Study_On_Piping_Stresses_At_Gas_District
Study_On_Piping_Stresses_At_Gas_District
Study_On_Piping_Stresses_At_Gas_District
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL…………………………………………………i
CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY……………………………………………...ii
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………….ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT……………………………..…………………………….iv
LIST OF FIGURES …………………..…………………………………………...vii
LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………….................................viii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………………..ix
CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study 1
1.2 Problem Statement 3
1.2.1 Problem Identification 3
1.2.2 Significant of Project 3
1.3 Objectives & Scope of Study 4
v
CHAPTER 3 : METHODOLOGY
3.1 Project work 23
3.1.1 Literature Review 24
3.1.2 Case Study 24
3.1.3 Variables Analysis 27
3.1.4 Results/Analysis 31
REFERENCES 52
APPENDIX 54
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
vii
LIST OF TABLES
viii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ix
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
A Gas District Cooling (GDC) system in UTP is a centralized energy plant that
generates chilled water for air-conditioning requirements of buildings within a
district which is within UTP compound. Compared with conventional air-
conditioning systems, the district cooling system uses energy more efficiently
because a single system applies over a wide area and to various buildings, levels off
the energy load and saves fuel. In addition, the cooling plant has a dual function of
co-generating electricity and thermal energy which can reduce the dependency on the
Malaysia's National Electricity Grid [1].
There are several sub-systems systems available in the GDC UTP plant:
At the GDC UTP plant, natural gas, piped in from the source is fired to drive gas
turbines, producing electricity which is supplied to UTP and also consumed within
the plant. The exhaust heat that is cogenerated with the electricity is then harnessed
to produce steam which is used to drive the steam-driven chillers that chill the water.
The chilled water produced is piped to UTP buildings. Once thermally spent, the
water returns to the plant to be re-chilled [1].
1
Various types of fluids are being transported in GDC UTP plant. There are basically
natural gas, diesel, chilled water and instrument air. These fluids are conveyed
through series of piping systems stretching across the whole plant. The piping
systems consist of pipes as small as 2” in diameter up to 30” in diameter. Of all the
piping system existed in GDC UTP plant, not all consists of critical piping system.
The selection of piping categories is based on the conditions specified in the project
design criteria. The conditions can be the temperature, pressure or even the size of
that pipe.
Only the critical piping systems need to undergo thorough stress analysis to
determine its allowable stress range in the pipe. This is because only the critical
piping systems are exposed to serious condition hence making the pipe exposed to
various form of failures. Analysis needs to be carried out in order to determine the
limiting values of the forces and moments which the pipe is permitted to impose [2].
Pipe stress analysis is the study of pipes in a plant system to ensure that the
developed stresses and equipment nozzle loads are less than the specified allowable
under operating conditions of a particular system and even during the most stringent
operating conditions [2]. It is a term applied to calculations, which address the static
and dynamic loading resulting from the effects of gravity, temperature changes,
internal and external pressures, changes in fluid flow rate and seismic activity [3].
Codes and standards establish the minimum requirements of stress analysis as each
system may cover different codes and standards depending on the design. Codes and
standards used may also differ according to the type of process involved in the plant
where different codes will give different sets of limitations.
2
1.2 Problem Statement
The Gas District Cooling (GDC) UTP plant construction began in 2001 and was
commissioned in April 2003 to supply both chilled water and electricity to the
Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) campus in Tronoh, Perak. There are various
kinds of piping systems available in the plant where the pipes are identified
according to the fluids that they convey. In a plant, pipes are the main transportation
medium for almost all the processes and also very critical to ensure the smooth
running of the plant. Pipes that undergo severe stresses will affect greatly on the
performance of the plant
To date, no study was conducted to check the stresses that may be present in the
critical piping system at GDC UTP plant and its future performance. In this study,
stresses in the critical piping system are identified to be one of the causes for failure
of the plant in the future performance. Thus, the reliability and the integrity of the
current design of the piping system need to be verified so any rectification can be
made to improve the plant’s performance.
GDC UTP plant is the supplier for electricity and also chilled water for air-
conditioning in UTP. With such major contribution to UTP, the study concerning the
stresses of the critical pipe in GDC plant of UTP is really crucial to determine the
performance of the plant in the future. With the completion of this project, it is
hoped that it would clearly explains the stresses that occur in the piping system of
GDC UTP plant and also discover any stress problems in the piping system.
The study would also be important to identify potential problems in the critical
piping system so that rectifications can be made to improve the design of the pipe in
order to minimize the stresses exerted on the pipe. The information gained from this
study would also initiate further studies to be conducted in examining stresses on the
pipe and hence, a more precise way of designing a pipe will be made.
