Piping ( pa p

) generally refers to Piping Engineering. It is an application

of Mechanical and Chemical engineering principles, which deals with Design, Analysis, Installation, Testing, Commissioning and Maintenance of Piping System. Industrially, all piping activities are performed with the compliance and guidelines of International and Industrial Codes & Standards as well as the laws and regulations of respective local authority. Piping System is a network of Pipes by using Pipe Fittings and other special components to perform the required mode of transferring fluids (Liquids/ Gas/ Slurry) from one location to another location. It is the effective method for transferring fluids without considerable or about zero losses in properties and quality of fluid. The plumbing network supplying water at our home is a common example of a piping system. Generally, Piping Engineering is applied among the following Industrial systems; Building Services Piping System Refrigeration and Heat Transfer Piping System Liquid transportation and distribution Piping (Pipelines) System Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping System Power Piping System Process Piping System Slurry Transportation Piping Systems

Scope of Piping Engineering

The major scope and Expertise are listed below. Piping Design and Analysis Piping Materials Piping Construction Piping Inspection and Testing Piping Commissioning Piping Maintenance

Piping Components[edit]
Pipe[edit]
Pipe is hollow cylinder used to conduct or transfer fluids (liquids and gases) from one place to other place. The main difference between pipe and tube is the critical dimension used to describe the pipe size or the tube size. For pipe, internal diameter (ID) roughly corresponds to the nominal pipe size for standard wall thickness. For tube, the outer diameter (OD) closely corresponds to the tube size. In current European standards pipes and tubes are nowadays described as outside diameter by wall thickness. The three standard types of pipe ends used in the piping industriesare; Plain Ends (PE), Threaded Ends (TE) and Beveled Ends (BE). In the past, many types of material have been used in conveying water from one point to another. Masonry and wood were probably the first materials used. Plastics are the newest, and are now being used quite extensively. At present, water mains are made of a variety of materials, summarized in the chart below

Pipe Fittings[edit]
Pipe fittings are attachments placed on pipe end, which provide flexibility in piping system. These are commonly used for changing the direction of flow, distribution, increase or decrease the flow capacity and interconnection. Commonly used pipe fittings are elbow, bend, return, tee, cross, reducer, end cap, plug, nipple, union, coupling, boss, olet etc.

Flanges[edit]
Pipe flange is a disc, collar or ring that attaches to pipe. Flanged joints are made by bolting together two flanges with a gasket between them to provide a seal. It can also be defined as a ring that is usually provided with holes for bolts, and screwed or welded over the end of a tube or pipe to permit other objects to be attached to it. It also provides easy access for maintenance, cleaning, inspection or modification. The major different types of flanges used in piping systems are slip-on pipe flanges, weld neck pipe flanges, blind pipe flanges, lap joint pipe flanges, threaded pipe flanges, socketweld pipeflanges. Spectacle blinds, spacer and spades are also using along with flanged piping systems.

Valves[edit]
Valves are mechanical devices that control the flow and pressure within a piping system. These are the essential components of any piping system. Commonly used

Valves are: gate, globe, plug,ball, butterfly, check, diaphragm, pinch, pressure relief, and control Valves.

Bolting[edit]
In piping industry, for flange connections Stud Bolts and Machine Bolts are used. The Stud Bolt is a threaded rod with two heavy hexagon nuts, while the Machine Bolt has a head with one nut. Selection of bolting material depends on the matching flange material, service conditions,mechanical properties and high temperature characteristics.

Pipe Supports[edit]
Pipe supports are piping components designed to support or elevate pipe from a base structure for vertical and horizontal arrangement. Pipe guides and slides are designed to allow longitudinal movement due to thermal expansion and contraction of pipe. Shoe supports, U Clamps, axial stops, hold downs, spring supports, are some examples for piping supports.

Special Components[edit]
Special Components are used for performing particular functions apart from the above mentioned piping applications. Commonly used special components are strainers, steam traps, expansion joints, orifice plates, restriction orifices, barred tees, scrapper, etc.

Selection of End type[edit]

The selection of end type for piping components are based on the type of joint used in that particular piping system. Generally used piping joints are as listed below;
Threaded joint Butt Joints Socket Joints Flange Joints Grooved Joints Bonded Joints Caulked Joints Special Joints