Here’s a quick look at a fairly new kid on the block, CSiPlant. This is a pipe stress program which I think has a bright future once it becomes better known. Its now my go-to stress software. That said, there are still feature gaps and a few issues to be ironed out. This is not … Read more
The example will create a model in NozzlePro using minimal user input (3 clicks and 4 numerical entries) to obtain useful information. This article will also highlight a somewhat controversial aspect of how the B31.3 code treats reducing tees (which is expected to change soon). One reason for the popularity of NozzlePro is that specified … Read more
A client recently asked us whether vacuum may be a problem for her piping system. She was aware that the piping codes pointed to the external pressure check in ASME VIII Division 1. I won’t make this out to be a simple topic and indeed there is still ongoing research in the area. But for … Read more
This video presentation discusses challenges inherent to LNG piping, including large diameters, cryogenic temperatures, stainless steel materials, and large D/T ratios. It also covers various items which are not addressed by the B31 codes.
Improve on API 579 Level 1 or 2 It’s been a while between posts, so let me say that I haven’t been completely idle – I’ve been cooking up a new web-based calculation app for engineers dealing with corrosion defects. On the surface, this application looks similar to the API 579 Level 1 assessment for … Read more
ASME B31.3 contains the footnote ‘Corrosion can sharply decrease cyclic life; therefore, corrosion resistant materials should be considered where a large number of major stress cycles is anticipated’. But what happens if carbon steel with high corrosion allowance has been selected and changes are out of the question? Or you may be assessing an existing … Read more
There are at least three recognised methods for assessment of branch intersections. These are most often applied to fabricated connections on pressure vessels and piping rather than welding tees. Welding tees to ASME B16.9 are normally qualified by vendor burst tests, but that doesn’t help if you need to assess a corroded or eroded fitting, … Read more
Quick summary This article may pique your curiosity if you’re interested in the finer details of pipe stress analysis, but if you’d rather just get the overall takeaway – Sustained bending stresses in ASME B31.3 2016 calculations are underpredicted at some branches As long as the stress analyst remembers to split the branch pipe model … Read more
There are many ways to go about supporting pipe, from putting it straight on steel to sophisticated sliding shoe designs. Too often, this aspect of piping design is not given enough thought, resulting in problems later on in the life of a facility. Early on in detail design, the responsible party should prepare a flow-chart … Read more
The Salad Post-processor takes data exported from CAESAR II to do additional calculations and summaries. The software is now updated to version 1.40, and is available at no cost here. Lets go through some of the things you can do with this software . Make a summary of your stress model On one page you … Read more