DESIGN OF PIPING FOR POWER PLANTS, INDUSTRIES AND HOME

Piping is used from time immemorial. Pipes are used primarily for conveying fluids. Pipes are generally hollow-cylindrical in shape. Some of the loads on piping are: internal pressure, external pressure, self weight of pipes, weight of contents, weight of insulation, weight of refractory, weight of internal lining, weight of outer casing, weight of inner casing, weight of valves, weight of fittings, hydraulic test pressure, weight of water during hydraulic testing, thermal expansion load, thermal contraction load, equipment thermal movement, equipment relative settlement, safety valves blowing jet reaction, start-up vents blowing jet reaction, loads due to humans, pressure surge, transient thermal load, transient mechanical load, load due to change of fluid flow direction, load due to Bourdon's effect, water hammer, steam hammer, vibration due to slug flow, load due to pipe wiping, hydrostatic load, load due to frictional resistance for fluid low, impact load, load due to safety valve chattering, load due to rain, load due to snow, load due to ice, load due to fluid current (for submerged pipes), load due to soil for buried pipes, load due to roads for buried piping, load due to railway tracks for buried piping, loads due to vehicles for buried piping, load due to earthquake (seismic loads), load due to solid particles in slurry pipes, load from steam tracing lines, load due to dust, load due to ash, load in jacketed pipes, load in half-pipes, load from swing-type non-return valve, load from opening of valves, load due to closing of valves, load from valve actuators, loads due to human manipulation of valves and load from piping supports. The piping is designed to withstand various loads and co-existing load combinations. Design of piping involves the following steps: conceptual design, scheme, Process Flow Diagram (PFB), Piping and Instruments Diagram (P&ID), selection of diameter, selection of material, selection of thickness, selection of valves, selection of fittings, layout of piping, piping isometrics, detection of hard clashes, detection of soft lashes, clash resolution, location of supports, flexibility analysis, selection of supports, selection of restraints, design of supporting components, check for forces and moments imposed by the piping on equipment, location of field welds, detailing, drafting, documentation, submission of design to statutory authorities, obtaining approval from statutory authorities, issue of materials requirement, release of documents for construction and technical support for construction. Eventhough piping is used from time immemorial, several aspects of piping are decided based on the past experience. Hence, the piping design is still an art. Several scientific methods are applied to arrive at logical, safe, economical, timely and aesthetic piping design. The design is an iterative process. Theory and experience (experiment) are two hands used to swim through the evolution of design.