Lecture 7: Process Piping Design (Part 1 & 2)

Question 1

Roles and Challenges of Piping Engineers:

Answer 1

Roles: Designing, analyzing, and maintaining piping systems.

Challenges: Ensuring safety, minimizing costs, and meeting regulatory requirements.

Question 2

Examples of Flow Scenarios:

Answer 2

Scenarios: Piping reboiler liquids, two-phase flows, hot-vapor bypasses.

Question 3

Factors for Pipe Manufacture:

Answer 3

Considerations: Manufacturing methods, sizes, schedules, fittings, and flanges.

Question 4

Importance of Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs):

Answer 4

Importance: Provides a graphical representation of process piping and instrumentation for understanding and issue identification.

Question 5

Common Piping Materials:

Answer 5

Materials: Carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, plastic.

Advantages and disadvantages vary by material.

Question 6

Static Head vs. Pressure Head:

Answer 6

Static Head: Fluid column height above a reference point.

Pressure Head: Pressure at a specific point in the system.

Influenced by gravity and fluid properties/flow rate, respectively.

Question 7

Causes of Piping Failures and Prevention:

Answer 7

Causes: Corrosion, erosion, vibration, thermal stress.

Prevention: Material selection, proper installation, maintenance, inspection.

Question 8

Design for High-Temperature Applications:

Answer 8

Considerations: Material selection, thermal expansion, insulation, support.

Question 9

Common Pipe Fittings:

Answer 9

Types: Elbows, tees, reducers, flanges.

Functions: Change flow direction, split flow, alter pipe diameter, connect equipment.

Question 10

Laminar vs. Turbulent Flow:

Answer 10

Laminar Flow: Smooth and orderly.

Turbulent Flow: Chaotic and irregular, with higher pressure drop due to increased friction.

Question 11

Design for Corrosive Environments:

Answer 11

Considerations: Select corrosion-resistant materials, insulation, cathodic protection.

Question 11

Common Valve Types:

Answer 11

Types: Gate valves, globe valves, ball valves, check valves.
Functions: Flow control, shutoff, backflow prevention.

Question 12

Piping Stress Analysis:

Answer 12

Purpose: Ensure system can handle operational stresses.

Methods: Finite element, flexibility, equivalent stress analysis.

Question 13

Common Pump Types:

Answer 13

Types: Centrifugal, positive displacement, axial flow pumps.

Applications: Vary by type and flow requirements.

Question 14

Single-Phase vs. Two-Phase Flow:

Answer 14

Single-Phase: Single fluid flow.

Two-Phase: Flow of two fluids, with higher pressure drop due to increased friction.

Question 15

Vibration in Piping Systems:

Answer 15

Causes: Fluid-induced vibration, mechanical resonance, flow-induced vibration.

Prevention: Proper support, anchoring, isolation, flow control.

Question 16

Closed-Loop vs. Open-Loop Systems:

Answer 16

Closed-Loop: Recirculated fluid within the same network.

Open-Loop: Fluid drawn from source and discharged elsewhere.

Applications vary, e.g., heating/cooling vs. water supply.

Question 17

Common Heat Exchanger Types:

Answer 17

Types: Shell-and-tube, plate-and-frame, air-cooled.

Applications vary based on factors like pressure and heat transfer rates.

Question 18

Single-Pass vs. Multi-Pass Heat Exchangers:

Answer 18

Single-Pass: Fluid passes through once.

Multi-Pass: Fluid circulates through the exchanger multiple times, with higher heat transfer efficiency.

Question 19

Control Valve Types:

Answer 19

Types: Globe valves, butterfly valves, ball valves.

Functions: Flow control, shutoff, low-pressure applications.

Question 20

Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID):

Answer 20

Purpose: Graphic representation of piping and instrumentation.

Typical content: Pipe sizes, valve types, flow rates, pressure/temperature indicators, control loops.

Question 21

Common Pipe Fittings:

Answer 21

Types: Elbows, tees, reducers, flanges.

Functions: Alter flow direction, split flow, change pipe diameter, connect equipment.

Question 22

Single-Phase vs. Multiphase Flow:

Answer 22

Single-Phase: Single fluid flow, e.g., water supply.

Multiphase: Flow of two or more fluids, e.g., oil/gas production.

Question 23

Pressure Vessel vs. Piping System:

Answer 23

Pressure Vessel: Container for fluids/gases at different pressures.

Piping System: Network to transport fluids/gases.

Question 24

Common Pipe Materials:

Answer 24

Materials: Steel, copper, plastic, composites.

Advantages and disadvantages based on material properties.

Question 25

Purpose of Relief Valve:

Answer 25

Purpose: Protects system from overpressure by releasing excess fluid/gas.

Operates when pressure exceeds a set point.

Question 26

Common Pump Types:

Answer 26

Types: Centrifugal, positive displacement, axial flow pumps.

Functions: Used based on fluid viscosity and flow rate.

Question 27

Single-Phase vs. Multiphase Flow:

Answer 27

Single-Phase: Single fluid flow, e.g., water supply.

Multiphase: Flow of two or more fluids, e.g., oil/gas production.

Question 27

Common Valve Types:

Answer 27

Types: Gate valves, globe valves, ball valves, check valves.

Functions: Vary for flow control, shutoff, and backflow prevention.

Question 28

Difference Between PFD and P&ID:

Answer 28

PFD: Major equipment and process flow paths.

P&ID: Piping and instrumentation details, including pipe sizes, valve types, flow rates, pressure/temperature indicators, and control loops.

Question 29

Common Pipe Support Types:

Answer 29

Types: Hangers, anchors, guides.

Functions: Support pipe weight, prevent axial/lateral movement.