ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15.

Nonmetallic Piping

ASME B31.3 Process Piping

Charles Becht IV, PhD, PE

Don Frikken, PE
Instructors

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Piping Development Process

1. Establish applicable system standard(s)
2. Establish design conditions
3. Make overall piping material decisions
ƒ Pressure Class
ƒ Reliability
ƒ Materials of construction
4. Fine tune piping material decisions
ƒ Materials
ƒ Determine wall thicknesses
ƒ Valves
5. Establish preliminary piping system layout & support
configuration
6. Perform flexibility analysis
7. Finalize layout and bill of materials
8. Fabricate and install
9. Examine and test
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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

15. Nonmetallic Piping

¾ General
¾ Design, Fabrication, and Installation for
ƒ Thermoplastics
ƒ Reinforced thermosetting resins
ƒ Reinforced concrete
ƒ Vitrified clay
ƒ Borosilicate glass
ƒ Piping lined with nonmetals
¾ Limitations
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The Material in This Section is

Addressed by B31.3 in:
Chapter VII - Nonmetallic Piping and Piping
Lined with Nonmetals
Appendix B - Stress Tables and Allowable
Pressure Tables for
Nonmetals

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

General
¾ Chapter VII has requirements for
ƒ Thermoplastics
ƒ Reinforced thermosetting resins
ƒ Reinforced concrete
ƒ Vitrified clay
ƒ Borosilicate glass
ƒ Piping lined with nonmetals

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General
¾ Trend toward the use of nonmetals is
increasing
¾ Nonmetals are used when the metallic
alternative is judged to be too expensive
¾ Allowances for variations of pressure and
temperature described in Chapter II are
not permitted for nonmetallic piping
¾ Increased allowable stresses for
occasional loads described in Chapter II
are not permitted

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Thermoplastics
• Materials that can be repeatedly
softened by heating and hardened
by cooling (Durapipe)

• Pipe is extruded
• Fittings are usually injection
molded, but sometimes fabricated
• Valve parts are usually injection
(Charlotte Pipe)
molded

(Durapipe)

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Thermoplastics
Commonly used thermoplastics
ƒ ABS Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene
ƒ CPVC Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride
ƒ FEP Perfluoro ethylene propylene
ƒ (HD)PE (High density) polyethylene
ƒ PFA Polyperfluoroalkoxy Alkane
ƒ PP Polypropylene
ƒ PVC Polyvinyl chloride
ƒ PVDF Polyvinylidene fluoride

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Thermoplastics
B31.3 recommended temperature limits:
Material Min (F) Max (F) Min (C) Max (C)
ABS -40 176 -40 80
CPVC 0 210 -18 99
FEP -325 400 -198 204
PE -30 180 -34 82
PFA -40 450 -40 250
PP 30 210 -1 99
PVC 0 150 -18 66
PVDF 0 275 -18 135

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Thermoplastics
Characteristics
ƒ High coefficient of thermal expansion
• 4” in 100’ (3 mm/m) of expansion for 50ºF (25ºC)
temperature change [HDPE]
• More in some thermoplastics, less in others
ƒ Creep at room temperature
ƒ Low elastic modulus
ƒ Longitudinal strain due to internal pressure can
be significant

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Thermoplastics
Allowable Stress
Hydrostatic design stress (HDS) is the hoop
stress that when applied continuously, will cause
failure of the pipe at 100,000 hours multiplied by
a suitable design factor (usually 0.5)
Short-term HDS* Short-term HDS*
Material (ksi) (ksi) (MPa) (MPa)
CPVC 7.53 2.00 51.9 13.8

PE 2.96 0.80 20.4 5.5

PVC 7.53 2.00 51.9 13.8

* HDS at 23ºC (73ºF)
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Thermoplastics
Allowable Stress – US Customary Units

2000
Allowable Stress (psi)

1500

CPVC
1000 PE

500

0
-50 0 50 100 150 200
Temperature (F)

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Thermoplastics
Allowable Stress – Metric Units
15
Allowable Stress (MPa)

10
CPVC
PE
5

0
-40 -20 0 20 40 60 80
Temperature (C)

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Thermoplastics
Pressure Design – Straight Pipe
t = PD / [2 (S + P)]
Where:
t = pressure design thickness
P = design pressure
D = outside diameter of pipe
S = HDS value for material from Appendix B
No specific rules for external pressure design

