Re: Forwarded message: Welcome to PipingDesign

From: <Christopher>
Date: Thu Sep 26 2002 - 12:03:00 EDT

>For Nuclear Power Plants the seismic loading is a must. ...
>However it is not so for Process Plants and Petrochemicals.
Depends on where you happen to be. In the US chemical plants and refineries frequently have strict seismic requirements. Nuke plants tend to be more critical in some areas, where it it necessary that equipment remain operable so the plant can be safely shut down. Chemical plants in lethal service may also have the same requirements or seismic requirements may be imposed by OSHA or local building codes or insurors.

The designer needs to be knowledgeable in both local Code requirements and the nature of the seismic hazard and the overall safety criticality of the system. Lots of designers believe they can ignore such things because they're too complicated or expensive or that no one bothered with it the last time but you risk a catastrophe by doing so. All you have to do is a simple Google search on 'earthquake damage' to see just how risky it can be.

Christopher Wright P.E. |"They couldn't hit an elephant at <a href="/group/PipingDesign/post?postID=eVBOYF_gtMph7czy-AhGWlX4BiAh31l9RgQ8c5xn475hx4-O0pNPuEvx7qEXrz1aGF5fFkfLq1py">chrisw@skypoint.com</a> | this distance" (last words of Gen.

___________________________| John Sedgwick, Spotsylvania 1864)

<a href="http://www.skypoint.com/~chrisw">http://www.skypoint.com/~chrisw</a> Received on Thu Sep 26 12:03:00 2002