FUNDAMENTALS OF PIPING

Piping Components
By / Mostafa Mahmoud
Piping covers very large part of any process plant. If you look at Oil Exploration platform, Refinery and

Petrochemical complex one thing that catches the attention is a complex network of piping. Piping is

used to transport various process materials from one equipment to another. But why? Process Plant is

a place where a series of activities performed in particular ordered to convert raw material into a

useful product and interconnected pipe and pipe components are used to transport raw material,

intermediated product and final product to the desired location. Piping components such Pipe, Elbow,

Tee, Reducer, caps, flanges, gasket, and Valves are the basic building of Oil & Gas industries. We will

explain you fundamental of various piping components that required for piping with the help of dummy

process plant.

Piping covers very large part of any process plant. If you look at Oil Exploration platform, Refinery

and Petrochemical complex one thing that catches the attention is a complex network of piping. To

transport various process materials from one equipment to other, piping is used.

But why you want to transport material by pipe?

Process Plant is a place where a series of activities are performed in sequence to convert raw

material into a useful product. And interconnected piping transport raw material, intermediated

product and final product to the desired equipment.

I will explain you process plant and piping with the help of dummy plant so that you have a strong

concept of piping components and piping system.

Let’s start building our plant; this dummy plant has three tanks.

Two for the storage of raw material, and one for mixing of the final product. Let’s assume Tank-1 and
2 have a raw material that supposed to reach tank-3 to produce the final product.
Plant requirement is to transfer the content of Tank no. 1 & 2 to the tank-3 in a controlled manner, as
we have to maintain the proper ratio of the raw material 1 & 2 in the final product.

In a first step, you need pipes to connect these three tanks so that we can transfer the fluids from
Tank-1 and 2 to Tank-3.

Pipes are just straight pieces; only pipes will not solve our problem we need something more…

We need some bands to connect the pipe coming from different direction. We also need some branch
connection that can connect different size of pipes altogether.

These components are called pipe fittings.

Let’s first define what piping components is

Piping components are Mechanical elements suitable for joining or assembly into pressure-tight fluid-
containing piping systems.

What are these components?

- Pipe, tubing, fittings, flanges, gaskets, bolting, valves, and devices such as expansion joints, flexible
joints, pressure hoses, steam traps, strainers, in-line portions of instruments, and separators.

All These components will serve a different function so that the piping system serves some useful
function.

In short, anything that used within the piping system is pipe component.

Now let’s put all these components in our plant.

In the first step, we will put pipe fittings to connects our pipes Elbows, Bends, Tees, Branches,
Reducers, Expanders, Couplings, Olets are used to connect pipe of different sizes and from a
different direction.
Ok, all our pipes are now connected, but still they are not connected with Tanks. Pipe connection with
a tank or any such equipment are known as terminal connection and also known as spec brake joint.

Let me further explain what spec brake is- Piping and equipment are used different design code, so
one side of the joint, pipe specification is applicable and on other side equipment specification is
applicable. Simply, you can say that this is an interface point between two different discipline namely
piping and equipment.

There are two ways to connect a pipe with equipment.

First – we can directly weld pipe with equipment nozzle that is called weld joint ; the weld joint is the
rigid and permeant type of connection. So ones welded it's finished.

With the help of another pipe component known as a flange, we can make the Second type of
connection that is flanged joint which provides some degree of flexibility over weld joint with added
risk of leakage.

Now our all three tanks are connected to each other.

What is the definition of piping?
When piping, components are joined to perform some specific activities such as convey, distribute,
mix, separate, discharge, meter, control, or stop the fluid flows known as piping.

Our tanks are connected but, do we have any control over the flow of the fluid from these tanks? No.

We need some arrangement to stop or control the flow. To control the flow in a pipeline, we need to
fit a special component in our piping. That special component is called - VALVE

There are many types of valves, categorized based on their construction and functionality, some of
them are Gate, Globe, Check, Butterfly, and plug valve.

Now we have a system, over which we have control. But we need few more components to meets
various functional requirements to get desired product.

One of the requirement is to remove any derbies from the fluid. Filters and strainer are used for
that purpose. Flexibility is also very important for the safe and reliable operation of the piping
system.

Consider our tank three handle hot fluid which may lead to thermal expansion. Remembered a small
gap between rail track that allowed expansion of the track and prevents damage.

We also need similar arrangement here to prevent any damage due to this expansion of tank-3.

But we cannot provide gap, can we? No. we need another piping component known as an expansion joint
to solve thermal expansion issue.

When fluid passes through the pipe, we may also want to know the process parameters such as
pressure, temperature, and flow rate.
To know this information, we need to install INSTRUMENTS in the pipeline. Such as flow meter,
pressure gauges, and temperature gauges. We can use different types of instruments depends on the
requirements. Now we have a complete system.

