Overview of Small Bore Piping (SBP)

In the refining and chemical processing industries, Small Bore Piping (SBP) is
generally process piping that is two inches or less in diameter. Small bore piping
typically branches off of the main process piping and is often used as relief lines and
drain piping.

This category of equipment includes a majority of plant process piping and ancillary
systems, including many critical piping systems that are fabricated with SBP, such as,
level bridles, flow control loops, pressure and temperature indicating systems, and
bypass and pressure relief systems.

Despite numerous industry publications, recommended practices, and inspection

codes recommending Profile Radiography (PRT) as the preferred method of
inspection for pipe diameters of NPS 1” and smaller, equipment owners continue to
utilize digital ultrasonic thickness gauging, which is often unreliable.

The refining industry has had a history of failures occurring in small bore threaded
pipe connections. These connections are subject to several different types of damage,
including but not limited to: fatigue cracking, stress corrosion cracking
(SCC), corrosion under insulation (CUI), and
accelerated erosion/corrosion of the pipe wall. This is due to a combination of
internal and external corrosion forces acting on small diameter, thin walled pipe
connections, as well as fluid turbulence and crevice corrosion acting on threaded
connections.

Although SBP failures are not as likely to lead to major process safety
incidents as the failure of larger primary piping, numerous instances have been
reported where the failure of SBP led to reliability impacts (process unit shutdown)
or large fires, when secondary effects of the ensuing fire caused the failure of other
larger pipe and vessels.

mall-Bore Connections (SBC)

Assessment
for all machinery types and applications
Small-bore connections, also called branch connections, to the main process piping represent the most common
vibration problem on rotating and reciprocating machinery and associated process piping.

Small-bore connection design assessment and field vibration testing are strongly recommended to avoid piping
integrity risks.

Speak to a specialist
CONTENTS [ hide ]
• 1 Background: Small-Bore Connections; Definition, Risks and Consequences
• 2 Approach and Scope
• 2.1 Approach
• 2.2 Scope (Design and Field Analysis)
• 3 Wood Advantages
• 4 Related Information
• 5 Related Services
• 6 Keywords
1 BACKGROUND: SMALL-BORE CONNECTIONS; DEFINITION, RISKS AND
CONSEQUENCES

Field audit of small-bore connections Cracked vessel due to SBC (blind flange)

Piping vibration and fatigue can account for up to 20% of hydrocarbon releases; and a large portion of those are
due to failure of small-bore connections per Energy Institute, 2008, Guidelines for the avoidance of vibration-induced
fatigue failure, (AVIFF). Hydrocarbon emissions can lead to fire, explosions, injuries, property and environmental
damage, and penalties.
A small-bore connection (SBC) is generally defined as a branched connection on mainline piping that has a
nominal diameter 2” (DN 50) and smaller, including connections that have a branch pipe to mainline pipe ratio of
less than 10%, and excluding connections that have a ratio of greater than 25% (see Figure below). Note that
“mainline piping” could also describe equipment like a vessel or cooler to which the SBC is attached.
Small-bore piping (SBP) is defined as the piping attached to the small-bore connection, extending until the effect
of the mainline piping vibration is negligible (typically, the nearest support or brace), as shown in the illustration
below.

The SBP of most concern is that which contains production fluid at operating pressure. Auxiliary lines, like
pneumatic air, crankcase vents, etc., are not as critical. Wood uses the term SBC to refer to this entire class of
piping vibration problems, including branch connections, blind flanges, PSVs, site glasses, RTD connections,
drain lines/valves, etc.

SBCs
are
highly

Multichannel systems used to assess SBC vibration risks

susceptible to problems due to their geometry and mass. Even very low amplitude (and acceptable) vibration on
the main process piping can cause the branch connections to vibrate excessively and break due to fatigue failure.
This is due to the local resonance of the SBC (see our TRAINING VIDEO, MODULE 1 for examples of resonance). At
certain frequencies, base vibration can be amplified by 20 to 30 times, causing branch connections to fail.
The consequences of a vibration-induced failure can be catastrophic. A small crack will release process fluids
causing safety risks (explosion, fire, or toxic chemicals), environmental risk to the nearby area, and production
downtime. In recent cases, SBC failures have been responsible for the shutdown of a pipeline and production
facilities for weeks. Given the risk of these piping failures, owners must take an active role in avoiding them.

2 APPROACH AND SCOPE

2.1 APPROACH
To address SBC integrity risks, the owner must specify the appropriate engineering assessment. Ideally, the
evaluation occurs in three stages, as shown in the table below.
 Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used to calculate
stress and confirm acceptance (or failure) of small-
bore piping design

SBC assessment activities

FEED/planning
Defines the appropriate scope Screening Assessment of Piping System: Pulsations, Flow Turbulence, Acoustic-Induced,
and requirements for dynamic design Mechanical excitations, Surge, Other Transient Events

Detailed design SBC Analysis: Quantitative Approach, Identify Fatigue Risks, Finite Element (if required),
Review and evaluate SBC designs Recommend Modifications

Commissioning/operations
SBC Vibration Assessment (Baseline): Steady State Conditions, Transient Operations,
Onsite testing, documentation, modifications
Extrapolate Results to Other Operating Conditions
(steady state and transient flow evaluations)

Qualified dynamic engineering experts are required to perform this work because it involves stress analysis,
fatigue failure analysis, FEA, and other advanced dynamic analyses.

