FLUID MECHANICS

PIPE AND TUBING

Introduction
 Fluids usually transported in pipe or tubing.
 Piping – a major item in the cost of chemical process plants.
 In fluid-process plant, piping cost can run as high as 80
percent of the purchased equipment cost or 20 percent of the
fixed-capital investment.
 Made from many materials, including metals and alloys,
wood, ceramic, glass, and various plastics.
 PVC pipe extensively used for wastewater lines.
 Low-carbon steel fabricated into black-iron pipe used mostly
in process plants.
 Wrought-iron and cast-iron pipes used for a number of
special purposes.
Difference between pipe and tubing

Pipe Tubing
Heavy-walled Thin-walled
Relatively large in diameter Relatively small in diameter
Moderate lengths of 6 or 12 m Often comes in coils several hundred feet
long
Can be threaded Usually cannot
Walls are usually slightly rough Very smooth walls
Lenghts of pipes joined by screwed, flanged, Pieces of tubing connected by compression
or welded fittings fittings, flare fittings, or soldered fittings
Made by welding, casting, or piercing a billet Usually extruded or cold-drawn
in a piercing mill
TUBING
Tubing
 Copper tubing and brass tubing are used extensively in industrial
operations.

 Nickel and stainless steel are also available in the form of tubing.

 Tubing specifications are based on the actual outside diameter with

a designated wall thickness.

 Birmingham wire gauge (BWG) is used to indicate the wall

thickness.

 BWG ranges from 24 (very light) to 7 (very heavy).

PIPE
Schedule number
 Pipes - specified according to wall thickness by schedule
number

 Wall thickness of pipe indicated by schedule number.

 Ten schedule numbers are in use at the present time (10, 20,
30, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, and 160).
Nominal Pipe Diameter
 Pipe sizes are based on the approximate diameter and are
reported as nominal pipe sizes.

 The outside diameter of any pipe having a given nominal size

is constant and independent of the schedule number.

 This permits the use of standard fittings and threading tools

on pipes of different schedule numbers.
Dimensions, Capacities, and Weights
of Standard Steel Pipe
Dimensions, Capacities, and Weights
of Standard Steel Pipe
Fittings and Other Piping Auxiliaries
Fittings and Other Piping Auxiliaries
Fittings and Other Piping Auxiliaries
 Threaded fittings, flanges, valves, flow meters, steam traps, and
many other auxiliaries are used in piping systems to
 connect pieces of pipe together, or
 change the direction of flow, or
 regulate the flow, or
 obtain desired conditions in a flow system.
 Flanges are usually employed for piping connections when the
pipe diameter is 3 in. or larger.
 Screwed fittings are commonly used for smaller sizes.
 The auxiliaries in piping systems must have sufficient structural
strength to resist the pressure or other strains encountered in the
operation.
 Fittings, valves, steam traps, and similar items are often rated on
the basis of the safe operating pressure.
Design of piping systems
Items to be considered by the engineer when developing the design for a
piping system;
 Choice of materials and sizes
 Effects of temperature level and temperature changes
 Insulation
 Thermal expansion
 Freezing
 Flexibility of the system for physical or thermal shocks
 Adequate support and anchorage
 Alterations in the system and the service
 Maintenance and inspection
 Ease of installation
 Auxiliary or stand-by pumps and lines
 Safety
 Design factors
 Relief valves and flare systems
Design of piping systems
Pipe sizing
 The design engineer must specify the diameter of pipe that
will be used in a given piping system.
 Economic factors must be considered in determining the
optimum pipe diameter.
 Pipe size selected for a particular installation depends mainly
on;
 cost of the pipe and fittings
 cost of energy needed for pumping the fluid
 Optimum pipe diameter - gives the least total cost for annual
pumping power and fixed charges with the particular piping
system.
Design of piping systems
Pipe sizing
Design of piping systems
Pipe sizing
Numerical Problems

“Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering” by W. L.

McCabe, J. C. Smith, and P. Harriott (5th Edition)
 Examples 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4
 Problems 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4