Chemical Engineering October 2016 - 42

Piping Codes:
What the CPI Engineer Should Know
An overview of the codes and standards that are most pertinent to chemical processing facilities
William M. Huitt
W. M. Huitt Co.
IN BRIEF
A BRIEF HISTORY
CODES AND STANDARDS
RELEVANT TO THE CPI
ASME CODES TODAY
EXTERNAL PIPING
PRESSURE VESSELS
ASSIGNING PIPING
CODES
MODIFICATIONS, REPAIRS
AND RETROFITS
M
oving a
process
fluid
one stage
of its processing
cycle to the next requires
the transfer of
fluids between pressure
vessels, through
pressure piping with
the assistance of
pressure equipment.
Aside from the elemental
objective of
making an intermediate
or finished product,
the immediate
from
FIGURE 1. The aftermath of the 1905 explosion and fire at the R.B. Grover Shoe Factory in
Brockton, Mass. The trajectory of the boiler is shown as the red arc
Look for more Tables and
clarifications in
the online version
of this article at
www.chemengonline.com
42
goal, and what should be of primary importance,
is to make these fluid transfers, or
the overall handling of such process fluids,
in a safe and productive manner.
Handling such process fluids (including
utility fluids) presupposes that we select an
appropriate material of construction (MOC)
for each fluid service; that we properly size
the piping and components for the needed
flowrate; determine a mechanical-joint pressure
rating that will safely contain the fluid
being transferred; and that we design and
construct pressure vessels and equipment
in accordance with accredited consensus
standards. Such aspects of fluid handling,
in the design and engineering of a chemical
processing facility (CPF), is an ever-changing
selective process in which many fluid service
variations may exist, and each fluid may have
its own distinct set of requirements. These
requirements can range from construction
material compatibility to safe containment
of the process fluid, and from regulatory
requirements to jurisdictional code requirements.
The many variables presented in the
design of a process system create a challenge
in the effort to achieve quantifiable productivity
while meeting all respective code
and regulatory demands.
Safety considerations in the design, construction
and operation of a chemical process
industries (CPI) facility is not simply a
rhetorical aspect of the design function, it is
instead the very essence of the codes and
standards that affect the safety and wellbeing
of not only the operations and plant
personnel, but in many cases, the people
who live in the surrounding neighborhoods
- neighborhoods that are in close proximity
to what could be considered a high-risk
industrial facility. This is where code and
regulatory compliance interact with the design,
engineering and construction activities
of a CPF.
The respective codes and standards affect
everything from the materials and methods
used in manufacturing the individual components
that make up the piping systems in a
processing unit to how the piping system is
engineered and constructed. Given the fact
that the operation of a CPF is inherently dangerous
- some significantly more than others
- it was the lessons learned back at the
turn of the twentieth century from incidents,
such as the R. B. Grover Shoe Factory devastation
(Figure 1) that prompted the need
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
OCTOBER 2016

http://www.chemengonline.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM

Chemical Engineering October 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering October 2016