1.5, to find the desing conditions. Just plain and simple calculations. Stress analysis is the hard to do I think.

Vinay Kumar Absolutely simple... agreed.. but ....At what stage?.... designer have the answers to all these:-

1) The available pressure drop. NPSH needs... 2) The fact that pressure surges may occur in the piping system. 3) The fact that erosion may occur in the piping system. 4) The fact that the piping system may be subjected to vibrations. 5) The fact that settlement of solids, if the fluid is a slurry, may occur. 6) Type of flow pattern of two phase flow. An intermittent flow pattern shall be avoided. 7) The allowable temperature drop if the fluid is highly viscous. 8) An economic pipe diameter considering the capital expenditure and operating expenditure of the pumps, compressors and the piping system. and finally 9)The above considerations to account both for the design capacity and for conditions such as starting up, shutting down and regeneration etc.

Balbir Singh Prilimnary pipe size calcualtion, pressure drop calculation through piping etc are activites under FEED. So when we

are doing the basic engineering for any package that time we have some basic informations like flow, temp, pressure etc. Priliminary pipe size can be calculated using the basic parameters and Codes like ASME 31.1 for power piping. For Example:steam if we have flow requirement, Fluid type, Pressure, Temp and density of fluid then 1. Flow (Kg/s)= Volume (M3/s)* Density(kg/M3) 2. Volume = Velocity * Area we can refer the code for allowable velocity for that fluid: for super heated steam allowable velocity = 30m/s to 50m/s we can choose the velocity from this range. 3. from area we can calculate the priliminary diameter of the pipe. 4. Now we can choose the material as per temp and pressure conditions by refering the code. 5.by using the standard formula we can calculate the piping thk and from standard thk table we can select the schedule for pipe. 6. Now we can calculate the piping pressure drop. if pressure drop is with in the limit then ok otherwise we have to change the

velocity perameter to chage the pressure drop. pressure drop directly linked the V^2. 7. Flow condition can be estimated throgh reynold number standard table and graph. 8. vibration and displacement can be control during stress analysis by providing proper support and strain. so during basic engineering designer need not provide the complete support details. he can provide the span required for supports but if any additional support required to control the vibration and displacement that can be provide during stress analysis only.