Piping Design Engineer

• Engineer must understand certain process basics

• When handling utilities

– the designer knows that steam cools and forms condensate
– he is aware that this condensate must be drained off
– How the condensate is removed??
• Possibly with a steam trap at selected low points in the steam system

• Design engineer
– also should know how to handle
• two-phase flow
• equilibrium liquids
• hot vapor by-passes
 Phase Equilibrium Liquids

• Equilibrium liquids require the piping designer’s attention

• Small amount of pressure drop

– EL will start flashing

– resulting in two-phase flow
– increased line velocity
– fluid that is difficult to control and impossible to measure
• although flashing doesn’t do any harm

• Piping designer must first recognise

– what liquids are in equilibrium?

– when flashing can be tolerated?
 Phase Equilibrium Liquids

• Where do you find equilibrium liquids??

– any tray draw-off

– tower bottoms

– two phase flow

– reboiler liquid draw-off

• biggest piping problems occur at reboiler liquid drawoffs
Incorrect Piping of Reboiler Liquid

• Problem of routing the reboiler

liquid from the area behind the
weir

• Through a pair of orifice flanges

(meter run)

• Through a level control valve

• Into the main pipeway or rack

 Incorrect Piping of Reboiler Liquid
• Liquid is drawn @ nozzle A runs
horizontally

Orifice meter • Rises @B (here the liquid must push

against the head of liquid in the riser
B)
– Press drop is induced in the system
– Flashing will start
Riser
Nozzle • The meter run, C can not properly
measure two-phase flow

• The control valve can not control

properly

• Piping fabricated and installed in this

manner

– would have to be dismantled and

Control rebuilt in the field
– COSTLY MISTAKE
valve
Correct Method of Piping Equilibrium Liquid
• Liquid is drawn through nozzle
A stays horizontal through
meter run B and the control
valve

• Then rises vertically at C.

– Flashing still occurs but after
measuring and control
functions

• If excessive flashing occurs

what one must do??
– Line size can be increased to
keep the velocity low

• By keeping both the meter run

and the control valve below the
liquid level in the reboiler
– flashing is prevented in this
method
 Two-phase Flow Scenario (improper)
•Two-phase flow causes piping
designers the most problems

Pipe’s friction reacts more on the

liquid portion, as the vapor tends to
flow at a greater velocity.

Real problem occurs when two-phase

flow must be divided into separate
piping systems

Major portion of flow would be routed to B

•This would cause exchanger A to have less

pressure drop and exchanger B to have
more pressure drop

(although both HE’s are designed for same

duty and pressure drop)
 Two-phase Flow Scenario (improper)
•Since A has less pressure drop, the
liquid’s velocity will direct it to B

•vapor will take the path of least

resistance
and will go to exchanger A

•the net result is

•A is getting vapor
•B is getting liquid

•HTR of HE’s is designed for equal flow

of liquid and vapor
How to modify??
(to make it proper)
Consequences: Exchangers will not perform as designed, the process unit
will not perform and must be shut down for correction
If piping designer does not recognise that the piping was for two-phase
flow, then these problems are likely to prevail.
Two-phase Flow Scenario (proper)

Features

•Two-phase flow enters the horizontal pipe

midway between the exchangers

•Pressure drop is same to either one

•Absence of a path of least resistance

•Flow will be equal to both exchangers

Piping at Fired Heaters (proper)

•This a very common piping system

•The heater inlet is all liquid flow

and the outlet is two-phase flow

•In majority of the cases (nine out of

ten cases), this installation

•completely unnecessary
•excessively expensive

•WHY???
Piping at Fired Heaters •The liquid heater feed (item
1) is divided into 4 streams

•to match the four passes of

heater tubes

•each stream has a globe valve

(item 2) and flow indicator
(item 3, orifice)

•each heater pass outlet has a

temperature indicator

•To operate the heater

•flow is regulated with

the globe valve to ensure
that each pass has the
same flow
•T indicates the desired
outlet temperature

•The piping is correct up to

this point
Piping at Fired Heaters

•Where is the inaccuracy in this

installation??