3
1.3 Objectives and Scope of Study
The scope of this study would be to evaluate the stresses in the piping systems where
individual pipe are examined and studied independently so that only the critical
piping system are chosen. The characteristics of each piping system such as size,
material and thickness are studied to determine which pipe has the required criteria
for critical system. The critical pipings are then analyzed for stresses involved and
check whether current installation of pipes exerts stresses that are allowed by the
governing code. Lastly, any rectification would be made prior to any problems
encountered during analysis of the stresses.
Due to lack of time, this study is not aimed at all available piping system. Instead,
only the critical piping are being studied. Though there may not be a precise
explanation about some stresses due to constraint of sources, the general comparative
discussion of the results would give some general idea of the stresses that may
happen in the critical piping system
4
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Gas District Cooling (GDC) system in UTP has been designed to produce electrical
power and steam from Cogeneration System located at Cogeneration Plant, and
chilled water from chilled water system (District Cooling Plant). Electrical power
produced from Cogeneration system is supplied not only to UTP buildings but also to
the plant itself. However, steam from the Cogeneration system is mainly used to
produce chilled water by using the Steam Absorption Chiller (SAC) [4].
a) To utilize natural gas as primary energy for the plant that will improve the
problem of peak load demand of electricity, and improve the electrical
supply/demand balance in Malaysia
b) To supply reliable chilled water within a temperature range of 6.0°C±0.5°C
in 30 minutes average
c) To optimize the utilization of primary energy by incorporating Cogeneration
(GTG/HRSG) System.
d) To adapt proven technology for a long-term operational reliability
e) To adapt environmental friendly system
The current system consists of 2 nos. of SAC, 4 nos. of Air Cooled Chiller (ACC)
and 1 no. of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) which can cover cooling demands of
4000 Refrigerant Tonnage (expected cooling demand in 1A Stage) from buildings in
UTP. 2 nos. of Gas Turbine Generator (GTG) with Heat Recovery Steam Generator
(HRSG) are installed in 1A Stage Cogeneration Plant, which are able to generate up
to 8.4MW (maximum) of electrical power [4,5].
5
Figure 2.1 shows the system of GDC UTP. There are additional 2 nos. of SAC, 1
unit of Auxiliary Gas Boiler (AGB) with a capacity of 6 ton/h which are used as
back-up system to supply steam to SAC to produce chilled water.
Electricity
(TNB) Chilled water
ACC TES
UTP
Steam BUILDING
AGB
Electricity
In GDC plant, GTG which utilizes natural gas as its primary source of energy is
operating daily in order to produce and supply electric power to UTP buildings and
for internal plant usage. Natural gas used is supplied by Petronas Gas Berhad through
gas pipelines that stretched all the way from Lumut to UTP. The piping system that
connects the source of gas and to the turbine is quite critical and important since gas
is the main source of energy to run the turbine in order to generate electricity.
Currently, there are two GTGs running to produce electricity which can generate up
to 8.4MW of electricity. UTP only consumes around 5 to 6MW of electricity which
is below the maximum power that the GTGs can supply (8.4MW). Besides supplying
electricity to UTP buildings, the plant also consumes the electricity produced by
GTG for in-plant use to run other equipments in the plant.
6
GTG (see Figure 2.2) will produce waste heat at about 500°C. Waste heat from GTG
is used to produce steam through HRSG then supplied to SAC for the chillers to
produce chilled water for UTP buildings.
7
Figure 2.3 : Schematic drawing of the plant
Thermal Energy Storage (TES) tank is another source of chilled water that is used to
supply chilled water during daytime (peak hours) where during night time, TES tank
is being charged by Air Cooled Chiller (ACC). Besides charging the TES tank, ACC
is also capable to supply chilled water directly to UTP during very low demand
situation from UTP or when the TES system is under maintenance.
8
2.2 Piping System at GDC UTP
Piping system take up almost half of GDC plant of UTP. There is a number of piping
system available in GDC plant in UTP due to the fact that GDC itself consists of
many systems (e.g GTG, HRSG, SAC system etc). There are pipes for every
subsystem of the plant. Pipes are installed to connect one equipment to another.
Identification of the criticality for each pipe based on its operating condition is
important as this will lead to the selection of critical system to be analyzed in the
later stage of this study.
The critical piping system may consist of pipes that undergo large stresses due to the
mechanical equipment involved in that system. It also can be caused by elevated
temperature on the pipe itself for example at GTG system where the heat from
exhaust gas can reach up to 500°C [4]. The critical piping may also lead to
overstressing and overloading of piping components (flanges, valves etc) and also
the connection of equipment [6].
Distributed Control Room (DCR) is a room used to observe the plant operation.
