Oil Processing Facilities

Chapter 9
Line Size and Wall Thickness

Contents

Introduction
Line Size Criteria
Erosional Flow
Liquid Lines
Gas Lines
Two-Phase Flow
Wall Thickness Criteria
Standards and Requirements
General Hoop Stress Formula for Thin Wall Cylinders

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 1

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Line Size Criteria

When choosing a line size it is necessary to consider:

Pressure drop
Most of the pressure drop occurs across a control valve and there is relatively little
pressure drop in the line compared to that available in the process. In calculating
pressure drop, especially for flow between low pressure and atmospheric vessels,
equivalent lengths and elevation changes must be considered

Velocity of flow.
Line diameter must also be sized for a minimum and a maximum velocity. The fluid must
be kept below some maximum velocity to prevent such problems as erosion, noise,
and water hammer. The fluid must also be kept above some minimum velocity to
minimize surging and to transport sand and other solids.

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 2

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Erosional Flow

Fluid erosion occurs when liquid droplets impact the wall with enough force to erode the
products of corrosion, exposing the metal to the fluid and allowing more corrosion to
occur. At even higher impact forces or higher the velocity of flow, the greater the
tendency for fluid erosion to occur. Experiments in two phase flow systems indicate
that erosion of the products of corrosion occurs when the velocity of flow exceeds
the value given by:

where Ve = erosional flow velocity, ft/sec

m= density of the fluid, Ib/ft3
C = empirical constant

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 3

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Erosional Flow
Liquid Lines
The maximum velocity used in sizing liquid lines is on the order of 15 ft/sec.
Experience has shown that this limit is normally sufficient to minimize noise,
water hammer, and erosion.

Liquid lines are normally sized to maintain a velocity sufficient to keep solid
particles from depositing. In most practical cases a velocity of 3 to 4 ft/sec is
sufficient to keep from building a sufficiently high bed to affect pressure drop
calculations. For this reason a minimum velocity of 3 ft/sec is normally
recommended.

Fluid velocity, expressed in oil field units, can be determined from the following
equation:

expressed graphically in Figure for different size pipe.

where V = fluid velocity, ft/sec
Q1 = liquid flow rate, bpd
d = pipe ID, in.

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 4

Line Size and Wall Thickness
Erosional Flow

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 5

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Erosional Flow
Gas Lines

As in liquid lines, gas lines must be kept between some maximum and minimum
velocity. It is recommended that a minimum velocity of 10-15 ft/sec be maintained so
as to minimize liquid settling out in low spots.
Typically, gas velocities are normally kept below 60-80 ft/sec so as to minimize the
effect of noise and corrosion.

Erosional velocity due to small amounts of liquid in the gas can be calculated from
Equation

where
Ve = erosional velocity, ft/sec
C = erosional flow constant
T = temperature, oR
S = specific gravity of gas at standard conditions (air = 1)
P = pressure, psia

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 6

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Erosional Flow
Gas Lines

For most instances with pressures less than 1,000 to 2,000 psi, the erosional velocity
will be greater than 60 ft/sec and thus the erosional criteria will not govern. At high
pressures, it may be necessary to check for erosional velocity before sizing lines for
60 ft/sec maximum velocity. In systems with CO2 present in amounts as low as 1 to
2 %, velocity should be limited to less than 50 ft/sec.

Actual gas velocity, expressed in oil field units, can be determined by

where
Qg = gas flow rate, MMscfd
T = temperature, oR
d = pipe ID, in.
P = pressure, psia
V = gas velocity, ft/sec
Z = gas compressibility factor

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 7

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Erosional Flow
Two-Phase Flow
 Typically, flowlines from wells, production manifolds, and two-phase gas/liquid pipelines
are sized as two-phase lines. Gas outlets and gas outlet from separators or other
process equipment contain some small amount of liquids or gas but they are not
considered two-phase lines.

It is recommended that
- A minimum flow velocity of 10-15 ft/sec be maintained to keep liquids moving in the
line and thus minimize slugging of separator or other process equipment. This is very
important in long lines with elevation changes.

- The maximum allowable velocity would be set by the minimum of 60 ft/sec for noise,
50 ft/sec if it is necessary to inhibit for CO2 corrosion

- Or use the general erosional velocity equation.

where
m = average density of the mixture at flowing pressure and temperature, lb/ft3

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 8

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Erosional Flow
Two-Phase flow
The density of the mixture may be expressed by the following equation

Where S.G. = specific gravity (average for the hydrocarbon and water mixture)
R = gas/liquid ratio, ft3/bbl
T = operating temperature, oR
S = specific gravity of the gas, at standard conditions (air =1)

It can be shown that the minimum diameter of pipe for a maximum allowable velocity can
be expressed as:

where a = minimum required cross-sectional area, in.2

Q1 = liquid flow rate, bpd
V = maximum allowable velocity, ft/sec

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 9

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Erosional Flow
The chart is developed to minimize the calculation procedure. Care must be taken
when utilizing this chart, as it is based on the assumptions listed.

Two-Phase flow

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 10

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Wall Thickness Criteria
Standards and Requirements
There are different standards used throughout the world in calculating the required wall
thickness of a pipe. The ANSI are the ones most commonly used in oil production facility
design and similar to national standards which exist in other parts of the world.

ANSI B 31.3-Chemical Plant and Petroleum Refinery Piping. This standard is required by
the U.S. Minerals Management Service for offshore platforms in federal waters. It is
also used extensively for offshore facilities in state waters and for offshore facilities in
other parts of the world.

