Lubrizol Corzan Understand CPVC Piping Special Report
Lubrizol Corzan Understand CPVC Piping Special Report
Lubrizol Corzan Understand CPVC Piping Special Report
The chemical processing industry has a unique automation systems where data is generated, all the
set of requirements that makes shopping for Enter-
prise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and business Understand
way to decision support and executive information
systems at the highest level in the organization.
CPVC
systems in general, a challenging experience. Al- Advanced business systems can integrate directly
though the more advanced business systems continue with a variety of plant-floor equipment, in order to
to add features applicable to functions throughout maximize the timeliness and accuracy of data. This
the enterprise, including operations management, includes connectivity with programmable control-
supply chain, finance, and so on, only a few ven- lers (PC), manufacturing execution systems (MES),
dors offer systems that meet the particular needs human-machine interface (HMI) equipment, and
Piping
of chemical processors. The chemical processing even a direct interface with individual produc-
industry faces numerous challenges that drive these tion, material handling or safety equipment. Broad
unique requirements, such as availability of supply, categories of data that may be filtered or consolidated
ever-changing commodity prices, intensifying global for use in business systems are as follows:
competition, and the growing influence of numerous • Product (e.g., production volumes, product
regulatory bodies. quality)
Process industries such as chemical manufacturing • Process (e.g., schedule/routing compliance,
and distribution are highly integrated, from the plant statistical process control)
floor to the executive suite, across the many functions • Health, Safety and Environment (e.g., incidents,
and business units of a given enterprise, and all along events)
the supply chain. These companies typically have • Asset (e.g., asset availability, performance,
large capital investments in physical assets and plant reliability)
automation, for the continuous manufacturing of fin- Fully integrated business systems should provide
ished products. This is in contrast to other industries easy, real-time reporting capability for supervisors
that may be less integrated and more labor-intensive. and managers. For example, reports should provide
Chemical processors and shippers also require so- planned versus actual data for any relevant categories
phisticated tools for monitoring and managing risk, above, including dashboards to facilitate management
especially in light of growing regulatory pressure.
Sponsored by
These and other distinctive characteristics of chemical
by exception for each role (e.g., planner, quality con-
trol supervisor, production manager). At the highest
Start u
processors are discussed in more detail below. level, senior management requires reporting and busi-
ness intelligence on profitability by product category,
VERTICAL INTEGRATION business unit, etc., as well as variance reporting on
Most chemical processing plants use technology at productivity. But ultimately, given the huge invest-
every level in the organization. More sophisticated ment chemical processors make in physical assets,
business systems are able to interface with plant top management must be able to set targets and track
By David Berger, Contributing Editor
Table of Contents
Put CPVC Piping in Its Place 4
Understand where it fits in terms of cost and performance
Ad Index
Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc. 3
www.corzan.com
Savvy specifiers know it’s not just the At the other extreme are high performance metals
purchase price that matters when choosing a prod- such as nickel, titanium and zirconium and alloys.
uct that’s designed for long-term performance. Combination systems such as steel lined with rub-
When evaluating a piping system this certainly is ber, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or glass fall in
the case. The key is to identify the best value forthe middle.
today, as well as tomorrow and beyond. And that Metals. Historically metals have dominated
the industrial piping market, largely because
typically requires a lifecycle cost analysis tailored
they’ve been used longer than any other material
to your specific plant, to reflect its fluid tempera-
tures, line pressures, chemical environments, etc. in such applications. In general metal offers higher
pressure-bearing capabilities than alternative
For such an analysis for piping materials, start
materials. Additionally, metal systems’ pressure-
by calculating the cost to install the system. Don’t
focus only on the direct material costs — labor bearing capabilities aren’t significantly reduced
and related installation expenses can account for by increases in temperature. And metal’s rigidity
more than one-half of the total investment made allows hangers to be spaced farther apart to save
in a piping system. on installation costs.
Then consider the cost to maintain the system However, metal poses numerous disadvantages
and how maintenance requirements affect pro- — the most serious of which is vulnerability to
ductivity, downtime and lost opportunity. Also internal and external corrosion. Certain substanc-
evaluate expected service life — how long the sys- es may cause metal to corrode from within, while
tem should last before a total repipe will become elements such as salt in the air or low pH levels
financially or operationally necessary — and its in the ground (for underground applications) can
impact on profitability. prompt external corrosion. Even high-end pricey
Here’s how chlorinated polyvinyl chloride metals such as titanium, which generally resist
(CPVC) piping typically stacks up. corrosion, are susceptible to degradation in certain
environments.