From DCR, the condition for each equipment and piping system can be monitored at
the centralized computers. This condition includes temperature, pressure, flow rate of
fluid in the system and also power supplied by GTG. For temperature, pressure and
flow rate the conditions vary for each system. From the DCR, Field Operator (FO)
and engineers can determine which system is having problem. When problems
detected, engineers can make changes on the setting of the equipment involved to
meet the required conditions.
9
There are four (4) major types of fluids being used in GDC plant of UTP. They are
used to differentiate the piping system. They are:
a) Gas
b) Fuel
c) Chilled water
d) Instrument air
Each fluid has different conditions in term of operating temperature and pressure
depending on the process the fluid undergone. This factor will be used to identify
which type of system that can be considered as critical.
Gas is used as the primary energy supplyto power the two GTGs. For UTP GDC
plant, they use Natural Gas supplied by Petronas Gas Berhad (PGB) through
underground pipelines. Natural gas is used as it is cheap. Besides GTG, gas is also
used as the energy supply for AGB.
Emergency
Metering Fuel/gas Gas
PGB Shut Valve
system Regulator Turbine
(ESV)
Figure 2.4 shows that gas from PGB will be transported to GDC plant through
underground pipelines where it goes through metering system first. From there, gas
will be transported to Emergency Shut Valve (ESV) through 4” pipes. ESV is used to
shut or cut the gas flows to the next process if there is any failure or accident occurs
in the system. From Figure 2.5, the gas will be supplied to gas regulator through 4”
pipe from ESV. Gas regulator is used to ensure that the pressure of the supplied gas
to the gas turbine will be 18 bar or 1800kpa. Any excess pressure of supplied gas will
cause the GTG to not working at its full performance or may cause failure to GTG.
10
AGB
PGB
3 bar
regulator
18 bar
GTG1 regulator
ESV
GTG2
Liquid Fuel (Diesel) is used as a backup energy supply for AGB and GTG. When
there is disruption to gas supply to GTG and AGB, diesel fuel will be used. GDC
plant uses diesel as the secondary energy supply. Unlike gas, diesel is stored first in a
diesel tank before being used (see Figure 2.6). The diesel will only be used at
conditions when there is no supply of natural gas to GTG due to cut-off at the
distribution pipeline. Diesel from storage tank is pumped to GTGs and AGB to
operate.
Pump AGB
Tank
GTG1
GTG2
11
2.2.3 Chilled Water Piping System
Chilled water is supplied by SAC, ACC and TES tank as in Figure 2.7. The supplied
chilled water to UTP is 6°C in temperature and will be returned back to GDC plant at
about 13.5°C. The chilled water is transported through series of piping systems and
pumps. The chilled water is used to cool down UTP building like academic blocks,
chancellor hall and also the new mosque through air-conditioning.
Cooling CT-0231A/B
tower
Pump P-0231B
SAC
P-0131A/B
The pressure for the fluid (chilled water) in the piping system is around 2.5 bar or
250kpa. There are pumps used to flow the supply and return water. Pumps (P-
0231A/B and P-0131) have flow rates of 920m³/h and 504m³/h respectively. These
pumps will be a major equipment to pressurize and flow the chilled water and any
failure to this equipment or any disturbance to piping system can cause problems
(disruptions to flows) to the plant and to the air-conditioning system in UTP
buildings.
12
In chilled water systems, water as a secondary refrigerant, is distributed throughout
the entire hydraulic network in order to achieve the design heat transfer in every coil
of the building. A heat load is the rate of heat transfer from the case coils required to
maintain an environment comfort standard [16].
Instrument air is used to operate instrument valves that regulate pressure, flow,
temperature and liquid levels [7]. These valves are used in almost all mechanical
equipment in GDC plant such as GTG, HRSG etc. There are located at pipes
connected to all mechanical equipments. Any interruption or failure in the instrument
air piping system can cause the equipment failure or even shut down of the plant
(GDC).
RD-0700B
Figure 2.8 shows the flow diagram for instrument air in GDC plant. Air Compressor
produces pressurized or compressed air in this piping system. The compressed air
goes through air dryer (RD-0700B) to get rid any moisture from the air. From there,
it is be stored in the air tank before it will be sent to headers for it to operate the
valves.
13
Instrument air is used to operate valve actuator; sensor, signal converter or other
devices that requires some finite volume of air to operate instead of manually operate
the device. Other uses of instrument quality air include pneumatic motors, pumps,
chucks, and convenience outlets for tools and other irregularly used devices [8].
Stress analysis determines the stress in materials and structures (In this case pipes)
subjected to static or dynamic forces or loads. The aim of the analysis is usually to
determine whether the element or collection of elements, usually referred to as a
structure, can safely withstand the specified forces. Pipe stress analysis provides the
essential technique to design piping system without overstressing and overloading
the piping components and connected equipments [6].
14
2.3.2 Governing Codes
Governing code refers to the applicable pipe design and fabrication code [9,13,14].
