The orientation issue of the drain pipe
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While inspecting the pipelines at the construction site, it was found that the direction of one of the drain pipes was vertically upward. The pipeline in question is part of the startup system, with one end connected to flushing water and the other end connected to the wastewater flowing toward the startup cooler. In my opinion, this should be a drain pipe, and it should discharge at a lower point; however, since the system has just started operating, it’s not certain yet. I would like to ask those with more experience – is it possible for a drain pipe to have its outlet facing upward?
Pipe drains are used to remove the liquid accumulated inside pipes; they are installed at the lowest point of the pipes and cannot flow upward； The vent should be located at the highest point of the pipeline; it is used to release air from within the pipeline during hydrotesting. The vent valve can also be opened at the lowest point of the pipeline to accelerate the evacuation of air from it.
This issue is quite representative of the disconnect between the design philosophy and practices, on the one hand, and maintenance activities, on the other. The standard design practice is to have the vent facing upward and the drain facing downward. Once I was chatting with a classmate, and he said that he asked the design office to arrange some drains to point upward (I can’t remember the details); those drains that point downward get clogged over time and require wire to be used to clear them.
Thank you to the two people above; it seems that there is some logic to this approach after all. Since this pipe is used for carrying wastewater, sediment will accumulate in it – could this be a way to prevent blockages? But the other pipes that use illegal channels didn’t do this... Those who have encountered similar situations, please come and discuss it :)
There are two functions of having the direction pointing upward: one is for exhaust, and the other is as mentioned on the third floor. However, the installation location of the upward-flow backflow preventer should be at the opposite end of the pipeline; compressed air may be used to clean it when necessary. It makes sense to use an upward orientation when the solid content of the medium being transported is high