Did you notice our entire piping system is in the air? Let’s provide some supports to the piping
system. Here are some of the pipe supporting arrangements. There can be numerous variants.

All depend on piping designer’s preference and judgment. Some of the support shown here is trunnion
type, saddle type, spring support, clamp support and hanger type support.

Now our plant is safe, reliable and functional. That’s all about piping but not process piping.
What is process piping? Is it different from piping?
Process piping is different than piping used in our home.

- A fully function Piping system designed in accordance with the requirements stated in ASME Code -
B31.3 is Process Piping.

This code is part of B31 series, which covers various for piping code such as Power Piping, Fuel Gas
Piping, Process Piping, Pipeline Transportation Systems for Liquid Hydrocarbons and Other Liquids,
Refrigeration Piping & Heat Transfer Components and Building Services Piping.

These codes are developed by American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

What is a pipe?
• Pipe is a straight pressure tight cylindrical hollow, used in piping system

• Different types of pipes are used in different design conditions, considering technical and
commercial parameters Pipes are mainly classified into two categories seamless and welded.

Manufacturing method of Pipe

Seamless pipe:

• Seamless pipe is Strongest amongst all pipes type as it has a Homogenous structure throughout pipe
length.

• Seamless pipes are manufactured in a verity of size. However, there is a Restriction on the
manufacturing of large diameter pipe. Seamless pipes are widely used in the manufacturing of pipe
fittings such as bends, elbows, and tees.

• Seamless pipes are manufactured by any of the following methods;

• Mandrel Mill Process – In this method steel billet is heated to high temperature in the
rotary furnish. A cylindrical hollow which is also known as mother hollow is produced with the
help of a rotary piercer and set of roller arrangement that keeps the piercer at the center of
the billet. Outside diameter of piercer is approximately that of the inside diameter of
finished pipe. With the help, secondary roller arrangement outside diameter and thickness are
achieved.

• Mannesmann Plug Mill Process – Mannesmann was German engineer who has invented this
method. The only difference between Plug mill process and Mandrel mill process is that in
mandrel method inside diameter is achieved in single pass whereas in Mannesmann multi-stage
reduction is possible.
 • Forged Seamless Pipe - In a Forging process, a heated billet is placed in forging die that has
a diameter slightly larger than finished pipe. A hydraulic press of forging hammer with
matching inside diameter is used to create cylindrical forging. Once this forging is done pipe is
machined to achieve final dimension. Forging is used to manufactured large diameter seamless
pipe that cannot be manufactured using traditional methods. Forged pipes are normally used
for steam header

• Extrusion Processes - In an extrusion method a heated billet is placed inside the die. A
hydraulic ram pushes the billet against the piercing mandrel, material flows from the
cylindrical cavity between die and mandrel. This action produces the pipe from the billet.
Sometimes pipe manufactured produce pipe with a high thickness which is known as mother
hollow. Many secondary pipes manufactured used this mother hollow to produce pipe with
different dimensions.

Welded Pipe
Welded Pipes are manufactured from Plate or continues Coil or strips. To manufactured welded pipe,
first plate or coil is rolled in the circular section with the help of plate bending machine or by a roller
in the case of continues process. Once the circular section is rolled from the plate, the pipe can be
welded with or without filler material. Welded pipe can be manufactured in large size without any
upper restriction. Welded pipe with filler material can be used in the manufacturing of long radius
bends and elbow. Welded pipes are cheaper with compared to the seamless pipe and also Weak due to
the weld joint.

There are different welding methods used to weld the pipe.

• ERW- Electric Resistance Welding

• EFW- Electric Fusion Welding

• HFW- High-frequency welding

• SAW- Submerged Arc Welding (Long seam & Spiral Seam)

• In the ERW / EFW / HFW pipe process, first plate is formed in a cylindrical shape and the
longitudinal edges of the cylinder formed are welded by flash-welding, lowfrequency resistance-
welding, high-frequency induction welding, or high-frequency resistance welding.

• In arc welding process, external filler metal (wire electrodes) are used to join the formed plates.
SAW pipes can have a single longitudinal seam of double longitudinal seam depend on the size of the
pipe. SAW pipe are also available in the spiral seam, which is continually rolled from the single plate
coil. The production rate of spiral SAW pipe is very high as compared to Straight SAW pipe.
However, Spiral SAW pipe are only used in low-pressure services such as water, non-critical process
services etc.
Size & Dimension
Pipe Dimensions are covered in following Standard

ASME B36.10 – Welded and Seamless Wrought Steel Pipe (Carbon & Alloy Steel)

ASME B36.19 – Stainless Steel Pipe

Three different terms are commonly used to define the size of the pipe.

