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Calculate the size of steam piping

The document discusses the importance of correctly sizing steam pipes to avoid the costs and inefficiencies associated with oversized or undersized piping. It outlines methods for calculating pipe size, including the velocity method and pressure drop method, and provides guidelines for allowances based on pipe length and fittings. Examples illustrate the application of these methods and the use of nomograms for determining the appropriate pipe diameter.

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BLY YEDEKPA NOEL BENITO
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132 views10 pages

Calculate the size of steam piping

The document discusses the importance of correctly sizing steam pipes to avoid the costs and inefficiencies associated with oversized or undersized piping. It outlines methods for calculating pipe size, including the velocity method and pressure drop method, and provides guidelines for allowances based on pipe length and fittings. Examples illustrate the application of these methods and the use of nomograms for determining the appropriate pipe diameter.

Uploaded by

BLY YEDEKPA NOEL BENITO
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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STEAM PIPE SIZING

Prepared by: Mohamed Samir El-Morsy


Calculating steam piping is so important to avoid oversizing or under-sizing of piping

Oversized pipework means:

□ Pipes, valves, fittings, etc. will be more expensive than necessary.


□ Higher installation costs will be incurred, including support work, insulation, etc.
□ For steam pipes a greater volume of condensate will be formed due to the greater heat loss.
This,
in turn, means that either:
- More steam trapping is required, or
- Wet steam is delivered to the point of use

Undersized pipework means:

□ A lower pressure may only be available at the point of use. This may hinder equipment performance due to only
lower pressure steam being available.
□ There is a risk of steam starvation (The bore of the pipe is not sufficient to provide the required capacity needed from
the demand)
□ There is a greater risk of erosion, water hammer and noise due to the inherent increase in steam velocity.
How to calculate the steam piping size?
Using Velocity method:

1) Can be obtained by calculation


2) Directly getting the sizing from nomogram
Using pressure drop method:

1) Using D’Arcy equation


2) Using Pressure Factor method ( Pressure Factor Tables)
3) Some empirical formulaes
4) Directly getting the sizing from nomograms

Steps for calculations


- If the pipe length is less than 50 meters, then the pressure drop across this length is not a significant amount and you
can use only the velocity method for calculation
- If the pipe length is over 50 meters, the pressure drop is considerable and you have to add two allowances before
going into calculations based on the pressure drop method:

a) Allowance for pipe fittings : represented by adding extra length of piping as a compensation of the additional friction
resistance of the fittings
□ If the pipe is less than 50 meters long, add an allowance for fittings of 5%.
□ If the pipe is over 100 meters long and is a fairly straight run with few fittings, an allowance for fittings of 10% would
be made.
□ A similar pipe length, but with more fittings, would increase the allowance towards 20%.
b) Allowance for heat losses from the pipe: represented by adding extra amount of capacity as a compensation of the
steam lost in the mainline traps (for removing the moisture from the line)

□ Reasonable to add 3.5% of the steam load per 100 m of the revised length as heat losses

Ex: Extra length for allowance of pipe


fittings

Extra load for allowance of heat


loss and moisture removal by
mainline trapping - 3.5% extra
load for every 100 m length.
Using Velocity method:

➢ As a general rule, a velocity of 25 to 40 m / s is used when saturated steam is the medium.


➢ 40 m / s should be considered an extreme limit, as above this, noise and erosion will take place
particularly if the steam is wet.
Used Law

Example

Calculation
& table
check
Using nomogram

Method:
□ Draw a horizontal line from the saturation
temperature line at 7 bar g (Point A) on the
Pressure scale to the steam mass flowrate of 5
000 kg /h (Point B).

□ From point B, draw a vertical line to the


steam velocity of 25 m /s (Point C). From point
C, draw a horizontal line across the pipe
diameter scale (Point D).

□ A pipe with a bore of 130 mm is required.

The nearest commercially available size, 150 mm,


would be selected.
Using pressure drop method:
A) By using nomogram
Example:
Consider the system shown below, and determine the pipe size required from the boiler to the unit
heater branch line. Unit heater steam load = 270 kg/ h.

3) Calculating Max. Pressure Drop per


100m:

2) Calculating allowance for the heat losses from the pipe:


1) Calculating Allowance for pipe
The unit heater requires 270 kg /h of steam; therefore the
fittings:
pipe must carry this quantity plus the quantity of steam
Pipe is over 100 meters long and is a fairly
condensed by heat losses from the main.
straight run with few fittings, an
- As a rule: Adding 3.5% of the steam load per 100 m of the
allowance for fittings of 10% would be
revised length as heat losses
made.
- Additional allowance: (165/100)*3.5% = 5.8%
- Revised length = 150 m + 10% = 165 m
- Revised boiler load = 270 kg / h + 5.8% = 286 kg/h
Using nomogram

Method:
□ Select the point on the saturated steam
line at 7 bar g, and mark Point A.

□ From point A, draw a horizontal line to


the steam flowrate of 286 kg /h, and mark
Point B.

□ From point B, draw a vertical line


towards the top of the nomogram (Point C).

□ Draw a horizontal line from 0.24 bar/


100 m on the pressure loss scale (Line DE).

□ The point at which lines DE and BC cross


will indicate the pipe size required.

In this case, a 40 mm pipe is too small, and a


50 mm pipe would be used.
B) By using Empirical formulaes:

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