Many choices Metal also is subject to flow-restricting scale
Depending on the demands and environment of the buildup, which increases pressure drop and can
operation, you could consider dozens of materials contaminate the process. In addition, compared to
for a plant’s piping system. On the low end of the plastic piping systems, metal is heavier and more
cost spectrum are PVC, CPVC and carbon steel. expensive to install, both in material and labor
Ineos hired Organic Technologies (OT) of material cost comparisons, sometimes even showing
Coshocton, Ohio, to toll manufacture synthetic lubrica- stainless steel cheaper than fiberglass. However, they
tion oil. I think part of the reason why Ineos’ engineers don’t consider construction and lifetime costs.
visited during commissioning was to see how the toller Part of this lifetime savings comes from reduced
undercut the competition by a quarter. As a consultant friction losses — and, thus, lower pumping costs. For
hired by OT to help with the campaign, I was curious new pipe, fiberglass can cut energy costs 25% versus
myself. steel. When replacing old steel pipe, the savings could
OT’s secret, or at least one of its secrets, was tubing: reach up to 200%. This might allow a designer to use a
the company used 1-in.-dia. tubing for the process pipe. smaller line size for fiberglass compared to steel, thereby
Strong, easy to assemble, and ideal for small processes, making construction easier or reducing construction
i.e., ones below 25 gpm, the tubing significantly costs further. However, under no circumstances use
speeded up construction; it only took days instead fiberglass pipe less than 1½ in. in diameter because it’s
of weeks. No welding was required, which meant no difficult to prevent glue globs from restricting flow at
qualification tests for welders. OT didn’t even need small fittings.
isometrics because the whole thing would be torn down Limit ordinary fiberglass pipe to operating tem-
after the campaign. This is but one example of safely peratures no higher than 150°F, pressure below 200
cutting corners in pipe specifications. psig and vacuum no more than 500 torr abs. Some
Let’s consider some others. high-temperature resins can handle services of 250°F or
First, check if fiberglass pipe can handle the service. more.
Such pipe doesn’t require welding, is easily cut and Other plastic pipe such as PVC and CPVC can of-
glued, and stands up to most chemicals. I reckon the to- fer alluring savings compared to steel but at the expense
tal construction cost — i.e., materials, labor and profit of lower operating temperatures and pressure. Never
— of a 2-in.-dia. fiberglass pipe is 46% of a schedule-40 use PVC if the maximum operating temperature can
stainless steel one. Some sources give less-favorable rise above 140°F. Instead, consider CPVC because it
The safety performance of industrial piping industrial process water applications worldwide,
material cannot be overstated — these environments such as:
have hundreds, often thousands, of lives at stake, Corrosion resistance. Corrosion is a common,
causing them to be closely monitored and regulated ongoing problem in industrial environments. CPVC
by government bodies, such as the U.S. Occupa- pipe and fittings demonstrate superior resistance to
tional Safety and Health Administration and the internal and external corrosion, virtually eliminat-
Environmental Protective Agency (EPA). Add cost ing process leaks, flow restrictions and, ultimately,
and reliability to the list of important factors when premature pipe failure. Unlike metallic systems,
considering industrial piping choices, and it’s clear CPVC industrial piping will never pit or scale, as it is
why material selection for process water applications inert to most mineral acids, bases, salts, and aliphatic
is such an important one. Among the many piping hydrocarbons. CPVC is formulated to stand up to
choices in the industry, the superior strength, perfor- many of the same aggressive chemicals that corrode
mance and safety of chlorinated polyvinyl chloride steel, and it does so in very extreme temperature
(CPVC) make it an ideal system for industrial pro- environments.
cess water applications. Ease of installation. Because CPVC is light-
Traditionally, engineers and procurement weight—roughly one-eighth the weight of comparably
professionals have relied largely on steel and other sized steel piping—and requires less complex tools,
higher alloys for industrial piping. However, an installation and maintenance are simplified, reducing
overall analysis reveals that CPVC often outper- labor time. CPVC pipe and fittings are installed using
forms metallic systems, and is more cost-effective, a simple two-step solvent cementing process, which
over a longer period of time. Yielding an overall creates a highly reliable joint by chemically fusing the
lower installation cost, fewer maintenance and pipe to the fitting. When properly installed, a solvent-
safety concerns, and strong performance with a cemented CPVC joint becomes the strongest part of
wide variety of chemicals, CPVC is a material that the entire system, offering more durability than either
is gaining the attention of many. And the benefits the pipe or fitting alone.
don’t stop there. CPVC offers numerous advantages Little or no maintenance. A CPVC piping system
that can and have improved the bottom line of requires little or no maintenance when properly