Nominal pipe size (NPS), Diameter nominal (DN) and NB (Nominal Bore).

ASME code & standard refer pipe size in NPS, so knowing about NPS is more important.

NPS – Nominal Pipe Size

All American standard used NPS designation to define pipe size. NPS is a modern derivation of
earlier IPS – Iron Pipe Size. NPS is not an OD or ID of the pipe it is in-between the outer and the
inner diameter of the pipe but not exactly in the middle of it.

For example, NPS 2 size pipe outside diameter is 60 mm or 2.375 inches.

NPS 12 and the smaller pipe has outside diameter greater than the designated size and for NPS 14
and above size pipe outside diameter is the same as the designated size in inches. That means OD of
16” pipe is 16”.

N.B.: Nominal Bore

This is the European equivalent of NPS. In this standard pipe sizes are mentioned in millimeter.

DN – Diameter nominal also called NB- Nominal Bore.

This is the German equivalent of NPS. In this standard also, pipe sizes are mentioned in millimeter

Please note that pipe and tube are not same as far as dimensions are concerned.

Tubes OD and wall thickness are mentioned in fixed no.

For example 1” tube with 5 mm wall thickness, tube OD will be exactly 1” and thickness will be 5 mm
with acceptable manufacturing tolerance. Whereas in the case of pipe, OD and thickness are
mentioned in NPS and schedule no. For 1” Sch 40 pipe OD=1.315” and thickness is 3.38mm.
Small Bore Vs Large / Big Bore Pipe
This picture shows NPS, OD, and ID. Pipe OD is fixed for all schedule no.

Hence, ID will change with the change in Pipe Schedule number. Time being considers that with a
change in thickness of the pipe, ID of pipe will change.

As explained earlier for 14” and above, NPS is same as the outer diameter of the pipe.

Small Bore and Large Bore Pipe In the project, you will come across the terms such as small Bore &
large bore. Do you know what is Small Bore and Large Bore Pipe?

In general, Pipes having size range ½” – 1 ½ ” is termed as small bore. Pipes having size range 2” &
above are termed as big bore. This may slight changed from company to company.

Some company refers up to 2 1/2” small bore and above that large bore.

Pipe length is mentioned in either meter or feet. During production, pipe is not manufactured in same
lengths, and during construction of process plant, you required various lengths of pipe. To address
this issue pipe standard has defined pipe lengths, in single random and double random categories.

− Single random pipe comes in

• 4.8 m to 6.7 m in lengths with 5% of lengths in between 3.7 to 4.8 m

−Double random pipe has a

• Minimum average of 10.7 m and a minimum length of 4.8 m with 5 % of lengths in between 4.8
m to 10.7 m, Maximum size is by default restricted due to transport constraint. You cannot
transport very long pipe through trucks.

− However, you can order Fixed length pipe, but it will cost you more Based on your construction
requirements you can choose the pipe lengths.

• Pipe Thickness is expressed in Schedule number. Common schedule nos. are 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80,
100, 120, 140, and 160. If you want thicker pipe than Schedule 160, you have to mention in your
purchase specification.

• Pipe Thickness is also expressed as STD, extra strong-XS, double extra strong-XXS.

If you refer ASME B16.10 which gives a standard dimension for carbon steel pipe, you will find the
matching schedule no. for this. • Higher the schedule no. higher the thickness of the pipe and lower
the ID.
What is Schedule?
• A schedule number is an approximate value of the equation = 1000 P/S where,

− P is the service pressure in pound per square inches

− S is the allowable stress in pound per square inches

The thickness of stainless steel pipe is also expressed in Schedule number.

However, there are only four schedule nos. are mentioned in ASME B36.19 that is 5S, 10S, 40S and
80S.

• Schedule no with S suffix is used for SS pipe as per ASME B36.19,

• So, please remember schedule no. 10 and 10S are not same and have a different thickness & material.

As said earlier, the outside diameter of each pipe size is standardized. Therefore, inside diameter
depends on the schedule number of pipe.

• ASME B36.10 provides standard dimension requirements for Welded & Seamless wrought iron pipes.
And dimensions of stainless steel pipe are covered in ASME B36.19.

• Please note that carbon steel schedules equal stainless schedules for following

− Up to NPS 12, all Sch 10 and Sch 10S wall thicknesses are the same.

− Up to NPS 10, all Sch 40, Std Wt and Sch 40S wall thicknesses are the same.

− Up to NPS 8, all Sch 80, XS and Sch 80S wall thicknesses are the same.