In the downstream of the TI located

in each pass outlet

•Someone has coined the magic

term two-phase flow and decided to
have symmetrical piping
•symmetrical piping means
money and piping problems
•can be doubly expensive if
the heater outlet is alloy
material

•Symmetrical piping is necessary

for two-phase flow if there is no
method of control and distribution
must be made
Piping at Fired Heaters
•In this installation distribution made
while the fluid is all liquid, controlled by
the globe valve and metered by the flow
indicator

•to ensure that streams A, B, C, and D are

all equal flow.

•If the flow is equal going into the heater

it must be equal coming out

•Where to consider symmetrical piping??

•Low pressure systems (such as a
crude charge heater service)

•High pressure installations

•the outlets should be combined in
the most economical manner and
routed on its way
•outlet pass differential pressure
drop is minor and no consequence
Hot Vapor By-pass

•Tower overhead is routed to an air cooler (fin-

fan)

•Condensed vapor is directed to the accumulator

•To maintain pressure on the accumulator, a hot

vapor by-pass will be installed

•Hot vapor is by-passed around the cooler and is

routed to the pressure control valve, which allows
pressure to enter the accumulator as required

•Hot vapor by-passes should never be pocketed

•The pressure control valve should be installed

above the top of the accumulator

•The by-pass piping must continuously drain from

point A to point B
Hot Vapor By-pass
•As this by-passed vapor cools due to rainfall on
the line or cool air cooling the line, condensate
will form

•With small amount of differential pressure

between points A and B
•a pocket of liquid head might not be
overcome
•the hot vapor by-pass may not work.

•Generally, there is less than 10 psig differential

between A and B

•Pressure control valve (butterfly type) is specified

to keep the pressure drop to minimum
•but this will consume 2-3 psig

•Line loss will consume another 2-3 psig

•leaving about 4 psig
•this will not overcome much liquid head
 Static Head or Pressure Head or Head

• Liquids at rest causes a pressure equal in all directions and perpendicular

to any surfaces in contact with liquid

– This pressure is due to the weight of the liquid

– Plus the pressure at the top level of the liquid

– The liquid height is called Static Head or Pressure Head or Head

• Head is important when calculating

– hydrostatic pressure of vessels

– Piping systems
Impact of water head

•A tower system designed for 50 psig

•This tower requires a hydrostatic

pressure of 75 psig and this test pressure
must be measured at the highest point in
the system (point A)

•To attain this pressure at A the field

brings in a hydrotest pump and fills the
system full of water.

•Piping designer knows this pump is

located located at grade.

•Engineer should calculate the height

from the pump’s pressure gauge to point
A and add this to the required test
pressure.
Impact of water head

•In this case 54 psig must be added to 75

psig, totalling 129 psig

•Which is the pressure that must be

obtained at which pressure gauge to
satisfy the 75 psig hydrostatic
conditions

•The vessel designer must also consider

the static head

•While calculating the tower head and

shell thickness.

•This additional weight is considered in

the design of the support for the tower.

•This can be critical when vessels are

located high in a steel or concrete
structures
Pressures Caused by Water Head
Flow of Oil in a Branched Pipeline

The pipeline handles an oil with specific gravity of 0.92 and kinematic viscosity
of 5 centistokes (cS) at a total rate of 12,000 cuft/hr. All three pumps have the
same output pressure. At point 5 the elevation is 100 ft and the pressure is 2 atm
gage. Elevations at the other points are zero. Line dimensions are presented in
Table 1.

Table1 Line dimensions

Line L (ft) D (ft)

14 1000 0.4
24 2000 0.5
34 1500 0.3
45 4000 0.75

Using the schematic for branched pipeline network shown in Figure 1, calculate
the flow rates in each of the lines and the total power requirement.
Branched pipeline
Branched pipeline
(iron material)
Branched pipeline
Branched pipeline
Branched pipeline

psf conversion
factor
For line 4-5

0.7457*120.2