Consultation on process piping
Thread Content
Is the diameter change at the interface between the pump outlet pipe and the heat exchanger from small to large, or from large to small?； In other words, when installing the piping systems, regarding the size relationship between the connection ports of the equipment and those of the pipes, does the pipe go from a smaller diameter to a larger one as it enters the equipment, or does it enter with the same diameter?
These are generally things related to determining the PID, right?
The change in diameter is intentional; the size of the pipe diameter is a cost-effective dimension chosen by the process engineers based on the overall pressure drop and flow rate of the pipe. The change in diameter at the pump outlet you mentioned is probably due to the fact that the outlet pipe provided by the pump manufacturer has a different diameter than that calculated based on the engineering requirements, hence a diameter change is necessary. When the pipes connect to the equipment, they should have the same diameter. Sometimes, by the time of design, the diameter of the equipment’s pipe connections has already been determined; however, if calculations show that the pressure drop is too high and it is necessary to increase the pipe diameter, then a diameter change is required. Or, when the process medium enters the equipment, it is necessary to prevent excessive flow rates from causing too much stress on the equipment and leading to an increase in pipe diameter. In short, it is a matter to be considered by the process engineering team.
Except that the pump uses reduced-diameter connectors, it’s better to use standard-diameter connectors for the other equipment, right?
Generally, the interfaces of equipment do not require diameter reduction. In many cases, it is because the interfaces and pipes provided by the manufacturer for the equipment do not match.
Common examples include pumps and compressors (I’ve seen those with two-stage diameter changes).