Pipe Ends

Pipe comes in following 4 end types

1. Plain End – This kind of end used when socket type weld fittings are used.

2. Beveled End – This kind of end used when butt type weld fittings are used.

3. Threaded End – This kind of end used with threaded connections in piping system

4. Socket & Spigot – This type of end generally used in Ductile iron pipeline and non-metallic piping
pipeline such as PVC, GRE/GRP.
Pipe fittings.
Earlier we have seen that Fittings are piping component which helps in Changes the direction of the
flow such as elbows and tee. Changes the size of the pipe such as reducers and reducing tees. Join
the components such as couplings & unions and Isolates flows such as Cap.

Three types of Fittings are available.

• Wrought fittings which are mostly beveled end

• Forged Fittings with Socket & Threaded end

• Cast Fittings are not used in Process Piping but used in domestic piping.

Wrought Fittings Size & Thickness are always in line with connecting pipe dimension.

• Fittings are sized with respect to pipe size. In Nominal pipe size (NPS) & also as a Diameter
nominal (DN) or in NB

• Thicknesses are marked in schedule no. which is same as pipe schedule no.

Fittings are generally having a higher thickness than pipes to avoid any
rejection due to thickness reduction during manufacturing. But this will
lead to a mismatch of ID.

To avoid mismatch of fittings ID to pipe ID, manufacturer bevel the

inside edge of fittings. You can see the reducer with beveled inside edge.

Forged Fittings are classified based on its pressure-temperature class

• Socket weld & Threaded end fittings are available from NPS 1/8” to 4”

• Forged Fittings are available in 4 pressure-temperature rating class.

− 2000 class fittings are available in only in threaded type

− 3000 & 6000 class fittings are available in both Threaded and Socket Weld types

− 9000 class fittings are available in only socket weld type

Elbow
Elbow is used more than any other pipe fittings. It Provides
flexibility to change the pipe direction. Elbow mainly
available in two standard types 90° and 45°.

However, you can manufacture elbow in any other degree or

you can cut the standard elbow to any degree as required
during the construction.

Elbows are available in two radius types, Short radius (1D) and Long radius (1.5D).

• A Long Radius elbow has the radius equivalent to 1.5 times the Diameter of
the pipe, and a Short Radius elbow has the radius equivalent to the Diameter
of the pipe.

• Long Radius A=1.5D

• Short Radius A=1D

Now tell me which type of elbow you will use if you want to transport fluids to
long distances with minimum pressure loss? And in the piping that have
frequent directional changes?

Well in both the case long radius elbow is used as pressure loss is much less in
long radius elbow than short radius elbow.

Short radius elbow is used where space constrain and pressure loss is not a
problem. When you use short radius elbow in piping you may require to
installation larger pump or compressor to compensate pressure loss.

Reducing Elbow
The 90 reducing elbow is designed to change the direction as well as reduce the size of pipeline.

The reducing elbow eliminates one fitting and reduces the welding by more than one-third. Can you
tell me which fitting it elements? Yes, reducer and that is why it reduces 2 cirseam weld joint and
reduce the welding by 1/3. Also, the gradual reduction in diameter throughout the arc of the
reducing elbow provides lower resistance to flow and reduces the effect of stream turbulence and
potential internal erosion. These features prevent sizeable pressure drops in the line.
Miter bend
Miter bends are not standard fittings they are fabricated from pipes. High skill pipe fitter is
required to fabricate this type of bends.

Usually they are preferred for size 10” & above because large size elbow is expensive. Use of miter
bend is restricted to the water line. Miter bend can be fabricated in 2, 3, & 5 pieces. Generally, fire
water, cooling water line in old refinery & petrochemical plant you can see the use miter bend.
Nowadays the use of miter bend is limited.

Returns/ bends
Returning elbows or pipe bends are used to make 180º direction change.

These bends are also available in short & long pattern similar to the short radius and long radius
elbow. Bends are mainly used in heating coil and heat exchanger.

Tee
There are two types of Tee used in piping

First is Equal or Straight Tee

– In this type of tee Diameter of Branch is same as

the Diameter of the Run Pipe.

But what is run pipe? → Run pipe is the main line in

which tee is installed.

The second type of tee is Reducing Tee

– In this type Diameter of the Branch size is smaller

than the Diameter of the Run Pipe.
Cross
Cross is also known as four-way fitting. A cross has one inlet and
three outlets or otherwise. Generally, crosses are not used in
process piping to transport fluid. But forged crosses are sometimes
used in fire water sprinkler line.

Reducer
Reducer are used to change the size of the run pipe. There are two types of reducer used in piping
Concentric & Eccentric.

• In-Concentric reducer, the center of the both the ends is on the same axis. It maintains the center
line elevation of pipe line.

• Concentric reducer is used in pump or compressor discharge line.