The codes are:
Among the variables that are regularly used in this analysis are force and moment.
Force is a vector quantity with the direction and magnitude of the push
(compression), pull (tension), or shear effects. Moment is a vector quantity with the
direction and magnitude of twisting and bending effects [6].
In addition to forces and moments, stress and strain are also important in the
analysis. Stress can be defined as the internal resistance per unit area to the
deformation caused by the applied load while strain is unit deformation under
applied load. The relationship between stress and strain can be seen in a curve when
unit load or stress is plotted against unit elongation, technically known as strain [6].
a) Primary stresses
b) Secondary stresses
c) Peak stresses
15
Primary stresses are developed by the imposed loading and are necessary to satisfy
the equilibrium between external and internal forces and moments of the piping
system. Primary stresses include:
There are three (3) types of loads occur in a piping system [2]. They are:
Sustained
SL SH (1)
16
Occasional
S L 1.33S H (2)
Thermal (Displacement)
S A f 1.25S C S H (3)
the term 0.25S H in Eq. (3). This is called Liberal Allowable Stresses. The
allowable stress range hence is calculated by:
S A f 1.25S C S H S L (4)
Where:
The expression liberal stresses will only be employed when there is at least
one sustained stress case in the load set. If there is more than one sustained
stress case in a single problem, then the largest of S L , considering all of the
sustained cases, for any single element end will be chosen to subtract from
S H . Because the sustained stress varies from one pipe to another, the
17
Table 2.1 : Stress-range reduction factors, f
The range of bending and torsional stresses shall be computed using the reference
modulus of elasticity at 21°C (70°F), E a , to determine the computed displacement
stress range S E , which shall not exceed the allowable stress range S A
Bending Stress
Bending stress is the normal stress that is induced at a point in a body subjected to
loads that cause it to bend. When a load is applied perpendicular to the length of a
beam (with two supports on each end), bending moments are induced in the beam
(5)
Where:
σ = Bending stress
M = Moment at cross section
c = Distance from neutral axis to outer surface
I = Cross section moment of inertia,
Hoop Stress
18
(6)
Where:
σh = Hoop Stress
P = Internal Pressure in Pipe
d = Internal Diameter of pipe
t = Wall thickness of pipe
Axial Stress
Axial stress is a stress exerted by a force along the axis of the pipe
(7)
19
Figure 2.10 : Moments In Branch Connection
ii M i 2 io M o 2
Sb (8)
Z
where
20
For analyzed piping, allowable axial force and bending moment shall be within the
limits specified below.
Where:
21
For process plant, the use of ASME B31.3 Process Piping code is widely being used.
This code governs all piping within the property limits of facilities engaged in the
processing or handling of chemical, petroleum or related products. Examples are a
chemical plant, petroleum refinery, loading terminal, natural gas processing plant,
bulk plant, compounding plant and tank farm. The loadings required to be considered
are pressure, weight (live and dead loads), impact, wind, earthquake-induced
horizontal forces, vibration discharge reactions, thermal expansion and contraction,
temperature gradients and anchor movement [10,15]. Under ASME B31.3, the
allowable stresses for each type of load are different and hence to comply with the
code each of the three allowable stresses must be satisfied [2]. The code also states
that the allowable stress is temperature dependent (i.e as temperature increases,
allowable stress decreases) [2].
For this project, the use of ASME B31.1 Power Piping code will be used due to the
type of plant for GDC of UTP. The code is basically for piping typically found in
electric power generating stations, in industrial and institutional plants, geothermal
heating systems, and central and district heating and cooling systems [17].
Power piping systems shall be designed to have sufficient flexibility to prevent pipe
movements from causing failure from overstress of the pipe material or anchors,
leakage at joints, or detrimental distortion of connected equipment resulting from
excessive thrusts and moments. Flexibility shall be provided by changes of direction
in the piping through the use of bends, loops, or offsets; or provisions shall be made
to absorb thermal movements by utilizing expansion, swivel, or ball joints,
corrugated pipe, or flexible metal hose assemblies [17].
In this project, the use of stress analysis software (CAESAR II 5.0) is needed in order
to ease the job analyzing the critical pipes. The software allows quick and accurate
analysis of piping system subjected to wide variety of loads that take in account
weight, pressure, thermal, seismic and other static and dynamic conditions.
22
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
Figure 3.1 shows the procedures that have been followed in order to carry out and
implement the project. This is to ensure that the project can be accomplished within
the given timeframe. A Gantt chart of the project is as attached in APPENDIX 1.
START
Identification of problem
Literature Reviews
Case Study
Design NO
Improvement Code Compliance
YES
Recommendation
END
23
3.1.1 Literature Review
Research on elements of this project involved in this stage where it includes the
study of GDC plant operation, piping system at GDC and also piping stress analysis.
