New at PipingDesign.com: 28 December2000

A quick rundown of the recent site changes (note that some pages are still undergoing modifications/some pages may be lacking the proper graphics for now):

-"Pipe" has been divided into "Steel Piping", "Plastic Piping" and
"Other Materials".

-"Piping Design" has been divided into "Practical Piping Design",
"Piping Design Theory", "Piping Design Examples" and "Piping Design Innovation" (the page was getting FAR too large)

-"Compressors" page subdivided into "Compressors" and "Blowers"

-"Manual Valves" page subdivided into "Check Valves" and "Manual Valves"
and "Miscellaneous Valves"

-"Safety Valves" page added

-"Flexhose" page subdivided into "Flexhose" and "Expansion Joints"

-"Industry Associations", "Manufacturer Associations" and "Standards
Associations" have been added

-"Industry News" and "Project News" sections added

-"Techforums" section added

-"Specsheets" and "Reference Charts" sections added

-A Site Map is finally added

-An "Of Interest" section added to put stuff that doesn't really belong
elsewhere, but is interesting and related to piping design

<a href="http://www.pipingdesign.com/maintenance.html">http://www.pipingdesign.com/maintenance.html</a>

Minimize FCCU Start-Up Problems
GDS Engineers, Inc.

<<Startup is a scary experience, especially following a revamp or turnaround. To avoid unwanted misery and potentially abnormal operating conditions, process engineers and fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) operators should carefully check out new installations and any equipment modifications. In some refineries, and FCCU shutdown/startup is a once-in-a-career event for a process engineer. Companies schedule shutdowns every two or three years and the engineer will normally rotate to another assignment before the next shutdown. The following reviews possible trouble areas, gives examples of different types of problems and suggests how to prevent them.>>

<a href="http://www.pipingdesign.com/designpractical.html">http://www.pipingdesign.com/designpractical.html</a>

Practical Guide to Low Temperature Refrigeration ASHRAE Low temperature refrigeration is the range of temperatures falling below what is normally considered industrial refrigeration and above the temperatures associated with the field of cryogenics. The temperature range of this classification is from ­58°F to ­148°F (­50°C to ­100°C). This range of temperatures includes applications for food, pharmaceutical, and chemical processing. It is generally used in the petroleum and chemical industries as laboratory environmental chambers and thermal storage equipment.>>

<a href="http://www.pipingdesign.com/welding.html">http://www.pipingdesign.com/welding.html</a>

Weld Failure Leads to Explosion
Summit Engineering

<<In March 1994, a meat processing plant in the southeast experienced an explosion in one of their freezer rooms which resulted in over $500,000.00 of property damage. Fortunately, the explosion occurred around midnight on a Sunday so there were few employees at the plant and no one was injured. An initial investigation by plant personnel determined a weld in the refrigeration system failed and leaked refrigerant.>>

<a href="http://www.pipingdesign.com/insulation.html">http://www.pipingdesign.com/insulation.html</a>

Foamed In Place Underground Refrigeration Piping RefrigerationConcepts.com

<<Many of the problems with underground refrigeration piping is refrigerant leaks due to stress or corrosion and underground freezing. The result is repairs costing thousands of dollars. Leaks can occur from corrosion due to soil conditions or stress caused by expansion and contraction due to the varying temperatures of the piping.>>

<a href="http://www.pipingdesign.com/fluids.html">http://www.pipingdesign.com/fluids.html</a>

Why You Should Avoid Critical Flow in Ammonia Refrigeration Systems Process-Cooling.com

<<For years, design engineers and contractors have used abbreviated refrigerant tables to determine pipeline sizes. Use of "cookbook" pipe-size selections and installation of piping systems with two-dimensional flow diagram drawings have served as invitations for unpredictable liquid and gas flow in refrigeration piping systems. Large systems using remote surge drums for flooded evaporators, remote recirculating tanks or vessels cause liquid slugs when gas expands behind columns of trapped liquid. Multiple liquid slugs are of particular concern where gas pockets could condense rapidly, causing thermoshock, and where slug impact can overstress pipe and valve components when abrupt turns or stoppages occur.>>

Hydrogen
SafetyInfo.Com

<<Gaseous hydrogen system is one in which the hydrogen is delivered, stored and discharged in the gaseous form to consumer's piping. The system includes stationary or movable containers, pressure regulators, safety relief devices, manifolds, interconnecting piping and controls. The system terminates at the point where hydrogen at service pressure first enters the consumer's distribution piping.>>

<a href="http://www.pipingdesign.com/safetydevices.html">http://www.pipingdesign.com/safetydevices.html</a>

Well Testing: Minimum Guidelines For Safety Enhanced Field Operations Petroleum Services Association of Canada

<<In February 1987, at the request of concerned well testing companies and Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, a general meeting of all well testing companies and interested oil companies was held. Out of this meeting a committee was formed to prepare minimum guidelines for "Safety Enhanced Field Operations" as they pertain to well testing. Since the first publication of the guidelines, the Well Testing Committee of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada has assumed responsibility for keeping the guidelines current and for liaising with other interested groups.>>

<a href="http://www.pipingdesign.com/steelpipe.html">http://www.pipingdesign.com/steelpipe.html</a>

Pressure Ratings for Seamless Pipe
Petroleum Services Association of Canada Received on Thu Dec 28 12:37:00 2000