• Whereas in the Eccentric reducer, the center of the both the ends is on different axis as shown in
the image.

This offset is half of the difference between the size of the reducer ends.

Eccentric reducer maintains BOP elevation of the pipe line. BOP is bottom of pipe. Eccentric reducer
is used in pump or compressor suction line to prevent accumulation of air pocket.

Pipe caps
Pipe caps are used at the dead end of the piping system. By
welding a pipe cap, you can eliminate any chance of leakage
during operation. It is cheaper and safer as compare to
flange joint if there is no immediate need for future
connection.

However, dad ends are susceptible to corrosion, so you have to check the thickness at regular
interval.
Stub ends
Stub ends are used with lap joint flange. In this type of flange, the stub is
butt welded to the pipe, whereas flange is freely moved over the stub end.
It is basically flange part but covered under ASME B16.9 that is why it is
considered as pipe fittings.

Union
The Union is the type of pipe coupling used to connect small bore pipes. It
can be socket end or threaded end. The Union is popular in domestic piping.

Half Coupling & Full Coupling

Half Coupling & Full Coupling are used to connect small bore piping.

• Half Coupling used for branching or vessel connections. It can be threaded or socket type.

• Full Coupling used for connecting pipes or items with either threaded or socket ends.

Swage
The swage is like a reducer but small in size. It used to connect butt
welded pipes to smaller screwed or socket welded pipes.
Fundamentals of the flange.
• Flange connection is second most used joining method after welding

• Flange connects the pipe with various equipment

• It Provides flexibility for maintenance

• However, the flange is also a most common source of leak and fire in a process plant.

• There are Variety of flanges available to suit requirements

• It is not advisable to used flange connection in underground piping when it supposed to be buried.

Based on types of connection, flanges can be classified as

• Threaded Flange • Socket-Welded Flange

• Slip-On Flange • Lapped Flange

• Weld Neck Flange and • Blind Flange

Based on Flange facing Types, it can be further classified as

• Flat Faced (FF) • Raised Face (RF)

• Lap Joint • Male and Female types

• Tongue and groove (T&G) • And Ring Joint type (RTJ)

As the name suggests, flat face flange has a flat face. Keep in mind that full face gasket is used

when flat face flange is used.

• In the case of raised face, you can see in the second flange that small portion around the bore is

raised from the face. The gasket seat on this raised face. The height of the raised face depends on

the flange pressure temperature rating that is known as a class of the flange.

For 150# & 300# class flanges, height of the raised face is 2 mm. and above 300# it is 7 mm.

You can order the flange with different raised face height also. The inside bolt circle type of gasket

is used with raised face flange.

• Lap face is similar to raised face flange.

• Ring joint type face flange has a specially designed groove in which metal gasket seat. This type of

flange is used in high pressure and temperature services.

• Male-female & tongue and groove flanges are always used in the set. One side flange has extended

portion which fit on opposite side flange which has a matching groove. These types of flanges are not

used in piping but used in the heat exchanger.

• Flat Faced (FF), Raised Face (RF), and Ring Joint (RTJ) type flanges are most widely used than any

other types.

You can see these three types in image.

Keep in mind that flange face decides the type of gasket that you can use.
• Flange face can be smooth or serrated type.

What smooth or serrated is?

• The flange face has small grooves as you can see in the image. This machining is known as a
serration.

Which type of face to use? Is depends on the type of the gasket and service of the fluid.

• Smooth finish is used with metallic gasket whereas serrated finish is used with non-metallic gasket.

Soft material of gaskets is set in this serration and prevent liquid or gas from passing from flange
joint.

• Serration can be spiral or concentric rings as you can see.

Concentric rings type finishing is used when fluid is of very low density. If you use spiral type finish
with very low density fluid, it may find leakage path through the spiral cavity.

• Serration of flange face is specified in RMS (Root Mean Square) or AARH (Arithmetic Average
Rough Height), the most common value of serrated face is 120-250 AARH.

• Comparator gauge is used to check serration of the flange.

Flange Classification – Service rating
• Flanges are classified as per their pressure-temperature ratings which are designated as 150#,
300#, 400#, 600#, 900#, 1500# and 2500#.

Large diameter flanges that are 24” to 60” are available up to 900# class.

Pressure-temperature ratings is maximum allowable working gage pressure which is in bar & the
temperatures in degrees Celsius.

• Higher the rating, heavier the flange and can withstand higher pressure and temperature.

• When the temperature goes up, the ability to withstand the pressure goes down, and vice versa.

Please note that different material has different ability to withstand against pressure and
temperature ratings.

In simple word, the same class of alloy steel flange can withstand more pressure than carbon steel
flange at the same temperature.