Visits to GDC plant were made in order to get first-hand information and experience
regarding the plant’s operation. By doing this, the author can understand more on the
plant’s operation and relate the operation to the case study of this project.
Apart from that, the identification of the piping systems in the plant was made to
differentiate the type of piping system available there. There is basically a number of
piping systems installed in the plant. The study will only highlight the critical piping
system in the plant since the systems are dealing with higher level of stresses
compared to non-critical system. In order to do this, familiarization with the plant’s
system was emphasized first in order to determine the critical systems.
Research on journals, engineering books and design manuals were also conducted in
this stage to understand more about the study especially regarding piping stress
analysis. Data from the plant such as isometric drawing, plant layout and plant’s
equipment specification were also obtained to help the study.
The study focuses the critical piping system of the plant. Critical piping systems in
GDC plant shall be identified in order to finalize the systems that will be studied. As
mentioned earlier, only the critical piping systems will be studied instead of all the
systems. In order to do this, the author needs to check all the piping system’s
specifications with the plant’s personnel. By referring to all the specifications, the
piping systems are categorized according to the piping system’s condition. There are:
24
From the information collected, the author can then specify which systems will be
taken for further analysis. The specified systems will be called as variables.
Variables definition is the first task in analyzing a pipe system [2]. Generally the
extent of a piping system is defined by the following criteria:
A system may consist of one line of pipe, a group of lines or a whole network
complete with branches [2].
25
Category 3 lines are referred as critical lines. These lines are the ones that shall be
chosen to be analyzed comprehensively using stress analysis software. The criteria
for selecting the critical line is shown in Table 3.1
26
Variables Analysis (Piping Stress)
Prepare Drawings
Gathering Information
Calculations
YES
Report
a) Drawings of the piping system (P&ID and Pipe Isometric Drawing) are
acquired first in order to know the geometry and orientation of the piping
system. Isometric drawings are obtained from the plant and the example of
the pipe’s isometric drawing is shown in Figure 3.3. From the isometric
drawing, the 3-axis; x-axis, y-axis and z-axis are pre-determined first in order
to ease the modeling task. Figure 3.3 shows the axis that has been
determined. Z-axis is set to be pointing towards south.
27
Pointing North
y-axis
x-axis
z-axis
b) Information about the piping system are also obtained first in order to key in
the data into CAESAR II 5.0 software. All the data are acquired from the
plant’s piping specification.
28
c) After all the information is prepared, the piping system are modeled by using
CAESAR II. Pipes are modeled according to the isometric drawing of the
system. The pipes are divided into nodes to ease the modeling. Nodes for
each point of the pipe were initialized first to ease the work. The more the
number of nodes, the easier it is to track which point is having certain type or
amount of stress. Figure 3.4 shows the nodes in the modeled pipe.
Nodes
If there are any valves or flanges in the piping system, they will be
represented as a rigid body in CAESAR II with the exact weight of each
component. The best place to initially define the extent of piping systems is
on a process flow diagram or a P&ID [2]. After an initial pass at defining the
extent of the systems, a preliminary review of system geometry should be
made. Always keep the option open to split systems into separate calculations
or combine systems into a single calculation as the piping becomes more
defined.
29
d) All the data required for the analysis earlier (as in piping schedule and
isometric drawings) were put in to the stress spreadsheet as in Figure 3.5.
The data will then be converted into modeled pipe.
e) After the pipe system has been modeled, calculation for the piping system is
made. The calculations are generated for CAESAR II with given load cases.
Load cases are the type of load that we intent to put on the system. As
mentioned in the previous chapter, the loads could be sustained loads,
occasional loads and displacement loads. This load could be for operating
condition of the system or design condition which refers to the maximum
load applied according to the design specifications.
30
f) Next, the result of the calculation will be generated by CAESAR II and will
be displayed in various forms of output:
g) Reports of each output are obtained after analyzing the piping system. The
reports are really important because each of these report provide specific
information as to how the system is reacting to a given load condition.
3.1.3 Results/Analysis
The result obtained from the analysis is analyzed and conform to governing codes
(e.g. ASME B31.1). The piping codes are a direct outgrowth of the theory mentioned
in Eq. (1,2,3,4,5,6) and the satisfaction of both a primary and secondary load. The
various codes have criteria for different kinds of loads and the maximum stress
intensification that that it must satisfy. As an example, ASME B31.3 which is used in
chemical plant and petroleum refinery piping, there are criteria for calculating the
sustained and expansion load. If the analysis does not comply with the governing
code, recommendation will be made in order to reduce stresses in piping system.
Recommendations can be in the form of design modification and refinement in order
to cope the governing code.
There some general guidelines in doing the flexibility analysis of the piping system.
