Codes – What Is Piping: All about Piping Engineering

The huge expansion of the piping industry where it is today if mainly for the available codes, standards, and recommended practices. The main concern for designing any process plant is the safety of the personnel involved. Design of Piping systems complying with these codes, standards, or recommended practices ensures safety along with standardization of required items. Every piping engineer should possess a basic knowledge of the extensively used codes and standards. The following write up will try to provide a sum-up of common codes and standards which are extensively used in the process piping industry. Difference between Codes and Standards Codes prescribe requirements for design, materials, fabrication, erection, examination, assembly, test, and inspection of piping systems, whereas standards contain design and construction rules and requirements for individual piping components such as elbows, tees, returns, flanges, valves, and other in-line items.Compliance to code is generally mandated by regulations imposed by regulatory and enforcement agencies. At times, the insurance carrier for the facility leaves hardly any choice for the owner but to comply with the requirements of a code or codes to ensure the safety of the workers and the general public. Compliance with standards is normally required by the rules of the applicable code or the purchaser’s specification. Recommended Practice Recommended Practices, prepared by professional organizations or professional bodies are an optional set of documents that can be used for good engineering practice. Even though every country has its own codes and standards but still the American codes and standards are most widely used. The major codes and standards which are used in day to day piping application are listed below: A. ASME Codes for Piping Industry 1.0 ASME B31: Code for Pressure Piping ASME B31.3 - Process Piping Code This code normally provides rules for piping found in petroleum refineries, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, paper, semiconductor, and cryogenic plants, and related processing plants and terminals including piping for fluids like raw, intermediate and finished chemicals, petroleum products, gas, steam, air and water, fluidized solids, refrigerants, cryogenic fluids, etc. For process piping professionals this code is of utmost importance.This Code does not provide information on the following: (a) piping systems designed for internal gage pressures at or above zero but less than 105 kPa (15 psi), provided the fluid handled is nonflammable, nontoxic, and not damaging to human tissues and its design temperature is from −29°C (−20°F) through 186°C (366°F).(b) power boilers and boiler external piping which is required to conform to B31.1.(c) tubes, tube headers, crossovers, and manifolds of fired heaters, which are internal to the heater enclosure(d) pressure vessels, heat exchangers, pumps, compressors, and other fluid handling or processing equipment, including internal piping and connections for external piping.(e) piping covered by ASME B31.4, B31.8, or B31.11, although located on the company property(f) plumbing, sanitary sewers, and storm sewers.(g) piping for fire-protection systems(h) piping covered by applicable governmental regulations ASME B31.1 - Power Piping Code This code provides requirements for piping typically found in electric power generating stations, in industrial and institutional plants, geothermal heating systems, and central and district heating and cooling systems. This code is mainly important for Power piping professionals. It does not apply to the piping systems covered by other sections of the Code for Pressure Piping, and other piping which is specifically excluded from the scope of this code. ASME B31.4 - Pipeline Transportation Systems for Liquids and Slurries This code provides requirements for piping transporting liquids between production facilities, tank farms, natural gas processing plants, plants and terminals, and within terminals, pumping, regulating, metering stations, and other delivery and receiving points. ASME B31.5 - Refrigeration Piping and Heat Transfer Components This code prescribes requirements for piping for refrigerants, heat transfer components and secondary coolants for temperatures as low as -320 degree F (-196 degree C) ASME B31.8 - Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems This code covers the piping transporting products that are mostly gas (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) between sources and terminals. This code also covers the safety aspects of the operation and maintenance of those facilities. ASME B31.9 - Building Services PipingAMSE B31.11 - Slurry Transportation Piping Systems.ASME B31.12 - Hydrogen Piping and Pipelines. 2.0 ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code It contains 11 sections as mentioned below: Section I Power BoilersSection II Material SpecificationsSection III Rules for Construction of Nuclear Power Plant ComponentsSection IV Heating BoilersSection V Nondestructive ExaminationSection VI Recommended Rules for Care and Operation of Heating BoilersSection VII Recommended Rules for Care of Power BoilersSection VIII Pressure VesselsSection IX Welding and Brazing QualificationsSection X Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Pressure VesselsSection XI Rules for In-Service Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components Out of this 11 sections, Section VIII is very important for Process Piping engineers. B. Piping Component Standards The major piping component standards which are used frequently are listed below:ASME B36.10M: Welded and Seamless Wrought Steel PipeASME B36.19M: Stainless Steel PipeASME B16.9: Factory-Made Wrought Steel Buttwelding FittingsASME B16.5: Pipe Flanges and Flanged FittingsASME B16.11: Forged Fittings, Socket Welding and ThreadedASME B1.1: Unified Inch Screw ThreadsASME B16.20: Metallic Gaskets for Pipe Flanges.ASME B16.25: Buttwelding EndsASME B16.10: Face-to-Face and End-To-End Dimensions of ValvesMSS SP-58: Pipe Hangers and Supports — Materials, Design, and Manufacture.BS 6501, Part 1: Flexible Metal HoseNFPA 1963: Standard for Fire Hose Connections Refer ASME code B 31.3 for more of the component standards C. ASTM Standards The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is