Threaded Flanges
Threaded Flanges fits on pipe with matching male thread

• This type of joint connection is Speedy and simple

• Threaded Flange mostly used in utility services such as air and water

• It is not suitable for high presser and temperature applications

• It also available in limited Size of NPS 4” and below

• Threaded Flanges can be FF or RF

• It is a Low-cost flange.
Socket-Weld Flange
Socket-Weld Flange has a female socket in which pipe is fitted.

• Fillet welding is done from outside on the pipe

• Generally, it is used in small size piping and only suitable for low pressure and temperature
application.

• Socket-Welded Flanges can be FF or RF. The cost of flange and fabrication is moderate.

Slip-On Flange
Slip-On Flange has a hole from which pipe can pass

• Flange is placed on pipe and fillet welded from both inside and outside

• This type of flange available in large size also

• Slip-On Flange is suitable for low pressure and temperature application

• It can be FF or RF. The cost of flange and fabrication is moderate.

Weld Neck Flange
• Weld Neck Flange are most widely used flanged in process piping

• It provides highest level of joint integrity due to Butt-welded with pipe

• Weld Neck Flange is used in high pressure and temperature application

• However, High skill is required for fabrication and also required more space to accommodate in the
piping system due to the long hub.

• Weld neck flange is Bulky & costly with respect to other types

• Weld Neck Flange is available in all sizes & it can be FF, RF or RTJ type

• Weld neck Flange has three components → Flange body, Neck or hub and Raised face.

− Flange body is heaviest and main structural part of the weld neck flange; it has holes for the studs.
Numbers of bolt holes depend on the size and ratings of the flange. They are in multiple of four.

− Neck is welded to the pipe. So, the dimensions of the neck are always in line with connecting pipe
dimensions.

− Raised face is a small extension of the flange face as shown in the image. Height and surface finish
of the raised face is extremely important for the proper fitting of the gasket.

As said earlier, for Class 150 & 300 height of the raised face is 2mm for rest all class it is 7mm.

However, you can order the flange with different raised face height, but you have to specify this in
your purchase order.
Lap Flange
• Lap Flange is having two components, a stub end, and a loose backing flange

• Stub end is butt welded to the pipe and Backing flange freely move over the pipe

• The backing flange can be of different material than stub material and normally of the carbon steel
to save the cost.

• This flange provides better joining due to butt-weld as compared to socket and threaded type
flanges

• Not suitable for small size, Costly components, and fabrication as compared to threaded, slip-on and
socket flange.

• Lap flange provides connection flexibility as you can freely rotate the flange on the pipe.

It is used where frequent dismantling is required, and space is constrained.

Blind flange
• Blind flange is a blank disc with bolt hole

• It used with other type of flange to isolate the system or to terminate the piping as an end.

• Blind flanges are also used as manway covers in equipment.

• Blind flange can be FF or RF You can see the blind Flange assembled on pipe
Olets: which is self-reinforced branch connection.

• There are two ways for branching from the run pipe.

− 1st is a pipe to pipe branching.

Either with reinforcement pad or with the help of standard tee.

When we make opening in the pipe for the pipe to pipe branching without using TEE, it will weaken the
pipe. To avoid this, additional reinforcement pad is welded to the pipe, this type of branch connection
is fabricated at the site.

• In the second method, instead of additional reinforcement pad, you used a heavier specially designed
branch that works as a Self-reinforced branch. This especially design branch connection is known as
“Olets”

A Company called Boney forged, has pioneered this concept and olet is their registered trademark.
• Self-reinforced branches are designed as per Process Piping Code ASME B31.3

• Other standard available is MSS SP-97 that is Manufacturers Standardization Society

• Most commonly used olets are;

− Weldolet, Sockolet, Thredolet, Elbolet and Nipolet,

− Special Olets such as Latrolet, Flexolet and Coupolet are also used sometimes.

Weldolet

• Weldolet is 90° branch connection • It Comes in full size or reducing size (Full size is when you take
branch of the same size as run pipe size for example 3 inch to 3 inch. And reducing size is when
branch size is less than run pipe size 3 inch to 1 inch)

• Weldolet’s end is suited for the butt welding connection.

Sockolet

Sockolet is same as weldolet but with socket end.

• It is 90° branch connection • Comes in full size or reducing size

• End connection is suited for socket welding

Thredolet

• Thredolet is 90° branch connection comes with threaded end connection

• It also Comes in full size or reducing size

• End connection is suited for threaded joint

Elbolet

• Elbolet is a special type of olets which fits on elbow surface. It is 90° branch connection and comes
in different types of ends that suit for butt welding, socket welding and threaded joint.

Nipolet

• Nipolet is weldolet with extended pipe body.