The guidelines are:
32
CHAPTER 4
There are basically four (4) types of piping systems in GDC UTP plant. The piping
systems are divided according to the operating fluid that flows through the pipe.
Table 4.1 shows the summary of description for each pipe according to the surveys
conducted. The description comprises of the piping system function, pipe size, pipe
condition (pressure and temperature) etc. The data was obtained as per Piping
Schedule document; drawing number: A/SM/UTP/I/001 as in APPENDIX 3.
They are:
33
Table 4.1 : Piping system description
Piping System Location Description
Natural Gas GTG1 & GTG2 Main energy supply to GTG and AGB
(Primary AGB Use natural gas supplied via pipelines from
Energy LUMUT by PGB
Supply) Pipe size (diameter):
4” - From metering system to fuel/gas
regulator (see Figure 4)
1” – From fuel/gas regulator to GTGs
Gas pressure: 26.5 bar (2650kpa) when
entering GTGs, 3.5bar (350kpa) when
entering AGB
Pipe material: Seamless and welded black
and hot-dipped galvanized steel
Diesel GTG1 & GTG2 Back-up energy supply to GTG and AGB
(Secondary AGB Pumps are used to transport fuel to each
Energy GTGs and AGB
Supply) Pipe size (diameter) – 1” and 1 ½”
Pipe Material: Seamless and welded black
and hot-dipped galvanized steel
Chilled Water Cooling tower Supply water – 6°C, Return water – 13.5°C
SAC (Design Condition)
ACC Pipe size – Large diameter (30” for Chilled
Water Supply & Return Piping)
Pumps are used to transport make-up water
and chilled water (P-0231B, P-0131A/B)
Pipe Material: Arc Welded Carbon Steel
Instrument Gas Compressor Used to operate instrument valves
Header Supplied by compressor and will be stored in
air tank before distributing it to other
instrument
Pressure of air is 8bar (800kpa) when it
reaches air tank
34
As mentioned in CHAPTER 3, lines are divided into three (3) categories. The criteria
for selecting the lines for analysis are defined in Table 3.2. In this study, category 1
and 2 lines were neglected due to constraints of time and besides the objective of the
study are to analyze the critical pipe only. Critical pipes were selected to undergo in-
depth analysis using stress analysis software. From hundreds of piping lines available
in GDC plant, only the most critical one were selected.
From the observation, the Chilled Water Supply and Return piping system is chosen
as the most critical piping system and falls under Category 3. Figure 4.1 shows the
piping system which is represented by dark blue lines.
Cooling
Water
Pump
Primary
Pump
Chilled
Water
(Return)
Chilled
Water
(Feed) Customer
Hex
35
The layout for the selected piping system is available as per the External Piping
Support Plan Layout (1) for Cooler Chiller & TES Tank area in APPENDIX 2. The
specification of description of the lines that are going to be analyzed were obtained
from Piping Schedule; drawing number A/SM/UTP/F/200 from GDC plant as in
APPENDIX 3. Description of Chilled Water Supply and Return Piping:
c) Pipe size varies from NPS 600 up to 750 which equivalent to 24” up to 30”
pipe
d) Pipe material : STPY 400 SAW, Arc Welded Carbon Steel Pipe
The detailed specifications of the pipe line which include the data required for
analysis are as Table 4.2.
36
By referring to the critical line selection criteria in Table 3.1, these pipes were
chosen as Category 3 (refer Table 4.2) lines where comprehensive analysis needs to
be performed due to the reasons below:
37
4.2 Stress Analysis on Chosen Variables
Stress analysis on the critical piping system is performed when the critical line has
been confirmed. Data and specification of each pipe system are obtained and to be
put in table as per Table 4.3 to ease the analysis.
First problem occurred when the spreadsheet in CAESAR II does not have input for
the material of pipe used in the line which is Arc-welded Carbon Steel, JIS G3457
STPY400 where JIS is for Japanese International Standard. The software mostly
covers ASTM standard pipe. So, material with standard (ASTM) similar to those
used in JIS standard will be used where ASTM A134 – Specification for Pipe, Steel,
Electric-Fusion (Arc)-Welded (Sizes NPS 16 and above) was used as stated in World
Standard Conference Table in [18].
Due to unavailability of the ASTM A134 material, a similar material that has the
same limiting properties is used. Figure 4.2 shows material ASTM A135 – Electric
Resistance Steel Pipe is used to replace ASTM A134.
38
Figure 4.2 : Pipe Stress Spreadsheet in CAESAR II 5.0
CHS-011-P1A Flow
CHS-108-P1A
Flow
Flow
39
4.2.1 Code Compliance Analysis
The piping model was later calculated by using CAESAR II’s batch run option. The
calculation was made in order to check whether the loads at each node are within the
maximum allowable load governed by ASME B31.1. Types of load cases used in this
analysis are:
The result from the calculation was the pipe passed the allowable stress as governed
in ASME B31.1. CAESAR II identified specific nodes along the pipe where the
particular stresses occur at its highest value. Figure 4.4 shows the result of code
compliance evaluation test and the stresses that occur at the specified nodes.