a scientific and technical organization that develops and publishes voluntary standards on the characteristics and performance of materials, products, systems, and services. The standards published by the ASTM include test procedures for determining or verifying characteristics, such as chemical composition and measuring performance, such as tensile strength and bending properties. The standards cover refined materials, such as steel, and basic products, such as machinery and fabricated equipment. The standards are developed by committees drawn from a broad spectrum of professional, industrial, and commercial interests. Many of the standards are made mandatory by reference in applicable piping codes. The major ASTM standards are listed below: A36: Carbon Structural SteelA105: Carbon Steel Forgings, for Piping ApplicationsA106: Seamless Carbon Steel Pipe for High-Temperature ServiceA312: Seamless, Welded, and Heavily Cold Worked Austenitic Stainless Steel PipeA335: Seamless Ferritic Alloy Steel Pipe for High-Temperature ServiceA358: Electric-Fusion-Welded Austenitic Chromium-Nickel Alloy Stainless Steel Pipe for High-Temperature Service and General ApplicationsA516: Pressure Vessel Plates, Carbon Steel, for Moderate and Lower-Temperature ServiceA671: Electric-Fusion-Welded Steel Pipe for Atmospheric and Lower TemperaturesA672: Electric-Fusion-Welded Steel Pipe for High-Pressure Service at Moderate TemperaturesSuggested reading for more on ASTM standards: Refer ASME B 31.3 Specification index for Appendix A. D. API Standards The American Petroleum Institute (API) publishes specifications, bulletins, recommended practices, standards, and other publications as an aid to the procurement of standardized equipment and materials. The major ones are listed below for your reference: API RP 520: Recommended Practice for Sizing, Selection,and Installation of Pressure-Relieving Devices in Refineries.API 610: Centrifugal Pumps for Petroleum, Petrochemical and Natural Gas IndustriesAPI 650: Welded Tanks for Oil StorageAPI 661: Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers for General Refinery ServiceAPI 560: Fired Heaters for General Refinery ServiceAPI 617: Axial and Centrifugal Compressors and Expander-compressors for Petroleum, Chemical and Gas Industry ServicesAPI 618: Reciprocating Compressors for Petroleum, Chemical, and Gas Industry ServicesAPI 612: Petroleum, Petrochemical and Natural Gas Industries-Steam Turbines-Special-purpose Applications For more API Standards refer the API website for their catalogue of published standard. There are several other codes and standards which are used in piping industry like AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN WELDING SOCIETY, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SANITARY ENGINEERS, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING, AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE, EXPANSION JOINT MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, MANUFACTURERS STANDARDIZATION SOCIETY OF THE VALVE AND FITTINGS INDUSTRY, NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION, TUBULAR EXCHANGER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, etc. Also, there are non-american standards like BRITISH STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS, RUSSIAN CODES, DIN STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS, JAPANESE STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS, ISO STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS, etc. The user is requested to venture more of these standards in his own interest. Few of the Russian codes are listed below: E. Russian Codes GOST 32388-2013 Process Piping Stress Analysis, GOST 32569-2013 Process Piping Design-These codes provide requirements for process piping design and analysis. GOST 23388-2013 Code covers such aspects as vacuum piping stability, creep in high-temperature piping, cryogenic piping stress analysis requirements, seismic analysis, HDPE piping stress analysis RD 10-249-98 – Power Piping. Design and Stress AnalysisThis code provides requirements for piping typically found in electric power generating stations, in industrial and institutional plants, geothermal heating systems except district heating systems. GOST R 55596-2013 District Heating Systems Stress Analysis, SP 124.13330.2012 District Heating Systems DesignThis code provides requirements for buried and above ground district heating piping systems design and analysis.SP 36.13330.2012 – Gas and Oil Transmission Piping Systems. Design and Stress AnalysisThis code provides requirements for pipelines transporting gas and oil between production facilities, tank farm, natural gas processing plants, plants and terminals and within terminals, pumping, regulating, metering stations, and other delivery and receiving. GOST 34347-2017 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Design Requirements,GOST 34233-2017 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Stress Analysis RequirementsGOST 34233.1-2017: General requirementsGOST 34233.2-2017: Cylindrical and conical shells, convex and flat bottoms and coversGOST 34233.3-2017: Reinforcement of openings in shells and bottoms under internal and external pressure. Strength calculation of shells and bottoms under external static loads on the nozzleGOST 34233.4-2017: Strength and leak-tightness calculation of flange jointsGOST 34233.5-2017: Calculation of shells and bottoms under Influence of support loadsGOST 34233.6-2017: Strength calculation under low-cyclic loadsGOST 34233.7-2017: Heat-exchangersGOST 34233.8-2017: Jacketed vesselsGOST 34233.9-2017: Vertical Column VesselsGOST 34233.10-2017: Vessels involving hydrogen sulphide mediaGOST 34233.11-2017: Method of strength calculation of shells and bottoms according to weld misalignment, angular misalignment and shell no roundnessGOST 34233.12-2017: Requirements for representation of the strength calculations carried out on the computerPiping Component Standards:Pipes: GOST 10705, 10706, 11068, 2095, 3262, 550, 8696, 8731, 8733, 9940, 9941, 53383, OST series 108x, 34x, TU 14-3-1080, 14-3-1128, 14-3-1160 and lots of other standardsBends: GOST 17375, 30753, OST series 108x. 34x and lots of other standardsTees: GOST 17376, OST series 108x. 34x and lots of other standardsFlanges: GOST 33259 and lots of other standards