This content provides you with sample piping stress analysis Engineering

Specification that is used in industrial plant construction works.

1. Piping Stress Analysis - Scope
This specification prescribes the basic requirements for stress analysis of the piping
systems to be performed during the piping design work for use in industrial plant.
2. References
The latest edition / version of the following codes, standards and specifications shall form a
part of the requirements of this specifications.
2.1. Piping Stress Analysis - Codes and Standards
ASME B31.3

Process Piping

ASME section VIII div 1

Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code

ASME section VIII div 2

Rule for Construction of Pressure Vessels

API 610,
gas industry services

Centrifugal pumps for petroleum, heavy duty chemical, and

API 617,
service industries

Centrifugal compressors for petroleum, chemical, and gas

API 618,
service industries

Reciprocating compressors for petroleum, chemical, and gas

API 560,

Fired heaters for general refinery services

API 650,

Welded steel tanks for oil storage

API 660,
services

Shell and tube type heat exchangers for general refinery

API 661,

Air-Cooled heat exchangers for general refinery services

API RP520
in refineries

Sizing, selection and installation of pressure relieving device

NEMA SM23,

Steam turbine for mechanical drive service

WRC 107,
external loading

Local stresses in spherical and cylindrical shells due to

WRC 297,

Supplement for WRC 107

EJMA,
ASME 16.9, ASME 16.25

Standard of expansion joint manufacturers association

2.2. Piping Stress Analysis - Related Specifications and References

Engineering specification for Piping Hanging & Support
Engineering specification for Piping Design
Engineering specification for Thermal Insulation (HOT)
Engineering specification for Thermal Insulation (COLD)
Engineering specification for Piping Material

3. Piping Stress Analysis -Design Conditions

The piping stress analysis shall include the following loading effects as
applicable.
3.1. Piping Stress Analysis - Weight Effects
The weight load shall include the pipe weight, weight of content, insulation weight
and weight of fittings and any inline equipment. For piping systems, which are
tested hydraulically and have content with specific gravity less than 1.0, a hydrotest run shall be performed assuming a specific gravity of 1.0 to establish the
structural design loads.
3.2. Piping Stress Analysis - Thermal Effects
Temperature to be used in the piping flexibility analysis shall be the maximum
differential temperature between any of the following applicable conditions.
3.2.1. Piping Stress Analysis - Installation Temperature
1) Maximum dry bulb temperature of 48C shall be taken as the installation
temperature for cold insulated piping service.
2) Minimum dry bulb temperature of 5C shall be taken as the installation
temperature for bare/hot insulated piping service.
3.2.2. Piping Stress Analysis - Calculation Temperature
1) Operating temperature as stipulated in the line list.
2) In addition, the following temperature condition shall be considered in the
calculation when lines are specified in the line index.

Start-up / shutdown temperature

Steam out temperature: Normal steam out temperature should not

exceed 120C for saturated steam. This steam out temperature shall be
considered only for flexibility purposes of hydrocarbon serviced lines.
Decoking temperature
Regeneration temperature
3) For piping which normally have no flow (such as drains, start-up lines, etc.) the
flow calculation temperature shall be determined as follows.

For insulated piping, 75% of operating temperature shall be taken.

For un-insulated piping, 25% of operating temperature shall be taken.
For section between stand-by equipment and cut-off valve, installation
temperature shall be taken.
For piping which have warming-up by-pass, operating temperature shall be
taken for all section.
3.3. Piping Stress Analysis - Pressure Effect
Maximum operating pressure and minimum vacuum pressure shall be taken as the
calculation pressure as per ASME B31.3, unless otherwise specified.
3.4. Piping Stress Analysis - Friction Effects
3.4.1 Friction effects shall be considered in the design of anchor on horizontally long run
piping system with OD larger than 8 inch.
3.4.2 Following friction factor shall be used for computing the frictional resistance.
Surface