From Figure 4.4, the largest code stress exerted on the pipe is 73990.6 KPa. The
stress exerted is below the allowable stress as governed by B31.1, 81114.2 KPa.
However, the value of the allowable stress calculated by CAESAR II 5.0 is a bit low
compared to actual allowable stress according to Eq. (3).
40
From Eq. (3): S A f 1.25S C S H
Where, from CAESAR II 5.0 datasheet:
SH = 68947.398 Kpa
SC = 68947.977 Kpa
f = 0.5 (assume it has more than 100,000 cycles of operation)
S A (0.51.2568947.977 1.2568947.398
S A 84460.9 Kpa
The new value of allowable stress somehow will not affect the result of the
evaluation since the highest code stress still does not exceed the allowable stresses as
governed by the code.
From the calculated Hoop Stress from Eq. (6), the value of Hoop Stress was exactly
the same value as generated by CAESAR II 5.0. This proves that the stresses
calculated by CAESAR II 5.0 is accurate and follows the formula.
41
Using Eq. (7), the Axial Stress, was calculated:
From the calculated Axial Stress from Eq. (6), the value of Axial Stress was almost
the same as generated by CAESAR II 5.0. This also proves the stress calculated
generated in CAESAR II 5.0 follows the same formula and can be used for analysis.
Figure 4.5 shows the location of each stresses generated by CAESAR II 5.0
Bending Stress
Torsion Stress
From the stresses that have been generated, bending stress (at Node 240) is found to
be the highest being exerted to the pipe with a value of 104507.3 KPa. The stress is
well above the maximum allowable stresses governed by the code.
42
4.2.2 Displacement Analysis
The analysis is conducted to determine the displacement of the piping system at each
node. The displacement can be in various directions:
a) x-axis
b) y-axis
c) z-axis
From the displacement analysis, the highest displacement for x-axis is at Node 10
(5.797mm), y-axis at Node 100 (-6.643mm acting downwards) and z-axis at Node
109 (-1.776mm). Visual representation of the deflected pipe is shown in Figure 4.6.
Figure 4.6 shows a clearer view on the condition of the pipe when displaced.
Before
After
43
4.2.3 Stress Analysis Discussion
The analysis conducted on the piping system has proved the pipe does not exceed the
maximum allowable stress governed by ASME B31.1. This also proves that the
stresses exerted on the piping system are under control or safe. Although the pipe
passed the analysis, there are one issues regarding one of the stresses that can
become a problem. From the results, bending stress at Node 240 is found to be the
highest exerted stress with a value of 104507.3 KPa which exceeds the maximum
allowable stress of 84460.8 KPa.
The reason to this excess stress is because of constraints of movements along pipe
CHS-108-P1A. As shown in Figure 4.7, the yellow highlighted circles are the point
where the pipes will continue to another sets of pipe. In this analysis, those pipes are
excluded from the analysis because the size of the pipe is below the minimum
required size of pipe that requires comprehensive analysis or critical line (refer Table
4.2). The pipes are:
a) 200-CHS-144-BC-C40
b) 200-CHS-154-BC-C40
c) 200-CHS-122-BC-C40
d) 200-CHS-132-BC-C40
Since all four (4) pipes have NPS 200 in diameter, the pipes are ruled out. Hence, the
end parts of each connection where anchored or fixed due to no displacements can be
generated because of the excluded pipes. The anchored ends of the pipes has resulted
no such movement on the pipes. Displacements that occur along CHS-011-P1A pipe
cause a huge stress on the first point of the anchored ends of the point (Node 240)
which cause huge bending stresses on that point
44
CHS-011-P1A
Anchored Points
CHS-108-P1A
Movement of Pipe
45
Figure 4.9 : Side Views of Deflected Pipe
This displacement has resulted in excess stress especially bending stress at Node 240.
Although the displacement is really small (6.643mm acting downwards) compared to
the size of the pipe (CHS-011-P1A pipe – NPS 750mm diameter or 30”), the stress
that get affected due to the displacement is huge. In order to overcome the
overstressing, addition of support at certain point will reduce the load especially
sustained load. For this pipe, sustained load contributes a lot of stress due to its huge
size.
46
4.3 Proposal to Reduce Stresses in Critical Piping System
By adding support at Node 80 (Figure 4.10), stresses on the pipe can be reduced.
This is shown in the code compliance evaluation analysis as shown in Figure 4.11.
