If your business depends on the stability of piping systems, you need to ensure that they’re safe from failures and leakages. Piping stress analysis is a vital engineering process that assesses the structural integrity of your system. Little P.Eng. Engineering offers premium piping stress analysis services. Their engineers use Bentley Autopipe to evaluate thermal and pressure expansions, as well as deadweight and occasional loads. They also conduct dynamic analysis for situations involving wind and seismic events.

Benefits

Piping stress analysis company is an essential component of the safe design of pressurized systems. It drives decisions about piping layouts, support arrangement, requirements for flexible supports, and flange design. It also helps to determine the safe working loads for the piping system. Pipes may seem sturdy and well-built, but they can still break down if they are not designed to accommodate the specific stresses that they will be exposed to on a daily basis. This is especially true if the pipes are carrying hazardous materials.

The right piping stress analyst can help ensure that the piping will be strong enough to carry its load and prevent any potential problems. They can also perform a detailed inspection of the piping to determine any damage or wear and tear. This can save you time and money in the long run. In addition, they can help you create Iso drawings for piping that does not have any as-built drawing.

Types Of Stresses

Piping systems are a vital part of chemical plants. However, they are often subject to stress that can result in failure and potential safety hazards for the plant and equipment. Fortunately, piping stress analysis can help ensure that pipes stay within their allowable load ranges. The primary stresses are sustained loads such as internal pressure and weight. These are constantly present during plant operation. Resistive forces balance these and prevent them from exceeding the yield strength of the pipe material.

Occasional loads, such as wind, seismic disturbances, PSV discharge and fluid transient events (like water hammer), occur at infrequent intervals. These can exceed the code-specified limit by a percentage based on the frequency and duration of the load.  Other types of stress include axial stress, bending stress, shear stress and torsion. These can result from cyclic conditions like thermal expansion and contraction, imposed displacements and lateral restraints.

Pipe Materials

There are several types of pipe materials that can be used in piping systems, depending on the needs of the project. For example, stainless steel is a popular choice because it is resistant to corrosion and does not rust. It can withstand high temperatures and is a good choice for pipes that will transport oil or gas. Copper pipes are another option, as they can be used to transport both hot and cold water. They are durable and can last up to 50 years. They are also safe to use in drinking water applications because they do not allow bacteria to grow. Plus, they are recyclable.

PVC pipes are a more recent option for plumbing, and they can be used in a variety of different applications. They are available in a number of different colors, and they can be used to transport both hot and cool water. The pipes are also very flexible and can be used in long runs.

Software

Piping stress analysis is a vital part of any plant design project. This complex analysis requires a team of experienced engineers to ensure safety and reliability. These professionals use advanced tools and software, such as Bentley Autopipe and CAESAR II, to streamline the process and provide accurate results. These tools allow engineers to see the effects of thermal expansion and contraction, support settlement, seismic loads and wave forces. They also offer a user-friendly interface and easy import/export of customised load case definitions to speed up the model building process. The integrated error checker automatically renumbers load cases upon deletion and allows users to view the impact of combinations.

To conduct a piping stress analysis, you need to have a strong understanding of the code and standards involved in piping design. A professional piping stress analyst will have a degree in mechanical engineering or a related discipline and years of experience working within multi-discipline design teams. They will be able to utilize software like CAESAR II and ROHR2WIN to perform dynamic modal analyses and provide premium piping stress analysis services for your business.

Conclusion

Piping systems are subject to a variety of loading. It's critical to ensure that the system is designed adequately and fails below code allowable piping stresses and nozzle loads of equipment and machinery connected to the piping network.