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Thermoplastics
Support
Because of the low modulus and low allowable
stress, thermoplastics require more support than
similar sized metallic pipe. For 68ºF (20ºC):
PP (Asahi) Typical Metallic
NPS ft m ft m
1 3.5 1.1 14 4.3
2 4.5 1.4 20 6.1
4 6.0 1.8 26 7.9
6 7.0 2.1 30 9.1
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Thermoplastics
Fabrication – Butt fusion fittings
are joined to the pipe using a
butt fusion welding process.
(PE, PP, PVDF, others)

(Asahi)
(Asahi)

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Thermoplastics
Fabrication – Socket fittings can
be joined to the pipe using a
socket fusion welding process.
(PE, PP, PVDF, others)

(Spears) (Asahi)

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Thermoplastics
Fabrication – Socket fittings can be joined to the pipe
using a solvent cementing process. (ABS, PVC, CPVC)

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Thermoplastics
Fabrication – Piping can also be
joined using a hot gas welding
process. (PE, PP, PVDF, others)

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Thermoplastics
Bonders are required to use a qualified bonding
procedure specification. The BPS shall specify
ƒ Procedure for making the bonds
ƒ Materials, including storage requirements
ƒ Tools, including proper care and handling
ƒ Environmental requirements (clean, dry, warm)
ƒ Joint preparation
ƒ Dimensional requirements, including tolerances
ƒ Cure time
ƒ Protection of work
ƒ Acceptance criteria
[A328.2].
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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Thermoplastics
Fabrication
ƒ A warm, dry and clean
environment is required for
fabrication
ƒ A leak at an elbow requires
1. Cutting out the elbow and
adjacent pipe
2. Fabricating a piece with an
elbow and two couplings
3. And installing it, hoping none of
the six new joints leak

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Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

• Materials that harden
when heated and
cannot be re-melted
• Pipe is filament wound,
contact molded, or
centrifugally cast
• Fittings are molded, (Smith Fibercast)
filament wound or
fabricated
• Few RTR valves are available
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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Commonly used resins
ƒ Polyester
ƒ Vinylester
ƒ Epoxy
ƒ Furan

Commonly used reinforcements

ƒ Glass fiber
ƒ Carbon fiber

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Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Filament wound
(Smith Fibercast)

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Contact Molded

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Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Centrifugally
Cast

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Reinforced plastic mortar pipe
ƒ Has aggregate (usually sand) in
addition to fiber reinforcement to
stiffen the wall of the pipe
ƒ Is used mostly underground
ƒ Usually has bell and spigot joints, but
may have socket joints like other RTR
piping

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Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Vendor recommended temperature limits
ƒ Range from 180 to 275ºF (82 to 135ºC)
ƒ Are somewhat dependent on the resin
ƒ But are more dependent on the construction of
the pipe and fittings…amount of reinforcement
in the liner and structural layers
ƒ Can be significantly lowered depending on the
chemical being handled

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Characteristics
ƒ Higher coefficient of thermal expansion…about
twice that of steel, but 1/5 of thermoplastics
ƒ Creep at room temperature
ƒ Low elastic modulus (3 to 10% of steel), but 3
to 10 times thermoplastics

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Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Allowable Stress – Filament Wound and
Centrifugally Cast
Hydrostatic design stress (HDS) is the hoop
stress that when applied continuously, will cause
failure of the pipe at 100,000 hours multiplied by
a design factor. The design factor is:
• Not more than 1.0 if stress is determined using the
pressure cycling method
• Not more than 0.5 if stress is determined using the
static pressure method
Typical HDS values are 8,000 to 13,000 psi (55
to 90 MPa)
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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Allowable Stress – Contact Molded
Design stress (DS) is 1/10 of the minimum tensile
strength

Pressure Design – Same as for

thermoplastic pipe

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Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Support
Because of the lower modulus and lower allowable stress,
RTR pipe requires more support than similar sized metallic
pipe. For 75ºF (24ºC):
Green Thread
(Smith Fibercast) Typical Metallic
NPS ft m ft m
1 10.9 3.3 14 4.3
2 14.1 4.3 20 6.1
4 17 5.2 26 7.9
6 20.5 6.2 30 9.1
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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Support – Support elements must be designed to
provide low concentrated stresses and protect the
piping from abrasion.