Friction Factor

Steel to Steel

0.3

Steel to Teflon

0.1

Teflon to Teflon

0.06

Steel to Concrete

0.5

3.5. Piping Stress Analysis - Wind and Earthquake Effects

3.5.1. Wind and earthquake effects shall be checked in formal computer analysis,
if experienced stress engineers decide it necessary. Wind loading shall be
considered for sizes 24NB and over, for heights more than 10 m above grade
where not shielded. For earthquake loading the equivalent static force analysis
method shall be applied. The wind load and Earthquake as acting separately in
two lateral condition 90 apart. 2.
4.0 Piping Stress Analysis - Design and Analysis Requirements for
Flexibility
4.1. Piping to purged vessels that cannot be disconnected during purging shall
be designed with sufficient flexibility to accommodate the thermal displacement
of the vessel.
4.2. The use of cold spring in piping, which connects to rotating equipment, is
prohibited.
4.3. If temperature, resulting in short term loading as those stated in Para.
3.2.2.2) is specified in the line list, thermal effect by this temperature shall also be
considered in the analysis. However, the reaction loads at equipment shall not be
taken from this alternate analysis case.
4.4. Flexibility
1) The required flexibility of the piping shall be achieved by a suitable layout
configuration without the need for expansion joints, first. Expansion joints shall be
used only where bends, offsets or expansion loops are not deemed feasible. In
this case, the stiffness of expansion joint shall be considered in any flexibility
analysis. And, the destabilizing effects of unbalanced pressure thrusts shall be
accounted for in the piping design.
2) Expansion joints shall be used only with adequate guides and anchors and
when the fluid plugging properties cannot make the expansion joint ineffective.
3) Bellows type expansion joints shall be avoided in services that cooking can
occur. If a suitable piping configuration can not be designed to eliminate the joint,
connections shall be provided to enable flushing of the area between bellows and
liner to be carried out in a non-coking medium.
4) Torsional rotation of the bellows shall be avoided. This twisting generally
produces extremely high shear stresses in the bellows so where torsional
rotation cannot be avoided; special hardware shall be used to limit the amount of
torsional shear stress in the bellows.

5) The maximum, minimum and installation temperatures shall be accurately

stated in data sheet to be prepared by the designer. Where the ambient
temperature can vary significantly during pipeline construction, pre-positioning of
the Expansion Joint at installation may be required.
6) The Expansion joint manufacture shall be advised if the Expansion joint will be
insulated and the manner by which the Expansion joint will be insulated in order
to properly design the component parts.
7) The movements to be absorbed by the expansion joint shall include not only
piping elongation or contraction, but also movement of attached vessels,
anchors, etc. and the possibility of misalignment during installation. Unless
included in the design requirements, misalignment of the Expansion joint shall be
avoided.
8) Where movements are cyclic, the number of cycles expected shall be
specified. As in the case of pressure, the movement specified shall be realistic.
An excessive safety factor can result in an Expansion joint, which is
unnecessarily flexible; thus its stability under pressure is unnecessarily reduced.
9) If the flowing medium can pack or solidify, provisions shall be made to prevent
entrapment or solidification of the material in the convolutions, which could result
in damage to the Expansion joint or pipe line.
10) The predicted amplitude and frequency of external mechanical vibrations to
be imposed on the bellows, such as caused by reciprocating or pulsating
machinery, shall be specified. A resonant condition in the bellows will result in a
grossly reduced fatigue life and shall be avoided.
4.5. The flexibility analysis shall be in accordance with ASME B31.3 and shall be
based upon the total displacement strain imposed upon piping system including
the effects of equipment settlement or anchor movement, if applicable.
4.6.. The computed stress range shall be less than allowable stress range as
defined in ASME B31.3 unless otherwise specified.
4.7. Thermal movements shall be limited to 300mm between anchors and to
100mm at pipe bends or turns. However, greater movements will be considered if
the availability of space and the capacity of the anchorage to accept the
incremental loads are confirmed.
4.8. Start-up, shut-down and steam-out where applicable and upset conditions
including short-term excursions to higher temperature or pressure as well as
normal operating conditions, shall be considered in flexibility analysis. This is

particularly pertinent to loads applied to connecting equipment. The effect of

vibration from machinery on connecting piping shall also be assessed.
4.9. Flare system piping shall be designed to take care of expansion, movement
or vibration caused by the most severe operating or emergency conditions. Pipe
shoes or saddles shall be furnished on the main flare header at all supports.
4.10. Cold spring shall be used as much as practical to reduce forces on
equipment nozzles and to prevent interference from expanding lines.
4.11. The use of cold spring for piping systems, which connected to rotating
equipment, is prohibited.
4.12. The combinations of the loads shall conform to the applicable piping code.
4.13. Impact loads caused pressure relief through a safety valve shall also be
calculated in accordance With " API PR 520 ".
5.0 Piping Stress Analysis - Line Classifications
5.1.Each piping system shall be classified as grade A, B and C according to
the severity of its design condition and need for special design. Each grade
requires the following methods for stress analysis.

Grade A: Judgment based on the experience of stress engineer.

Grade B: The simplified method according to Para.319.4 of ASME B31.3.
Grade C: Formal computer analysis.
5.2. For the following 3 and larger lines, formal computer stress analysis method
is required:

1. Process, regeneration and decoking lines to and from Fired Heaters and
Steam Generators.
2. Process lines to and from Blowers.
3. Steam lines to and from Turbines.
4. Suction and discharge line of Pumps.

