What is a piping system?

A piping system conveys fluid from one location to another. Within

a process plant, the locations are typically one or more equipment
Items (e.g., pumps, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, process
Heaters, etc.), or individual process plants that are within the
Boundary of a process facility.
A piping system consists of:
• Pipe sections
• Fittings (e.g., elbows, reducers, branch connections, etc.)
• Flanges, gaskets, and bolting
• Valves
• Pipe supports and restraints
Each individual component plus the overall system must be
Designed for the specified design conditions.
 
Required Design Information for Piping
Stress Analysis
Detailed piping stress analysis is done using a computer program
such as Caesar II, Simflex, or Triflex. Such programs have the
capability to consider any combination of pipe geometry, support,
restraint, and load conditions.
However, several things must be considered:
• Applicable design conditions and operating scenarios for the
piping system.
• Allowable stresses from ASME B31.3.
• Load limitations, if any, on connected equipment.
• Extent of analysis required to identify most severe case.
Design conditions that must be known to perform a detailed pipe
stress analysis are listed below:
• Layout geometry of the piping system.
• Pipe diameter and wall thickness.
• Design temperature and pressure.
• Fluid service, including whether it is dangerous.
• End-point movements.
• Type of connected equipment.
• Structural steel located in the vicinity.
• Special design considerations and load cases.
 
Another consideration is the number of cycles that the system will
undergo during its design life. This influences piping flexibility
design because the allowable flexibility stress is based on fatigue
failure. All ASME B31.3 piping systems are designed for a
minimum of 7000 cycles. Systems that will undergo more than
7000 operating cycles during their design life are designed using a
reduced allowable stress basis.
Why stress analysis required ?
It is not because Pipe is weak to take care of Stresses but rather the
equipments to which Pipe is connected to. E.g. Pump system where misalignment
problems caused by expansion (or contraction) in poorly designed system can
cause major equipment failure leading to potential for Fire, plant shutdown or loss
of revenue. At this point it should be emphasized that the success (or failure) of
the plant’s operation, years down the road can and will depend on what is done
up front by all the members of the design team during the design stage. An
important point to remember, “While analysis cannot create a good design, it
can confirm a good design” (Improved Pump Load Evaluation,” Hydrocarbon
Processing, April 1998, By: David W. Diehl, COADE Engineering Software, Inc
Houston, TX). On the other hand, proper analysis will identify bad design and
potential problems in a piping system design
Basic factors that influence
piping or piping stress
 Temperature

 Force

 Pressure

 Weight

 Vibrations
 General input data requirement

Geometric layout of Pipe (Stress Isometric)

Pipe Supporting Configuration (At least Logical Supports)

Pipe Diameter and Thickness

Pressure inside Pipe

Cold and Hot temperatures of Pipe

Insulation Thickness

Type of carrying Fluid (Density)

Pipe material
 Analysis software
CAESAR - Commercial
Piping analysis
PIPSYS - is an
software
integrated pipe stress
analysis module of
PLADES 2000
Simflex

Triflex
There are many other
commercial software
 Pipe Stress Analysis
We have already seen that
some of the pipes are
subjected to high pressure
and high temperature. Also
pipes carry the load of the
flowing
We need fluid. and
to check
confirm the pipe is not
going to fail with these
This processloading.
of checking the
stress developed in the
piping due to various
loading is called Pipe Stress
Analysis/Flexibility
In the process of Analysis
analysis.
we apply various postulated
loading on the pipe and find
out the stress resulted from
these loading.
Then we check with
governing codes if those
stresses generated are
acceptable or not.
 Pipe Stress Analysis

We check support load & movement for various loading condition.

We also check out the terminal point loading generated from pipe to the equipment
connected to the pipe. This loading are to be within acceptable limits of the
equipment suggested by the vendors.

We also find out the pipe growth due to change in temperature and need to keep the
movement of pipe within acceptable limits.

Pipe Stress Analysis is an Interactive and Iterative process. Each step is checked

If a check fails we have to go back, modify the layout and restart the analysis.
Introduction about CAESAR
software
 Contents
 Codes & Standards, allowable limits.

 System - Piping, Equipment & its nozzles.

 Case – I analysis

 Problem in system

 Ways to solve the problem

 Modified Case analysis

 Result
 Codes and Standards

 In general Power Plant Piping have to comply stipulations of ASME

ANSI B31.1

 In India Power cycle Piping to comply IBR code requirements.

 Output
Stress of the pipe at
various loading
conditions
Load at various supports
and restrains.
Movement of pipe at
support locations
Pipe terminal point
loading.
Stress strain curve for ductile material
Stress strain curve for non ductile
material
Guide Support
Guide Support
Anchor
Hanger support
Rigid support