Construction-Pipeline

It is a matter of common observation that pipeline has a number of uses that cannot be ignored. It is widely for the transfer of fluids, gases and liquids from one place to other. Sanitation and drainage system also uses it for the transportation purposes. In other words we can say that wherever the transportation is required, it can be used. It is widely used by all gas companies in the world. Further it is also used by water transporting companies as well.  You can easily see it installed in your home for the transportation of natural gas and water.

Hence no one can deny its importance. There are a number of chemical and processing plants that are working in the world cannot perform their operation without it. It is because every manufacturing process includes it. In other words we can say that a chemical plant cannot work without it. Hence it is the backbone of the industry. Its most common application is the sanitation and drainage system. Before its installation, proper planning and map has been designed. According to this plan and designs, its route has been selected and then it is installed. Special machinery is used for this purpose.

None of us can ignore the importance of pipeline. Its various uses and applications are in the home and industry as well. Due to its importance and applications, there are many manufacturing standards for it. These standards are developed by various institutes of the world. Pipes that are made anywhere in the world must e according to any of these standards. In other words, we can say that experts have developed some limits and criteria. Every pipe that is made in the world must be according to these criteria.

There are various standards of pipes. Some of them are ASME, ANSI, API and ISO. These are the names of some standards. Every pipe manufacturing company meets the criterion of any of these standards. It means that pipes that don’t match any of these standards are not permissible. Further we say that there standards have given the basic outline to the pipe manufacturers. Manufacturers follow the same procedure as describe in the standard in order to manufacture the pipe. Material of construction is also specified in each standard. So if a manufacturer wants to manufacture pipes then he needs to follow each and every instruction described in the standard. AWWA is another standard of pipes.

It is a matter of common observation that most of the people consider pipeline and tubing the same thing. In reality both are different things and both are used for different purposes. There are many things that are common in pipes and tubes but when it comes to the applications and the technical details, both are different from each other to a large extent. Here are some differences in pipes and tubes.

Pipes usually come in a standard length of six feet whereas tubes don’t come in standard length. Length of the tube depends on the need of the process. The other difference is that ends of the pipe can be threaded but ends of a tube cannot be threaded. Further pipes have somehow rough internal surface where as tubes have smooth internal surface. Pipes are usually made from the material in which there is minimum heat loss. Contrary to this, tubes are made from the materials by which heat can be easily transferred. In other words we can say that tubes are used for heat transfer. We can see that tubes are most commonly used in heat exchangers and compressors etc. ends of the pipe can be joined together by welding but ends of tube cannot be joined by welding.

As all of us know that there are various standards of the pipeline. All the standards use the same method to specify the size of the pipe. In the common studies and on international level, internal diameter of the pipe is measured in order to specify it. It is possible that two pipes has same external diameter but different internal diameters. A term commonly used for this purpose is schedule number.

Pipes of same external diameter but different internal diameters are specified by their schedule number. In the chemical industry, there is a specific definition of schedule number. Thousand times the working pressure divided by working stress gives you the value of schedule number. It means that by using the value of working pressure and working stress, you can easily calculate the schedule number of the pipe that is required for the operation. By increasing the schedule number, thickness of the pipe increases by keeping external diameter same. It means that internal diameter of the pipe decreases if we increase the schedule number. Hence by using the schedule number, we can easily select a perfect pipe required for the operation. ASME and other standards use schedule number for the pipe specification.

In a chemical industry, there is a network of pipeline. Hence many times it becomes difficult for engineers to distinguish between various pipes. Hence there is the method to distinguish between pipes coming from various equipments. This method involves the use of color on the pipe. It is the most common practice in most of the industries. This method is called color coding. By seeing the color of the pipe, one can easily understand the purpose of the pipe. Further color of the pipe also explains the product that the pipe carries in the industry.

In the common practice, pipes that are blue in color carry water in them. So by seeing the blue color, one can easily understand that this pipe is coming from water storage. Similarly if the color of the pipe is yellow it means that these pipes carry some poisonous gas so one should be aware of it. In the same way different colors can tell you about the purpose of the pipe on the chemical plant in a chemical industry.  This method is followed in all chemical industries in the world. Hence it has become a standard to use color coding to differentiate between various pipes.