5. Suction and discharge line of Compressors.

5.3. The judgment of grade for all piping except that connected to rotating
equipment shall be in accordance with the criteria shown on fig.1.
5.4. The judgment of grade for all piping connected to rotating equipment
including air fin cooler and fired heater shall be in accordance with the criteria
shown on fig.2.
6.0. External Load Limits on Equipment
6.1. Rotating Equipment
The allowable nozzle loads for rotating equipments shall be limited to those
specified in their governing Engineering specifications and standards to which
the equipment is designed, unless otherwise specified by applicable vendors.
For ANSI and ISO pumps, allowable nozzle loads shall be those as other stated
in table 2 of API 610 unless otherwise specified by vendors.
6.2. Air Fin-Cooled Exchangers
The allowable nozzle loads for air fin cooled exchanger shall be limited to those
specified in Engineering specifications and vendor recommendation and API 661.
Piping to air fin cooled exchanger shall be designed to take into account
clearances between the frame and the header box of each bundle. And, thrust
blocks between tube bundles shall be used whenever possible to minimize
friction loads at piping takeoffs and anchors, and to meet allowable loads at the
nozzles.
6.3. Exchangers (Shell and Tube)
For piping connected to heat exchangers with T<400C or P<35 kg/cm2g, the
pipe bending stress due to thermal expansion at the exchanger nozzle shall be
limited to 700 kg/cm2 using a rigid nozzle analysis. If above criteria is exceeded,
localized stress at the nozzle-to-shell be calculated by WRC 107 and WRC 297,
and these computed stress value shall be limited in accordance with ASME
SECTION VIII.
For piping connected to heat exchangers with T>400C or P>35 kg/cm2g, the
piping imposed loads shall be transmitted to the vendor for his approval.
6.4. Pressure Vessels and Columns

For piping connected to pressure vessels and columns with T<400C or P<35
kg/cm2g, the pipe bending stress due to thermal expansion at the pressure
vessels and columns nozzle shall be limited to 430 kg/cm2 using a rigid nozzle
analysis.
If above criteria is exceeded, WRC 107 and WRC 297 shall be used for calculate
localized stress at the nozzle-to-shell, and these computed stress value shall be
limited in accordance with ASME SECTION VIII.
For piping connected to pressure vessels and columns with T>400C or P>35
kg/cm2g, the piping imposed loads shall be transmitted to the vendor for his
approval.
6.5. Fired Heaters and Steam Generators
The allowable nozzle loads and moments for fired heater shall be limited to those
specified in relevant Engineering specification or API 560 or values that are
acceptable to heater vendor.
Displacement of tubes shall be approved by the heater vendor and the effect of
expansion and/or displacement of the tubes shall be reflected in the stress
analysis of piping system.
Any heater designed with a floating coil (all spring or counter weight mounted)
shall be provided with fail-safe limit stops in all directions.
Computer analysis of piping systems connected to floating heater coils shall
include the heater coil or an approximate model of the coil as part of systems and
the effects of internal guides and restraints. Where heater coils are floating, the
support of the connecting piping system shall be completely and independently
balanced so that no dead loads imposed on coil.
6.6. Packaged Equipment
External load limits are to follow the vendor recommendations.
7.0. Piping Restraints
7.1. Pipe supports shall be spaced so as not to cause excessive deflection at any
point along the unsupported section of the pipe. As a general guide for piping
located in process area, the maximum mid span deflection shall not be allowed to
exceed 12 mm and for piping in pipe way, the mid span deflection between
straight run of piping shall not be allowed to exceed 12 mm.

7.2. The design, selection, fabrication and installation of piping support shall be in
accordance with the Engineering Specification for Piping Hanging and Support.
7.3. Piping subjected to two-phase flow and connected to reciprocating
compressor shall be supported as rigidly as possible while maintaining
acceptability of pipe stresses and equipment nozzle loads.
7.4. For nonmetallic piping, vendors recommendation for flexibility analysis,
support spacing and support type shall be utilized.
8.0. Miscellaneous
8.1. Reports
Final calculation of the grade C and the grade B which are analyzed by formal
computer analysis will be submitted to owner for record and site modification of
piping. The piping systems which are classified as grade B shall be analyzed by
formal computer analysis if experienced stress engineers decide it necessary to
prove that the systems meet the allowance of this specification. The reports shall
comprise of the following:

Basic data and calculated conditions

Layout isometric and support type and location
Load cases and calculated member stresses
Forces, moments and displacement reports
Spring hanger and expansion joint design parameters
8.2. Units
Metric units (kg, mm, kg-m, kg/cm2) shall be used as a unit of control for
analysis.
8.3. Softwares
CAESAR II Ver 4.2 (produced by COADE Inc.) will be used for formal computer
analysis

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