Zuhair Fayez Partnership (ZFP)

Industrial Division, Al-Khobar

Plant Layout and Piping Design Notes

Design Note No. Rev. Issue Date By

DN-01 A 16/11/07 A.MANSOUR

Subject : Piping Design Notes

Purpose of Design Note: To insure that the piping design complies with ARAMCO
standards.

The listed points below have been extracted from the following ARAMCO
standards:-

SAES-B-054 Access and Egress Requirements

SAES-B-055 Plant Layout
SAES-F-001
SAES-L-310 Design of Plant Piping
SAES-S-20
PIP PNE00001 Design of ASME B31.3 Metallic Piping Systems
04-SAMSS-001 GATE VALVES
04-SAMSS-001 GLOBE VALVES
04-SAMSS-041 EXPANDING PLUG VALVES
04-SAMSS-051 BALL VALVES API SPEC6D

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Zuhair Fayez Partnership (ZFP)
Industrial Division, Al-Khobar

Plant Layout and Piping Design Notes

Design Note No. Rev. Issue Date By

DN-01 A 16/11/07 A.MANSOUR

1) Equipment regularly operated/maintained or operated in an emergency, such as valve

hand wheels, instrumentation, controls, and their associated manifolds, the distance, if
located outside the handrails, from a fixed walking/working surface to the operating point
shall be between 500 mm and 1500 mm vertically and a maximum of 510 mm horizontally.
2) Access for instrumentation, controls, and associated manifolds from a fixed ladder or fixed
stairs to the operating point should not exceed 510 mm.
3) Vessel openings, such as manholes and inspection openings, the max vertical distance
from grade to the lower inside surface of the opening shall not exceed 3 m. At an elevation
greater than 3m above grade, a fixed, elevated walking/working surface is required, the
lower inside horizontal surface of the manhole should not exceed 760 mm vertically above
that walking/working surface.
4) For equipment such as blinds, heat exchanger tube sheets, heat exchanger bonnets and
Inlet/outlet block valves on relief valves and the relief valves that require access during
maintenance, fixed walking/working surfaces shall be provided.
5) Valves not regularly operated shall be accessed from portable platforms, portable stairs,
portable ladders, or temporary scaffolding if access from fixed walking/working surfaces or
fixed stairs is not provided.
These valves consist of the following:
A. Valves used exclusively for tie-in purposes.
B. The first block valve in a line to a utility header.
C. Vents and drains used for steam-out, purging, or pressure testing of piping.
D. A fixed stairway shall be provided as primary access to and egress from, each
elevated working area in daily use. A stairway shall also be provided if materials,
tools or other equipment must be carried for operating or maintenance, or if there is
a potential for exposure to injurious chemicals or material at the elevated working
surface.

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Zuhair Fayez Partnership (ZFP)
Industrial Division, Al-Khobar

Plant Layout and Piping Design Notes

Design Note No. Rev. Issue Date By

DN-01 A 16/11/07 A.MANSOUR

7. A secondary means of egress (which may be either a fixed ladder or a fixed stairway) shall be
provided for each elevated working surface if the location is 3 m or more above grade, and
has 19 m² or more area. This secondary means of egress shall not be more than 25 m
horizontally from an area where operating or maintenance personnel may be working, and
shall be located such that an alternative route of escape to a place of safety is provided.
Exits to safety from such areas shall be located as far from each other

8. Dead ends in elevated work areas shall not be over 7.6 m long.

9. Minimum clear width of walking/surfaces, stairways and stiles shall be 760 m

10. Minimum clear width where a working area is needed such as in the front of a manhole, the
end of a heat exchanger, channel and tube bundle, or around rotating equipment. shall be
910 mm 11. The minimum clear
width of aisles shall be 1020 mm. (An aisle is personnel walking space around equipment
at grade level.)
as is practicable.

12. The minimum headroom above walking/working surfaces shall be 2030 mm.

13. The vertical clearance above any stair tread shall be a min. 2030 mm.
14. Trolley beams or davits shall be provided at the top of columns with internals and/or with
flanges over 100 mm (nominal) or weighing over 36 kg.

15. Manhole covers shall be hinged or equipped with davits.

16. Fixed stairs shall be installed at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees to the horizontal. Wherever
practical, fixed stairs shall be installed at an angle of 37 degrees to the horizontal with a
rise of 190 mm and a tread run of 254 mm.

17. A stairway landing shall be provided for every 3.7M of vertical rise of a stairway wherever
practical. Where this is not practical this can be increased to a maximum of 5M.

