Pipe and Tube Sizing

Butch G. BatallerLecture on ChE 192

Diameter Calculations

Typical Diameter based on Typical Velocity (Kent, 1980)

For Liquids,

Diameter Calculations

Typical Diameter based on Typical Velocity (Kent, 1980)

For Gases,

Diameter Calculations

Minimum Diameter based on Maximum Velocity

For Clean Liquids,

Diameter Calculations

Minimum Diameter based on Maximum Velocity

For Clean Gases,

Diameter Calculations

Minimum Diameter based on Maximum Velocity

For Erosive/Corrosive Liquids,

Diameter Calculations

Minimum Diameter based on Maximum Velocity

For Erosive/Corrosive Gases,

Diameter Calculations

Optimum Economic Diameter (considering piping, pumping and maintenance costs)

For Turbulent Flow and Di ≥ 0.0254 m,

Diameter Calculations

Optimum Economic Diameter (considering piping, pumping and maintenance costs)

For Turbulent Flow and Di < 0.0254 m,

Diameter Calculations

Optimum Economic Diameter (considering piping, pumping and maintenance costs)

For Viscous Flow and Di ≥ 0.0254 m,

Diameter Calculations

Optimum Economic Diameter (considering piping, pumping and maintenance costs)

For Viscous Flow and Di < 0.0254 m,

Diameter Calculations

Optimum Economic Diameter (Peters and Timmerhaus, 2004)

For Turbulent Flow and Di ≥ 0.0254 m,

025.013.045.0

32.0

025.045.0

, 363.0363.0

fcv

opti qm

D

D = opt pipe diameter (m), qf = vol. flowrate (m3/s), ρ = density (kg/m3), μ = viscsity (Pa-s)

Diameter Calculations

Optimum Economic Diameter (Peters and Timmerhaus, 2004)

For Turbulent Flow and Di < 0.0254 m,

027.014.049.0, 49.0 fopti qD

D = opt pipe diameter (m), qf = vol. flowrate (m3/s), ρ = density (kg/m3), μ = viscsity (Pa-s)

Diameter Calculations

Optimum Economic Diameter (Peters and Timmerhaus, 2004)

For Viscous Flow and Di ≥ 0.0254 m,

18.036.0, 133.0 fopti qD

D = opt pipe diameter (m), qf = vol. flowrate (m3/s), ρ = density (kg/m3), μ = viscsity (Pa-s)

Diameter Calculations

Optimum Economic Diameter (Peters and Timmerhaus, 2004)

For Viscous Flow and Di < 0.0254 m,

20.040.0, 133.0 fopti qD

D = opt pipe diameter (m), qf = vol. flowrate (m3/s), ρ = density (kg/m3), μ = viscsity (Pa-s)

Diameter Calculations

Based on Suggested Velocity

• 3-5 ft/s (liquids) and 50-100 ft/s (gases) Backhurst and Harker, 1973

•5.9-7.9 ft/s (liquids) and 30-131 (gases) economic optimum velocity , Perry

•5-10 ft/s (liquids) Baasel, 1974

Diameter CalculationsTypical Velocities in Steel Pipelines

Diameter CalculationsTypical Velocities in Gas and Vapor lines

Diameter CalculationsTypical Velocities in Equipment lines

Diameter Calculations

Economic Velocities for Steel Pipe Sizing

Diameter Calculations

Economic Velocities for Steel Pipe Sizing

Sample Problems

1. Pipe is to be specified for a water volumetric flowrate of 200 L/min and working temperature of 30ºC. Compute for the typical pipe diameter.

2. Pipe is to be specified for a water flowrate of 1500 L/min at 30ºC. Estimate for the minimum diameter required based on maximum fluid velocity

Sample Problems

3. Sulfuric acid with a volume flowrate of 50 L/min and temperature 30ºC is supplied through a pipeline. Calculate the pipe minimum diameter required.

4. Compute for the minimum pipe diameter requirement for the liquid flowing at of 550 L/min based on the reasonable velocity presented by Backhurst and Harker (1973).

Sample Problems

5. Methanol with a flowrate of 75 L/min is pumped from a storage tank. Estimate the minimum pipeline diameter (Sch 40) at the pump suction connecting the storage tank.

6. Carbon dioxide is flowing at a rate of 150 L/min inside a pipe. The temperature of the gas is 32 deg. C and the pipeline pressure is 150 psi. Calculate the minimum diameter of the pipe if the CO2 compressibility factor is 0.82 and the piping cost is 25 $/in/ft.