CHOOSING A LINE

SIZE AND WALL

THICKNESS
Line Size Criteria
•Erosional Flow, Liquid Lines, Gas
Lines
Wall Thickness
 EROSIONAL FLOW

• Fluid erosion occurs when liquid droplets impact the wall with enough force to erode the
products of corrosion, exposing the metal to the fluid and allowing more corrosion to occur

• values of C from 150 to 200 may be used for continuous, non-corrosive or corrosion
controlled services, if no solids are present.
 EROSIONAL FLOW

• Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) recommends dividing

the erosional velocity criteria into four different groups:
• Clean service—no solids or corrosion present
• Erosive service—solids present in the flow stream with no
corrosion
• Corrosive service—corrosion present without solids
• Erosive and corrosive service—both solids and corrosive
media present
 EROSIONAL FLOW

• Clean service test results conclude that erosional velocity limitations are not
required. Velocities for this flow condition should be limited to 60 ft/sec to prevent
excessive noise.
• For erosive service, the erosional velocity can be determined from the following
equation:
 EROSIONAL FLOW

• Erosion of the pipe material itself can occur if solids are present in the fluid. There is
no minimum velocity at which this will occur. One equation proposed to evaluate the
erosion of metal is:
 LIQUID LINES

• The maximum velocity used in sizing liquid lines is on the order of 15 ft/sec.
• Experience has shown that this limit is normally sufficient to minimize noise, water
hammer, and erosion
• a minimum velocity of 3 ft/sec is normally recommended, minimum velocity to
minimize surging and to transport sand and other solids
• Fluid velocity, expressed in oil field units, can be determined from the following
equation:
GAS LINES
 GAS LINES

• It is recommended that a minimum velocity of 10-15 ft/sec be maintained so as to

minimize liquid settling out in low spots. Typically, gas velocities are normally kept
below 60-80 ft/sec so as to minimize the effect of noise and corrosion.
• Erosional velocity due to small amounts of liquid in he gas can be calculated from
 GAS LINES

• Actual gas velocity, expressed in oil field units, can be determined by

 TWO-PHASE FLOW

• pipe inside diameter

 WALL THICKNESS CRITERIA
• Standards and Requirements
• ANSI B 31.1—Power Piping. This standard deals with steam and is required by the U.S.
Coast Guard on all rigs.
• ANSI B 31.3—Chemical Plant and Petroleum Refinery Piping. This standard is required
by the U.S. Minerals Management Service for offshore platforms in federal waters. It is
also used extensively for offshore facilities in state waters and for offshore facilities in
other parts of the world.
• ANSI B 31.4— Liquid Petroleum Transportation Piping Systems. This standard is normally
used in onshore oil production facilities.
• ANSI B 31.8—Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems. This standard is
normally used for gas lines in onshore production facilities and when transporting or
distributing gas.
WALL THICKNESS CRITERIA
ANSI B 31.3
WALL THICKNESS CRITERIA
ANSIS 31.8
• There are four classes of locations for ANSI B 31.8:
✓Location Class 1
Location Class 1 refers to any one-mile section that has 10 or fewer
buildings intended for human occupancy. This category includes areas such
as wastelands, deserts, rugged mountains, grazing land, and farmland.
Class 1 Division 1
• Location Class 1 Division 1 allows a maximum design factor (F) of 0.8 and
requires a hydrostatic test pressure of 1.25 times the maximum operating
pressure of the pipe.
Class 1 Division 2
• Location Class 1 Division 2 allows a maximum design factor (F) of 0.72 and
requires a hydrostatic test pressure of 1.1 times the maximum operating
pressure of the pipe.
• Location Class 2
Location Class 2 refers to any one-mile section that has more than 10 but fewer
than 46 buildings intended for human occupancy. This category includes fringe
areas around cities and towns, industrial areas, ranches, and country estates.
• Location Class 3
Location Class 3 refers to any one-mile section that has 46 or more buildings
intended for human occupancy. This category includes suburban housing
developments, shopping centers, residential areas, and industrial areas.
• Location Class 4
Location Class 4 includes locations where multistory buildings are prevalent,
traffic is heavy or dense, and numerous utilities may be located underground.
 WALL THICKNESS CRITERIA
ANSIS 31.4
• The required wall thickness equation for ANSI B 31.4 is the same as that for ANSI B
31.8 except the safety factor is fixed at F = 0.72 and there is no temperature derating
factor.
EXAMPLE 1
 EXAMPLE 2

• Same as Example 1
• Liquid flow to a low pressure separator operating at 150 psi.
Line is rated for 1,480 psi.
• Choose a line size and wall thickness using B 31.3, B 31.4,
and B 31.8.