Warning: One common misconception is that a SBC assessment is similar to a standard vibration monitoring
program such as condition based monitoring or route bases vibration check, which is often performed by vibration
technicians. While this program is useful for monitoring degradation in bearings, it is not applicable to SBC
engineering design and evaluation.
The scope of the SBC assessment will vary based on the application (liquid, gas or multiphase), operating
frequency, location, and process conditions. These variables will affect the type of analysis conducted at site.

2.2 SCOPE (DESIGN AND FIELD ANALYSIS)

The following standard services are available for address SBC piping integrity risks. Contact Wood for more
information on the detailed scope, or if a customized solution is required.
 New projects (or modified systems) - includes design and field activities

Service Description Summary Remaining risks

SBC-D1 Design SBC Basic approach: Medium Many remaining risks since resonance is possible (and no field
Review review available verification/testing)
drawings and
provide “best
practice”
recommendations.
No field
measurements.

SBC-D2 Standard SBC Design evaluation Low Common risks are significantly addressed. A small amount of residual risk
Integrity of proposed SBC remains.
Assessment with
recommended
changes.
Shop and field
testing to verify
vibration levels
are acceptable.

SBC-D3 Comprehensive Wood is directly Minimal Maximum assurance for the designed operating system.
SBC Integrity involved in SBC
Assurance design to ensure a
safe system that
avoids resonances
at key
frequencies.
Shop and field
testing to address
steady state and
transient
situations.

Existing operations

Service Description Summary Remaining Risks

SBC-F1 Standard SBC Ideal for evaluating Low For standard service, there are practical limits to testing all locations.
Field SBC integrity and the Not all operating conditions checked. Plant piping (off-skid) SBCs not
Assessment associated piping on evaluated.
the machine system.
Includes impact
testing for MNFs,
vibration screening,
speed sweep, and
detailed FEA (if
required) to resolve
problem locations.

SBC-F2 Comprehensive For critical Minimal Common risks are significantly addressed. A small amount of
SBC Integrity applications where residual risk remains.
Audit more stringent testing
is required. Includes
transient and steady
state testing, fatigue
analysis, and
 Existing operations

Service Description Summary Remaining Risks

assessment of pipe
strain. Can include
station piping (away
from the
rotating/reciprocating
machine).

To mitigate this risk, the owner (or its Engineering Consultant) must specify a SBC vibration study.
3 WOOD ADVANTAGES
• Over 50 years of field experience in SBC evaluations.
• Multichannel data acquisition system (>100 channels) for SBC testing – a key advantage for larger
piping systems.
• Design experts in dynamics, pulsation control, vibration mitigation on reciprocating and rotating assets.
• R&D programs focused on developing innovative solutions to evaluate and mitigate SBC vibration,
including research for the Gas Machinery Research Council (GMRC).
• Preferred supplier to the largest gas and liquid operators and pipeline companies.
• Global support, including field engineers certified for offshore facilities.
4 RELATED INFORMATION
• SBC SPECIFICATION (TO ORDER THE APPROPRIATE STUDY)
• PRIMER - PIPING VIBRATION INTEGRITY (PDF)
• TRAINING COURSES Wood ’s training seminars feature demos, live testing of SBCs, and mitigation
strategies
• GUIDELINES FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF VIBRATION-INDUCED FATIGUE FAILURE IN PROCESS PIPEWORK (AVIFF)
Developed by the Energy Institute. Ask how we help customers apply this standard during the design
and field operations, and can incorporate other recommended approaches.
• IMPROVING EQUIPMENT RELIABILITY - SMALL-BORE ATTACHMENTS (PDF)
• SMALL-BORE PIPING FAILURES ON THE RISE, COMPRESSORTECH2, 2012 (PDF)
• TRANSIENT CONDITIONS ON SBP Discusses how transient operating conditions can affect vibration on
SBP
• VIBRATION RELATED FAILURES OF SMALL-BORE ATTACHMENTS (PDF)Technical Paper on SBP design
principles
• INTEGRITY EVALUATION OF SMALL BORE CONNECTIONS (BRANCH CONNECTIONS) (PDF)European Forum of
Reciprocating Compressors (EFRC), 2014
• VIDEO: SMALL-BORE PIPING EXAMPLES
• VIDEO: TRAINING MODULE 1 - RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR - AN OVERVIEW OF VIBRATION ISSUES
Explanation of resonance and vibration equation, concepts that contributes to SPC vibration
5 RELATED SERVICES
• PIPING VIBRATION AND INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT
• RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR PULSATION AND MECHANICAL ANALYSIS
• RECIPROCATING PUMP PULSATION AND MECHANICAL ANALYSIS
6 KEYWORDS
• Branch connections
• Small-bore connections (SBC)
• Small-bore piping
• Small-bore failure
• Small-bore fatigue
• Small-bore vibration
• Branch connection failure