Steam Pipeline Calculations

Steam pipes must be properly sized to control pressure.

Steam pipelines are used to control the flow of steam in important facilities such as industrial buildings and nuclear power plants. Designers employ calculations to determine the pipeline sizing, wall thickness and materials needed to handle the projected volume of steam for each application.

Pipeline Sizing

Pipeline sizing requires extensive calculations. The objective of a steam delivery system is to deliver steam at the correct pressure to the point of use. Pipe sizing coupled with the volume of steam will determine the pressure. For this reason, designers perform extensive calculations to determine proper sizing.

Pipe Wall Thickness

Engineers choose pipe wall thickness based on pressure ratings determined by industry standard steam pipeline specification documents such as BS1600. Once designers complete the pipe sizing calculations to determine the pressure, they refer to the specifications to choose the wall thickness that corresponds to the required pressure.

Pipe Material

Pipe material is manufactured with carbon steel according to industry standard specifications, such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B 1.9 A106 specification. For high temperature pipes, additional alloys, such as chromium and molybdenum, are added to improve tensile strength and overall performance at high temperatures.

References

• Spirex Sarco: Pipes and Pipe Sizing
• RoyMech: Pipe Sizes BS1600
• E-Pipe: ASTM & ASME Standard Data