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Zuhair Fayez Partnership (ZFP)
Industrial Division, Al-Khobar

Plant Layout and Piping Design Notes

Design Note No. Rev. Issue Date By

DN-01 A 16/11/07 A.MANSOUR

18. Fixed ladders shall be side-step design.

19. Analyzer houses shall be located with free access of 3 m on all sides. For details see SAES-
B-014 and SAES-J-502.

20. Atmospheric exhausts from steam turbines, and combustion gas turbines, shall be located so
that they will not present a hazard to personnel and/or equipment on the same platform or
on adjacent working platforms. They shall be at least 3 m higher than any platform or
access within a horizontal distance of 7.5 m.

21. Primary roads should be 8 m wide, with 2 m shoulders on each side Secondary roads should
be 7 m wide, with 1.5 m shoulders on each side. Access ways should be a minimum of
6.1 m wide. For primary and secondary roads the following clear
spaces from the edge of the shoulder shall be maintained:
a. 5 m from pipe ways or onsite equipment, with barriers placed between road and pipeline, to
prevent vehicle/equipment collisions.
b. 7.5 m from high risk equipment such as pumps handling flammable materials, compressors
handling flammable gases, equipment operating at over 315°C, and furnaces.
c. 9 m below overhead obstructions, viz: overhead pipeways, electrical transmission
lines, and other similar obstructions to heavy transportation equipment.

22. The piping layout shall assure safe operation, ease of construction, provide adequate access
for maintenance activities, minimize consequence due to fire, and avoid congestion.

23. The pipe size, layout and supports shall be designed such that all hydraulic requirements are
met in terms of pressure drop and required through put.

24. The minimum spacing between lines supported on sleepers or pipe racks shall be as shown on
Standard Drawing AC-036207.(Attached)

25. Above-grade piping shall be supported to provide a minimum of 300 mm clearance between
bottom of the pipe and the finished grade.

26. A minimum clearance of 50 mm shall be provided for inspection and freedom of pipe
movement between above ground piping crossing with any structure (including pipe support
structure). This clearance is also required for above ground piping crossing with another pipe.

27. Branch connections, 4 inch and smaller, including drain and vent valves and drip legs of all
sizes, shall be located at a minimum horizontal distance of 610 mm (24 inches) from any fixed
obstruction. This requirement does not apply to that part of the support which is attached directly
to the piping, such as horizontal and vertical dummy extensions.

28. Hose connections, where applicable, shall be positioned at elevation not higher than 1200 mm
above finished plant grade or above platform of multilevel equipment but not lower than 600 mm.
They shall be pointing 45 degrees downward. The piping shall be securely bolted to a supporting

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Zuhair Fayez Partnership (ZFP)
Industrial Division, Al-Khobar

Plant Layout and Piping Design Notes

Design Note No. Rev. Issue Date By

DN-01 A 16/11/07 A.MANSOUR

structure and have adequate access. Utility connections shall be installed with minimum 150 mm
clearance between each other.

29. Each utility take-off connection shall be located at the top of the horizontal main header or
auxiliary header. Root valves shall be provided for each utility take-off connection from a main
header or auxiliary header which can not be taken out of service without shutting down a complete
processing unit or operating facility.

30. Instrument air take-off connections to the plant utility station shall always be provided with root
valves.

31. Each utility line shall be provided with an isolation valve just upstream of the specified hose
connector at the termination.

32. The steam line shall have a steam trap and shall be insulated for personnel protection except
for utility steam take-off lines. Utility steam take-off lines shall be insulated but shall not be
provided with steam traps. Utility steam stations located above the utility steam header shall be
self-draining towards the utility steam header. Utility steam lines to utility stations below the utility
steam header shall be allowed to gather steam condensate, which is removed by operations
before applying the utility steam.

33. Piping layouts in all services shall be designed to eliminate the presence of dead legs.
34. Blind flanges shall be used as end closures on flanged ends and valves, unless end caps are
clearly indicated by design necessity.
35. Jackscrews shall be used to facilitate flange separation for maintenance. Joint assemblies that
often require frequent separation include orifice plates, spectacle plates, spacers, screens, and
dropout spools. Piping layout shall be designed such that flanges can be separated without
excessive force. Jackscrews shall be accessible from both sides of the pipe. For orifice flanges,
jackscrews shall be installed at three- and nine-o’clock positions.
36. Check valves in vertical piping shall be installed for upward flow only and shall be installed with
a drain connection immediately above the check valve. 37.
For all sizes NPS 3 and above, a turbulence-free minimum distance of five pipe diameters
upstream and two pipe diameters downstream of every check valve should be maintained. No
pipefittings (e.g., elbows, reducers, tees, etc.) or flow-restricting devices (e.g., orifices, control
valves, etc.) should be installed in these zones. Valves in intermittent service and valves in skid-
mounted systems are exempt from these requirements.
38. Instrument air branch lines shall be taken from the top of the header. Block valves are required
for branch connections less than NPS 2 and shall be located at the header.
39. Plant air branch lines shall be taken from the top of the header. Block valves are required for
branch connections less than NPS 2 and shall be located both at the header and at the
equipment.
40. All aboveground cooling water supply and return branch lines shall be connected to the top of
the headers.

