piping design basis 1

[sfmech]

In an EPC project, is the piping design basis the first deliverable. If yes, what activities go into making it?

 

[BigInch]

Basically you must do enough research to establish every design condition and parameter that could affect your pipe design that will not be determined during the design activities themselves. That could entail many activities. If, for example, seismic zones are known, you might quickly establish the zone by reference to a building code, however in remote locations you may need to run geologic studies to establish the exact seismic accelerations. Likewise minimum and maximum ambient temperatures, maximum steady wind speeds, solar insolation heating temperatures, etc. must be determined. Product characteristics. Are the products corrosive. Will there be a maximum pressure limit set by some obscure risk criteria, or will the maximum pressure limit be set by that required to flow the product. Do you know the product's properties and can you write them into the design basis, or must you obtain product samples and determine density, viscosity, hydrate formation characteristics as part of the pipe design scope of work. Will a corrosion limit be given in the Design Basis, or must some study of the corrosivity of the products be conducted during the design. Are you underwater and offshore? Are currents, wave heights, bottom conditions and bathymetry known beforehand and be written into the design basis, or will all an offshore survey be needed and all its data examined within the current scope of work? Whatever you can get written into the design basis early on will tend to set a boundary to the work you will have to do during the design itself.

 

[weldstan]

On a Power or petrochemical plant, generally the Civil Engineering work is done first.

 

[Gator]

Depends on what is meant by "first deliverable" and I'm assuming that the EPC project mentioned will contain a lot of large bore expensive piping. Sometimes the piping is not the major cost factor.

First things I would want to see are 1) some kind of PFD, 2) machinery/equipment footprints, 3) a plot plan.

A quick search returns this link:

http://www.pipingengineer.org/piping-checklists/piping-design-basis-checklist/

Piping Design Central

 

[ZDR1985]

what activities go into making it?

In piping alone, studies on aspects like geotechnical factors, pipeline access, and land acquisitions are made to establish design basis.

Other studies that may contribute to piping may be scope by other disciplines, such as corrosion control study, material handling, material selection, etc.

 

[zdas04]

It really depends on the size of the project. If it is a piping system outside a plant, then you generally "only" need to define the boundary conditions (i.e., min/max velocity, expected flow rates from sources, locations of sources and sinks, expected pressures, expected temperatures, required safety factors, required system life, and expected products, etc.) and a range for each. If there is some big issue that you know about and don't want the EPC to miss it (e.g., the pipe must cross a major fault system) then that needs to be in the design basis, but mostly quantifying seismic risk, corrosion rates, etc. is part of the EPC design.

From those boundary conditions, the EPC needs to find the seismic zones, archaeology, road/river crossings, and surface disturbance issues.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist

 

[pennpiper]

It sure would have helped if the OP would have told us the kind of EPC project is being considered.
Pipeline?
Process Plant?
Power Plant?
Pharmaceutical?
On Shore?
Off Shore?
Grass Roots (Green Field)?
Revamp?
Stick Build?
Module Build?

Until we know the answers to these questions it is not possible to give mush help to the OP.

The OP did however specifically ask about the "Piping Design Basis". The Client is normally required to provide the "Piping Design Basis" as a part of 'His' Basis of Design Development (BEDD) Document. This will include the "Code" (ASME B31.1, 3, 4, 8 etc) to be used. The Client is also required to state the "Plant Life" (20, 25, 30 years, etc.) to be used for calculating pipe corrosion allowance and wall thicknesses





Sometimes its possible to do all the right things and still get bad results

 

[BigInch]

Often a client has no specific skills, knowledge, or the time, to write a design basis for some complicated chemical plant, or anything in fact, so he could ligitimately hire an engineer to do so, in which case the result would be a concept definition and a design basis from which a more concrete design specification and scope of work could be developed to begin detailed engineering works. Similar to what an architect might do with a request for a house, or office building design before a structural engineer ever sees it. Set all the boundary conditions first and you have a better chance of getting what you ultimately want in the least amount of remaining time.

 

[sfmech]

Thank you very much for your replies, all of you.

I had a process plant in mind when I posted the question. This is response to Pennpiper.

 

[BigInch]

Great. Much of the same info is required in any case, perhaps not as much.

It's basically all the information your client can tell you about the design which pretty much can be taken for granted thereafter, except in unusual circumstances where something might be absolutely necessary to change due to some previously unforseen reason (read that as a potential change order).

 

[MickMc]

See below for index of topics covered in recent EPC Piping Design Basis with each topic having brief description of project requirements with a few topics having their own specification in detail developed later.

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Purpose
1.2 Scope
2.0 Summary
3.0 Project Overview
4.0 Abbreviations and Definitions
4.1 Abbreviations
4.2 Definitions
5.0 Reference Documents
5.1 General
5.2 Reference Software
5.3 Project Specifications
5.4 Client Standard Documents
5.5 Industry Codes and Standards
5.6 Recommended Practices and Specifications for Engineering
5.7 Drawings and Lists
6.0 Design Execution
6.1 Units
6.2 3D Modeling
6.3 Plot Plan and Layouts
6.4 Escape Routes
7.0 Design Conditions
7.1 Design Life
7.2 Design Pressure and Temperature
7.3 Environmental Conditions
7.4 Pipe Sizing
8.0 Piping Materials
8.1 Material Selection
8.2 Piping Class
8.3 Selection of Valves
9.0 Piping Layout
9.1 General
9.2 Pipe Rack Piping
9.3 Scraper Trap Piping
9.4 Vents and Drains
9.5 Utility Hose Stations
9.6 Piping Isolation Requirements
9.7 Dead Legs
9.8 Sample Connections
10.0 Fire Water Piping
10.1 General
10.2 Branch Piping
10.3 Block Valves
11.0 Access and Clearances
11.1 General
11.2 Overhead Clearance
11.3 Operational and Maintenance Requirements
11.4 Distance between Pipes
11.5 Valve Access
12.0 Material Handling
13.0 Valve Installation
14.0 Instruments
14.1 General
14.2 Flow Instruments
14.3 Temperature Instruments
14.4 Level Instruments
14.5 Corrosion Monitoring Access Fittings
15.0 Special Piping Components
16.0 Piping Flexibility
17.0 Pipe Supports
18.0 Insulation
19.0 Cleaning and Passivation
20.0 Piping Tie-Ins