INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Member Login

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips now!

Talk With Other Members
Be Notified Of Responses
To Your Posts
Keyword Search
One-Click Access To Your
Favorite Forums
Automated Signatures
On Your Posts
Best Of All, It's Free!

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

LINK TO THIS FORUM!

Eng-Tips LinkedIn^® Group

Join our
LinkedIn^® Group!

Hook up with past and present colleagues and classmates quickly.

Partner With Us!

"Best Of Breed" Forums Add Stickiness To Your Site

(Download This Button Today!)

Feedback

"...Your site is a great idea. I should have joined your site years ago. Better late than never..."

More...

Geography

Where in the world do Eng-Tips members come from?

Click Here To Find Out!

Eng-Tips Shirts!

Get your
Eng-Tips Forums
SWAG here!

Home > Forums > Chemical Engineers > Activities > Chemical plant design & operations Forum

Overflow Pipe Sizing

Read More Threads Like This One

jas2000s (Chemical)

9 Jul 12 15:17

I am trying to size an overflow pipe line for Atmospheric tank. I know I can not size it based on inlet flowrate.
I need a good explanation why overflow pipes can not be sized based on inlet flowrate. The overflow discharges to ground. Some one was arguing to use the vent as an overflow to mimimize the cost, but you can not use the vent as an overflow. I am confused.

GHartmann (Chemical)

9 Jul 12 20:15

There is no reason not to size the overflow on the basis of the inlet flow. Maximum outflow (overflow) has to equal maximum inflow. The only restriction is the lower pressure drop needed in the overflow line.

Good luck.

TD2K (Chemical)

10 Jul 12 1:36

I agree with GHartman. What is the purpose of the overflow line? It's to prevent your tank from overfilling which means to me that the line has to have a capacity equal to the inflow.

MJCronin (Mechanical)

10 Jul 12 9:25

This topic has been discussed before in other fora

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=214602.

Even the slowest among us should recognize that pumped flow INTO the tank follows different rules than self venting gravity flow OUT FROM the tank overflow

(Hint: the Froude number is the key !)

It is not clear to me what "sized based on inlet flowrate" means in the original post.

Do you mean that the overflow and inlet pipe line size must be the same ?

(You may want to consider posing your question in the STORAGE TANK forum)

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!

Back To Forum

Back To Chemical plant design & operations