(Typical guide and anchor – Conley)

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Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Fabrication - Butt fittings are joined to the pipe
using a butt wrapping process. (Smith Fibercast)

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Fabrication – Doing it in a warm, clean, dry
environment is sometimes a challenge.

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Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Socket fittings are joined to the pipe using an
adhesive. (Conley)

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

Fabrication
A leak at an elbow requires
1.Cutting out the elbow and
adjacent pipe
2.Fabricating a piece with an
elbow and two couplings
3.And installing it, hoping none
of the six new joints leak

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Reinforced Thermosetting Resins

BPS and Bonder Qualification Tests are
required as for thermoplastic piping, except
test pressure is 3 times manufacturer’s
rating

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Reinforced Concrete
¾ Typically 15 to 250 psi (1 to 17 bar) ambient
temperature water service
¾ Made to ASTM and AWWA standards with
specific B31.3 pressure ratings

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Vitrified clay
¾ Manufactured from clay fired in furnaces
¾ Joined with
ƒ Rubber seals
ƒ Caulking
ƒ Mortar
¾ B31.3 mentions, but has
no specific requirements

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Borosilicate Glass
¾ Manufactured from molten
glass
¾ Joined with clamps,
rubber seals

(H.S. Martin)

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Piping Lined with Nonmetals

Common liners include
• Fluoropolymer
• Polypropylene Glass
• PVDF Lined
• Glass (Estrella)

Polypropylene
Lined
(Resistoflex)

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Piping Lined with Nonmetals

¾ Thermoplastic liners can be “locked-in” or
loose
¾ PTFE and FEP lined systems require vent
holes
¾ Thermoplastic lined pipe and fittings are
usually ductile iron and steel
¾ Glass lined pipe and fittings are steel
¾ Systems usually have many flanged joints

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Piping Lined with Nonmetals

Typical Fittings

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Piping Lined with Nonmetals

Untypical Fittings

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Piping Lined with Nonmetals

Common Thermoplastic Liners
¾ Fluoropolymer
ƒ FEP Perfluoro ethylene propylene
ƒ PTFE Polytetrafluorethylene
ƒ PFA Polyperfluoroalkoxy Alkane
¾ Polypropylene
¾ PVDF

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Piping Lined with Nonmetals

B31.3 recommended temperature limits for liners:
Material Min (F) Max (F) Min (C) Max (C)
FEP -325 400 -198 204
PTFE -325 500 -198 260
PFA -325 500 -198 260
PP 0 225 -18 107
PVDF 0 275 -18 135
Glass Limited by the metal.

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Piping Lined with Nonmetals

¾ The metallic portions of piping lined with
nonmetals for
ƒ Design
ƒ Fabrication
ƒ Examination, and
ƒ Testing
shall conform to the rules of Chapters I
through VI
¾ Liners must be qualified for external
pressure in order to prevent liner collapse

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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Piping Lined with Nonmetals

Failures frequently occur at the flange joints.
Following the ASME PCC-1 bolt-up procedure
greatly improves the chances of success
ƒ Snug up bolting
ƒ Tighten to 20% of target torque using cross pattern
ƒ Tighten to 50 to 70% of target torque using cross
pattern
ƒ Tighten to 100% of target torque using cross pattern
ƒ Continue tightening to 100% target torque using
rotational pattern until no movement
ƒ Wait 4 hours or longer and repeat rotational pattern to
100% target torque until no movement

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Limitations
Thermoplastic Piping
¾ may not be used in above ground flammable
fluid service unless
ƒ NPS 1 and smaller
ƒ Owner approves
ƒ The piping is safeguarded, and
ƒ The following are considered
• The possibility of exposure of piping to fire
• The susceptibility to brittle failure or failure due to thermal
shock when exposed to fire
• The ability of thermal insulation to protect the piping when
exposed to fire
¾ shall be safeguarded when used in other than
Category D fluid service
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ASME B31.3 Process Piping Course 15. Nonmetallic Piping

Limitations
¾ PVC and CPVC may not be used in
compressed gas service
¾ RPM Piping shall be safeguarded when used in
other than Category D fluid service
¾ RTR Piping shall be safeguarded when used in
toxic or flammable fluid services
¾ Borosilicate Glass Piping
ƒ Shall be safeguarded when used in toxic or
flammable fluid services
ƒ Shall be safeguarded against large, rapid
temperature changes

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