1. What are the disturbing parameters against which the piping system must be designed?

Ans: The piping system must stand strong (should not fail) against the following major effects:

Design Pressure and Temperature: Each component thickness must be sufficient to withstand most
severe combination of temperature and pressure.
Ambient effects like pressure reduction due to cooling, fluid expansion effect, possibility of moisture
condensation and build up of ice due to atmospheric icing, low ambient temperature etc.
Dynamic effects like impact force due to external or internal unexpected conditions, Wind force,
Earthquake force, Vibration and discharge (Relief valve) reaction forces, cyclic effects etc.
Component self weight including insulation, rigid body weights along with the medium it transport.
Thermal expansion and contraction effects due to resistance from free displacement or due to thermal
gradients (thermal bowing effect) etc.
Movement of pipe supports or connected equipments etc.

2. How to calculate the allowable stress for a carbon steel pipe?

Ans: The material allowable stress for any material other than bolting material, cast iron and malleable iron
are the minimum of the following:
1. one-third of tensile strength at maximum temperature.
2. two-thirds of yield strength at maximum temperature.
3. for austenitic stainless steels and nickel alloys having similar stressstrain behavior, the lower of two
thirds of yield strength and 90% of yield strength at temperature.
4. 100% of the average stress for a creep rate of 0.01% per 1 000 h
5. 67% of the average stress for rupture at the end of 100 000 h
6. 80% of the minimum stress for rupture at the end of 100 000 h
7. for structural grade materials, the basic allowable stress shall be 0.92 times the lowest value
determined (1) through (6) above.
3. What are steps for calculating the pipe thickness for a 10 inch carbon steel (A 106-Grade B) pipe
carrying a fluid with design pressure 15 bar and design temperatre of 250 degree centigrade?
Ans: The pipe thickness (t) for internal design pressure (P) is calculated from the following equation.

Here, D=Outside diameter of pipe, obtain the diameter from pipe manufacturer standard.
S=stress value at design temperature from code Table A-1
E=quality factor from code Table A-1A or A-1B
W=weld joint strength reduction factor from code
Y=coefficient from code Table 304.1.1
Using the above formula calculate the pressure design thickness, t.
Now add the sum of the mechanical allowances (thread or groove depth) plus corrosion and erosion
allowances if any with t to get minimum required thickness, tm.
Next add the mill tolerance with this value to get calculated pipe thickness. For seamless pipe the mill
tolerance is 12.5% under tolerance. So calculated pipe thickness will be tm/(1-0.125)=tm/0.875.
Now accept the available pipe thickness (based on next nearest higher pipe schedule) just higher than the
calculated value from manufacturer standard thickness tables.

4. How many types of fluid services are available for process piping?
Ans: In process piping industry following fluid services are available..

Category D Fluid Service: nonflammable, nontoxic, and not damaging to human tissues, the design
pressure does not exceed 150 psig, the design temperature is from -20 degree F to 366 degree F.
Category M Fluid Service: a fluid service in which the potential for personnel exposure is judged to
be significant and in which a single exposure to a very small quantity of a toxic fluid, caused by
leakage, can produce serious irreversible harm to persons on breathing or bodily contact, even when
prompt restorative measures are taken.
Elavated Temperature Fluid service: a fluid service in which the piping metal temperature is
sustained equal to or greater than Tcr (Tcr=temperature 25C (50F) below the temperature
identifying the start of time-dependent properties).
Normal Fluid Service: a fluid service pertaining to most piping covered by this Code, i.e., not
subject to the rules for Category D, Category M, Elevated Temperature, High Pressure, or High
Purity Fluid Service.
High Pressure Fluid Service: a fluid service for which the owner specifies the use of Chapter IX for
piping design and construction. High pressure is considered herein to be pressure in excess of that
allowed by the ASME B16.5 Class 2500 rating for the specified design temperature and material
group.
High Purity Fluid Service: a fluid service that requires alternative methods of fabrication,
inspection, examination, and testing not covered elsewhere in the Code, with the intent to produce a
controlled level of cleanness. The term thus applies to piping systems defined for other purposes as
high purity, ultra high purity, hygienic, or aseptic.