There are number of manufactures of pipeline in the world. In order to meet the demands of the customer and industry, these manufacturers use different construction materials for the manufacturing of pipes. The choice of the material depends on the fluid or gas that will flow through the pipe. All of us know that pipes installed for the sanitation and drainage system are either made up of plastic or cement. Pipes made up of cement are usually preferred over the pipes of plastic because in case of cement pipes there are fewer chances of leakage and breakage.

If the product of a chemical process is corrosive then the pipe made up of aluminum will be used for the transportation. In most of the cases, pipes of a single material cannot be used. In that case, combination of various metals is employed in the manufacture of pipe. Combination of various metals is called alloy. Alloy formation is also done to enhance the properties of the pipe. For example if a vendor wants a pipe that has both stiffness and corrosion resistance then steel and aluminum both are mixed to form alloy and then pipe will be manufactured form this alloy. Pipe thus manufactured will have the properties of both steel and aluminum.

In every house, there is a pipeline network for the transportation of natural gas. This gas is essential for livelihood. It is used for cooking and heating purposes. Natural gas is not only transferred for domestic use but for also industrial use as well. In the industry gas is used for many purposes. For example in chemical industry natural gas is used as a heating media whereas in electrical industry natural gas is used to run turbines to produce electricity so all these operations cannot work without pipe.

No one can deny the importance of pipes. Pipes that are installed in our homes for the transportation of gas are usually made up of steel. Pipes of other materials are also used for this purpose. Now the basic question is that why we use pipes made up of steel. Well the answer to this question is quite simple that steel has long life as compared to other materials. Further its cost is also affordable. Pipes made up from other materials are costly as compared to the pipes made up of steel. Hence it is economical to use pipes made up of steel for the transportation of gas on the industrial scale. Different valves, fittings and elbows are used to support the piping network.

It is a matter of fact there are various accessories that are necessary to put the pipeline in proper operation. Without these accessories, a pipe cannot perform its function or operation successfully. These accessories include elbows, fittings and valves. Wherever we see pipe, we can also see these equipments installed along with pipes. In order to join ends of two different pipes, a fitting is used. Fittings are usually made from corrosion resistant material because there are more chances of leakage at the joint.

Elbows are used where we need to give a turn to pipe. Elbows are available in various specifications. If you want to give turn of ninety degrees then an elbow of ninety degree is used. Similarly if we want to give a turn of forty five degrees then a elbow of forty five degree Is used. Ninety and forty five degree elbows are most commonly available elbows in the market. Further you can also design an elbow according to your specifications. In order to control the direction and amount of flow through pipe, valves are used. Valves can easily control the direction of flow. Further it can also control the amount of flow or flow rate. Hence these accessories are backbone of piping network.

All of us know that water is the need of every human being. No one can survive without water. That is why in order to transfer water from water reservoir to domestic and commercial areas, pipeline is used. A network of pipes is installed for this purpose. The starting end of the pipe is at the water reservoir and the ending end is at the domestic area or commercial area. Pipes that are used for the transportation of water are usually made up of steel. The pipes for the transportation of water are same as the pipes used for the transportation of natural gas.

In the case of drainage and sanitation system, pipes made up of cement are usually used. Pipes that are installed in drainage network are usually very large in diameter. Contrary to this pipes that used for the transportation of water are small in diameter. Special training is required for the installation of pipes. Further if there is any leakage or defect in pipe, it should be maintained immediately otherwise it will be dangerous for you. Leakage is the main problem that is usually caused in most of the piping networks. There are various techniques to avoid leakage.

There are various applications of pipeline in many fields of engineering. In other words we can say that piping network is back bone of engineering industries. If we talk about chemical industry then it is clearly visible that all chemical plants in the world have a network of pipes. This network controls the whole process and is responsible for fluid mechanics. Without pipes, chemical industry cannot work. One can say that any manufacturing process cannot be completed without the piping network. Chemical plants involve the transportation of raw materials and products from one place to other. All this transportation is done with the help of piping network.

Similarly if we talk about water and sanitation engineering then this field completely relies on the applications of pipes. Irrigation system of any country cannot work without pipes. Any liquid or gas that needs to be transferred from one place to other cannot be transferred without pipes. Hence we can say that pipes cover a large area of engineering applications. There is no other alternative of piping network. It means that you cannot take millions of gallons of water from one place to other in buckets. Definitely you need piping system for this purpose.