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Zuhair Fayez Partnership (ZFP)
Industrial Division, Al-Khobar

Plant Layout and Piping Design Notes

Design Note No. Rev. Issue Date By

DN-01 A 16/11/07 A.MANSOUR

41. Utility water branch lines shall be taken from the top of the header. Block valves are required
for branch connections less than NPS 2 and shall be located both at the header and at the
equipment.
42. Steam headers shall run level or shall pitch downward in the direction of steam flow. A vertical
rise required in the direction of steam flow shall be via a vertical leg equipped with a drip leg at the
low point.

43. Steam branch lines shall be connected to the top of the headers. Branch lines shall run level or
pitch downward in the direction of the steam flow. A vertical rise required in the direction of steam
flow, downstream of the connection to the steam header, shall be via a vertical leg equipped with a
drip leg at the low point.

44. Block valves shall be provided in the branch lines from the steam headers located at and
above the elevation of the steam header and installed in such a manner that no pocket is formed
where condensate may collect.

45. Drip legs equipped with steam traps shall be installed at the bottom of steam headers as
follows:
a. At dead ends of steam headers and branch lines
b. At low points
c. Upstream of risers and vertical legs
d. Upstream of expansion joints and raised expansion loops
e. Upstream of block, reducing, and control valves
f. At intervals of approximately 150 feet (45 m) in straight, horizontal steam lines (i.e., without
natural drainage points), but not greater than 300 feet (90 m)

46. Spectacle Blinds shall be installed in the horizontal part of the line where possible.

47. Nominal pipe sizes NPS ¼, 1¼, 2½, 3½, 5 and 22 shall not be used, except as required to
mate with equipment connections. Where necessary to match a manufacturer’s equipment
connection a reducer must be employed immediately to increase to the next available acceptable
pipe size.
For nominal pipe sizes greater than NPS 24 pipe sizes shall, wherever possible, increase in
increments of 6 inches up to and included NPS 48. Above NPS 48 nominal pipe sizes shall
increase in increment of 4 inches.

48. All flanges Class 900 and above shall be supplied with Ring Type Joint.

49. In Sour service socket weld or threaded fittings shall not be used. Butt weld fittings shall be
used for all sizes.

50. Manways should be located at the end of a platform or in such a position that they do not
encroach on the escape route when in the open position.

51. Gear Operated Valves :

Valves shall be actuated by gear operator as specified below:

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Zuhair Fayez Partnership (ZFP)
Industrial Division, Al-Khobar

Plant Layout and Piping Design Notes

Design Note No. Rev. Issue Date By

DN-01 A 16/11/07 A.MANSOUR

Cl 150 ≥ 24”
Cl 300 ≥ 16”
Gate Valve
Cl 600 ≥ 8”
Cl 900 & Higher ≥ 6”
Cl 150 ≥ 14”
Cl 300 ≥ 10”
Globe Valve Cl 600 ≥ 8”
Cl 900 ≥ 6”
Cl 1500 ≥ 4”
Cl 150 ≥ 6”
Ball Valve Cl 300 ≥ 4”
Cl 400 & Higher ≥ 3”
Cl 150 ≥ 8”
Plug Valves (EXPANDING) Cl 300 ≥ 6”
Cl 600& Higher ≥ 4”
Butterfly Valves Cl 150/300 Refer to Piping Class

52. Block valves used for flare systems shall be installed such that valve stems are oriented 45°
below horizontal and shall not pose an obstruction to normal personnel access in the walkway.

53. Catch basins, or other collection points in each drainage area shall not be located directly
beneath any equipment. They shall be located such that the drainage path from a source of
spillage does not pass beneath any other equipment or vessels containing hydrocarbons, pipeway,
pipe rack, stairs or ladders.

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Zuhair Fayez Partnership (ZFP)
Industrial Division, Al-Khobar

Plant Layout and Piping Design Notes

Design Note No. Rev. Issue Date By

DN-01 A 16/11/07 A.MANSOUR

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