Figure 4.11 shows that the stresses of the piping system after the added support are
within the allowable stress as governed by the code. This shows that the added
support does not affect the overall stresses of the pipe. Besides, the bending stress
has also decreased where the highest bending stress exerted by the pipe is 74487.7
KPa at Node 660. This also proves that the support that has been added does reduce
the stresses on the pipe.
47
The displacement of the piping system during operation and also design condition
has also decreased. The results of the displacement using design condition
parameters are included in APPENDIX 6. Comparison of maximum displacement
by all x-axis, y-axis and also z-axis are shown in Table 4.4
48
CHAPTER 5
5.1 Conclusion
This research investigated the stresses on piping system in Gas District Cooling
(GDC) UTP plant. Throughout the research period, all the information was gathered
from all reliable resources such as design data, plant layout, plant drawings, journals,
manuals and online resources. Studies done on the stresses on critical piping systems
in the GDC UTP plant will prove to be important to determine the future
performance of the plant.
a) Four (4) types of critical piping systems have been identified in GDC UTP
plant. The piping systems can be divided into 4 types according to the fluid
they are carrying; natural gas (primary fuel), diesel (secondary fuel), chilled
water and also instrument air piping system. These types of systems are found
to be important as it affects greatly to the operation of the plant. Critical pipes
were selected to be analyzed because critical pipe will undergo severe
stresses. In stress analysis, piping lines are divided to 3 categories; category
1, category 2 and category 3 lines. Category 3 lines are pipes that require
formal analysis using piping stress software because of its severity. All pipes
in GDC UTP plant have been observed and from that, Chilled Water Supply
and Return Piping system was chosen to be analyzed because its specification
fulfills the requirement for critical piping line. The requirements that have
been fulfilled are the piping system have large diameters (24” to 30”) and
also connected to rotating equipment which is pump that can exert stresses on
the pipe.
49
b) The chilled water piping systems (drawing no. CHS-011-P1A and CHS-108-
P1A) had been modeled in CAESAR II 5.0 and also analyzed using its batch
run option. The analysis showed that the stresses were well below the
maximum allowable design limit. This means that the pipe complies with the
governing ASME B31.1 code where the maximum stress exerted to the pipe
(73990.6 KPa) is less than the maximum allowable stress which is 84460.9
KPa. This also means the current installation of pipe system can be
considered safe. However, the value of bending stress had become an
important issue considering the size of the pipe of the piping system. The
bending stress exerted at Node 240 is 104507.3 KPa which exceed the
maximum allowable stress. Although overall stresses can be considered safe,
this particular stress may cause problems in the future.
50
5.2 Recommendation
Additional works might be required especially in the analysis part. Therefore, further
analysis could be made especially by expanding the number of pipe to be analyzed.
For future work, a more extended range of piping system can be chosen to decrease
any redundancy especially at anchored point of pipe in the analysis. This will give
more accurate results hence making the study more reliable. Next, more lines will be
chosen to be analyzed so that not only the critical lines will be checked for problems
other lines also will be checked. The more piping lines being checked, the more
information will be gained on the piping systems of the plant. Hopefully this will
present proactive steps in identifying problem piping system so that further actions
can be taken to ensure the smooth running of the plant.
51
REFERENCES
[2] Hounsham, B. 2002, Introduction to Pipe Stress Analysis. MMC Oil &
Gas Engineering Group
[3] Azeem, H. 2001, Stress Analysis for Process Piping. J-Tech PVT LTD.
[7] Convert Gas Pneumatic Controls to Instrument Air, Natural Gas STAR.
United States. Environmental Protection Agency
[10] 2002, Process Piping : ASME Code For Pressure Piping, The American
Society of Mechanical Engineers
52
[11] 2001, Process Piping : ASME Code For Pressure Piping, The American
Society of Mechanical Engineers
[13] Lagan, C. 2005, CAESAR II : Pipe Stress Analysis Software Training and
Workshop, EDS Asia Sdn. Bhd.
[15] Pipe Line Rules of Thumb Handbook, Gulf Publishing Company, Book
Division
[17] 2001, Power Piping : ASME Code For Pressure Piping, The American
Society of Mechanical Engineers
[18] JIS G3457 Arc Welded Carbon Steel Pipes (JIS G 3457 / JISG3457)
http://www.e-pipe.co.kr/EJIS/pipe-text/pipe/3583.html
53
APPENDIX 1: Project Gantt Chart
Final Year Project 1
No. Detail/Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
GDC UTP
Piping System
Mid-semester Break
3 Submission of Preliminary Report
Analysis of Data/Specification
6 Seminar
8 Oral Presentation
* = milestone
54
Finale Year Project 2
No. Detail/Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Mid-semester Break
Flexibility Analysis
Stress Analysis
5 Seminar
Modifications of Design
7 Poster Submission
8 Final Presentation
9 Dessertation
55