• It is 90° branch connection and comes in different types of ends that suit for butt welding, socket
welding or threaded joint
• There are some special olets also used in piping such as:

• Latrolet that is used for taking branch which is not at 90 degrees to run pipe. Latrolet comes in a
45°or any other special degree as required by purchaser. End connections of a Latrolet can be butt
welded, socket welded or threaded.

• Coupolet is Olets with female NPT thread that uses for low-pressure connection.
Gasket
What is Gasket?

A gasket is a material or combination of materials designed to clamp between the mating faces of a
flange joint.

The primary function of gaskets is to seal the irregularities of each face of the flange, preventing
leakage of the service fluid from inside the flange to the outside.

The gasket must be capable of maintaining a seal during the operating life of the flange, provide
resistance to the fluid being sealed, and meet the temperatures and pressure requirements.

Why Gaskets are used?

A leak from the flange joint can be disastrous.

A flange leak results in loss of product and energy.

No plant operator wants to leak of toxic or hazardous material that can harm human and environment.

The gasket can help in achieving reliable sealing to prevent the leak from the flange joints.

Selection of Gasket Proper selection of gasket depends upon factors such as

1. Compatibility of the gasket material with the fluid.

2. Ability to withstand the pressure-temperature of the system.

3. Service life of the gasket.

It is important to understand the requirements of particular applications before gasket selection.

Gaskets must maintain a seal for an acceptable period against all the operational forces.
Gaskets Properties:

To achieve this, there are eight important properties which any gasket must possess:

1. Impermeability. The gasket should not be porous to the fluid being sealed.

2. Compressibility. The gasket should compress into the imperfections on the flange sealing faces to
create the initial seal.

3. Stress relaxation or creep resistance. The gasket should not show significant flow (creep) under
the influence of load and temperature. Such flow will allow the bolts to relax, reduce gasket surface
stress and cause leakage.

4. Resilience, although normally stable, flanges do move slightly relative to each other when
subjected cycling temperature and pressure. The gasket should be capable of compensating for such
movements.

5. Chemical resistance. The gasket should withstand chemical attack from the process medium being
handled. Likewise, the gasket material itself must not contaminate the process medium.

6. Temperature resistance. The gasket should be able to withstand the effects of the maximum and
minimum temperatures within the process and the external atmospheric temperatures.

7. Anti-stick The gasket has to be easily removable after use. It should not stick to flange face.

8. Anti-corrosion The gasket must not cause corrosion of the flange faces.

These are the properties that you have to consider before selecting gasket.

Types of Gasket Used in Process Piping

There are three types of gasket used in process piping.

• Non-Metallic

• Metallic

• Composite

You can see the table in which I have listed most commonly used gasket against each type.
Non-Metallic Gasket.

• Let’s start with Non-Metal − Most common materials used for this type of gaskets are Rubber, Teflon
and Compressed Non-Asbestos Fiber (CNAF)

− These gaskets are also known as a Soft gasket. It can be

full face or inside bolt circle type.

− Non-Metallic gaskets can easily compress with low

tension bolting

− These type of gaskets are Used with low-pressure class

flanged such as 150 or 300 Class and also in low-
temperature services

− They are not used in hydrocarbon services

− Non-Metallic gaskets are Cheapest and easily available.

The image shows CNAF & PTFE gaskets.

You can see in the top image, which shows full-face gasket
and the bottom image is inside bolt circle gasket.

Full face gasket can only be used with FF flange and

normally used for temporary connection of utility lines.

Metal Gasket.
− Metal gaskets are also known as ring gasket or RTJ gaskets. Metal gaskets are manufactured from
material such as Soft iron, Low Carbon steel, Stainless Steel, Monel and Inconel.

− Metallic gaskets are used in high-pressure class flanges, normally above 900 Class, they can also be
used for high-temperature services.

− High tension bolting is required when we used metallic gaskets.

− They are Very robust & Most costly There are two types of the metallic gasket that frequently
used with RTJ flange.

Octagonal and Oval.

Composite gaskets
− Composite gaskets are Combination of metal and non-metal material.

Different types of combination of materials are possible based on service requirement.

− Spiral wound, Metal Jacketed, and Kam-profile gasket are well known in composite gasket category.

− They can be used in wide range of pressure and temperature services

− Composite gaskets are Cost effective with compare to metal gaskets, but Careful handling is required.

− The most widely used Composite type gasket is a Spiral wound Gasket. It is suitable for wide range
of pressure and temperature class.

− Normally Graphite or PTFE used as filler material & Stainless steel or other exotic material is used
as winding material.

Wound Gasket

Spiral wound gasket

What is spiral wound gasket? Why did we call it spiral gasket?

Spiral wound gaskets are fabricated from thin metal strip sandwiched between layers of non-metallic
filler. SWG has alternative spiral layers of thin metal sheet and filler material as shown in the image.
Here in the cross section, the blue layers are of metal, and the black layers are of filler material. As
these layers are wounded in continues spiral forms, these types of gaskets are known as spiral wound
gasket.

These gaskets are extremely popular due to the wide variety of available styles and sizes.

SWG can be fabricated of any metal which is available in thin strip and which can be welded; therefore,
they can be used against virtually any corrosive medium.

They can be used over the complete temperature range from cryogenic to approximately 1093ºC.

This type of gasket can be used in all pressures from vacuum to the standard 2500 pressure class
flange. Relatively low-density Spiral wound gaskets are used in vacuum service whereas extremely high-
density Spiral wound gaskets are used in high-pressure service. The density of gasket is nothing but
numbers of layers of filler and metal strip in the given width of the gasket.
Components of Spiral Wound Gasket There are three components in spiral wound gasket.

 Outer Ring
 Winding Material (Filler & Metal Strip)
 Inner Ring

You can see in the image spiral wound gasket. As said, winding is an alternative layer of filler material
and winding material. Winding can be a V-type or W-type. These V or W shape, under pressure it
presses against the flanges face and compresses the filling material to provide leak-proof joining.

The filler material can be graphite, PTFE, ceramic or other material depends on the service of the
fluid. Spot welding normally secures the inner and outer ends of the strip that wraps the filler material;
the gasket is contained loosely in an outer backing ring.

For applications involving raised face flanges, the spiral wound gasket is supplied with an outer ring
made from Carbon steel, Stainless steel or other materials such as Monel or Nickel. The outer ring
provides the centering capability of the gasket as well as the blow-out resistance of the windings and
acts as a compression stop.
Many spiral wound gaskets for critical applications include an inner guide ring also, which gives the
gasket a greater resistance to thermal shock and in the case of vacuum service prevent the filler
material being sucked in. Inner rings should be used with spiral wound gaskets on male-and-female
flanges, such as those found in heat-exchanger shell, channel, and cover-flange joints.

Spiral wound gaskets are also used in tongue-and-groove flanges. When used in this type of flanges
there will be no inner and outer metal rings as gasket are fit inside the groove.

Metal Jacketed Gasket

In Metal Jacketed Gasket Soft filler material is enclosed in a thin sheet of metal jacket. There are
different ways to cover filler material as shown in the image. Metal jacketed gaskets are commonly
used in heat exchangers & valve body bonnet joint.

Kamm/ Cam profile Gasket

Kamm/ Cam profile Gasket has solid Metal-core with concentric grooves.

Filler material, either graphite or PTFE is layered on this grooved metal ring.

It is Costlier than Spiral wound gasket but provides better blowout resistance and they are easy to
handle even in large diameters.

What is a blowout? Sometimes due to high pressure and temperature winding of spiral wound gasket
disintegrate, if the winding quality is poor. That is called blowout of the gasket.
Bolting material used in piping.

• Bolting is a term that includes stud, bolts, nuts, and washers. It is also known as fastener

• Bolting is used to tighten the flanged joints connection.

Tightening of the flange ensures the leak-proof connection between gasket & flanges.

• Proper selection and tightening of bolts are very important to avoid loose flanged connection, which
may result in

− Leak and spill of process material − Fire

− Loss of product − Contamination

− Lager leak may result in Environmental hazard and Plant shutdown.

Stud
Stud has a thread on full lengths or at both ends.

As shown in images, It is having three components if washers are not used

(2 nuts and stud). If you used the washer, it would become 5.

• Sometimes additional nuts are used for hydraulic tensioning with larger
size stud.

Bolts
Bolts have a thread at one end and hexagonal head on another end

• In process, piping bolt are Used with lower strength flange

• Normally washers are used with bolt to prevent excessive load to flange.
Nuts
Normally Hexagonal Heavy-series nuts used with stud

• The nonbearing face of a nut is chamfered, while load bearing face is finished with a washer face or
may be chamfered.

Washer
• The washer is a thin plate with a hole at center.

Washers distribute the load on flange face; this prevents damage to the flange.

Non-metallic flange required washers due to this reason.

− Different types of washers are used such as Flat, Splits, and Conical Springs.

Flat and split washers are shown in the image.

Conical washers are special washers.

Also known as Belleville springs washers. It Keeps bolted

joints tight in an area where vibration, differential thermal
expansion, and bolt creep present.

These conditions can change the load on stud which may

result in a loose connection.

Conical washers provide a spring effect and prevent loosening

of stud.

This washer provides High spring loads with small

deflections.