ANSI B 31.4-Liquid Petroleum Transportation Piping Systems. This standard is normally

used in onshore oil production facilities.

ANSI B 31.8-Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems This standard is normally
used for gas lines in onshore production facilities and when transporting or
distributing gas.

ANSI B 31.4 is actually a subset of ANSI B 31.8 when it comes to calculating wall
thickness.
In general, but not always, ANSI B 31.3 is the more severe in calculating required wall
thickness.

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 11

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Wall Thickness Criteria

ANSI B 31.3
The wall thickness specified by ANSI B 31.3 for a given pipe can be calculated by:

where t = required wall thickness to be specified in ordering the pipe, m.

tc = corrosion allowance, in. (normally 0.05 in.)
tth = thread or groove depth, in. (Table 9-1)
P = internal pipe pressure, psi
do = pipe outside diameter, in. .
S = allowable stress for pipe material, psi (Tables 9-2 and 9-3)
E = longitudinal weld joint factor
= 1.00 for seamless
= 0.85 for ERW
Y = factor
= 0.4 for ferrous materials below 900°F
Tol = manufacturers' allowed tolerance
= 12.5% for API 5L pipe up to 20 in.-diameter
= 10% for API 5L pipe greater than 20 in.-diameter

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 12

Line Size and Wall Thickness
Wall Thickness Criteria

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 13

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Wall Thickness Criteria

ANSI B 31.3 allows for occasional variations above the allowable stress in accordance
with the following criteria:
1. When the variation lasts no more than 10 hours at anyone time and no more than
100 hours per year, it is permissible to exceed the pressure rating or the allowable
stress for pressure design at the temperature of the increased condition by not more
than 33%.

2. When the variation lasts no more than 50 hours at anyone time and not more than
500 hours per year, it is permissible to exceed the pressure rating or the allowable
stress for pressu,e design at the temperature of the increased condition by not more
than 20%.

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 14

Line Size and Wall Thickness
Wall Thickness Criteria

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 15

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Wall Thickness Criteria
ANSI B 31.8
The wall thickness specified by ANSI B 31.8 for a given pipe can be calculated by:

where t = required wall thickness to be specified in ordering pipe, in.

P = internal pipe pressure, psi
do = pipe OD, in.
S = minimum yield strength of pipe, psi
F = construction type design factor (Table 9-5)
E = longitudinal joint factor
= 1.0 for seamless, ERW, and flash weld
= 0.80 for furnace lap and electrical fusion welded pipe
= 0.60 for furnace butt welded pipe
T = temperature de-rating factor (Table 9-6)

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 16

Line Size and Wall Thickness
Wall Thickness Criteria

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 17

Line Size and Wall Thickness
Wall Thickness Criteria

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 18

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Wall Thickness Criteria
ANSI B 31.4
The required wall thickness equation for ANSI B 31.4 is the same as that for ANSI B
31.8 except the safety factor is fixed at F = 0.72. This is because the consequences
of a leak in an oi11ine are not as severe as the consequences of a leak in a gas line.

ANSI B 31.4 does not have a temperature de-rating factor ("T"), as it states that it is
only applicable to temperatures between -20°F and 250°F.

Comparison of ANSI B 31.3 and B 31.8

ANSI B 31.8 requires a construction type of C (F = 0.5) for a compressor station. Figures
9-6 and 9-7 compare the wall thickness required for piping in a compressor station
depending upon which code is used. It can be seen that the B 31.3 code is more
conservative than the B 31.8 code, especially when higher yield strength pipe
material is used. This difference creates a problem in choosing the interface between
a production facility designed to B 31.3 and a pipeline designed to B 31.8 or B 31.4.
The location of the transition varies from company to company but it is usually at the
plant fence for an onshore facility and at the first flange above the water on an
offshore platform.

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 19

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Wall Thickness Criteria

Figure 9-7. Wall thickness for 1,480 psi pressure API 5L-Grade X52. Figure 9-6. Wall thickness for 1,480 psi pressure API 5L-Grade B.

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 20

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Pressure Rating Classes
Industry Standards
When designing piping systems one must consider piping components such as pipe
flanges, fittings, and valves. These piping components must be able to withstand and
the stresses imposed by internal pressure.
The ANSI B 16.5 and API 6A specifications are the most commonly used. By specifying
a specific pressure rating class that is rated for a pressure equaling or exceeding the
maximum working pressure of the particular piping system

The ANSI B 16.5 specification has Table 9-8

seven classes of piping: 150, 300, Summary ANSI Pressure Ratings, psi
Material group 1.1
400,600, 900, 1500, and 2500.
Historically, the class designation was Class -20 to 100 F 100 to 200 F
the allowable working pressure at 150 285 260
850°F.
300 740 675
Table9-8 is a listing of the maximum
400 990 900
non-shock working pressure rating for
Material Group 1.1, as listed in the 600 1480 1350
1981 edition of ANSI B 16.5. 900 2220 2025
1500 3705 3375
2500 6170 5625

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 21

 Line Size and Wall Thickness
Pressure Rating Classes

Material Group 1.1 includes most of the carbon steels commonly used in production
facility piping. Table 9-8 lists temperature up to 200°F since most facility piping
operates at temperatures less than 200°F. Table 9-9 contains additional information
for other materials and for temperatures up to 100°F.

APl 6A
The API 6A specification also has seven classes of piping: 2,000; 3,000,5,000, 10,000,
15,000,20,000, and 30,000. The API class designation is the maximum non-shock
working pressure rating at 100°F.
API 6A requires more stringent control and testing of the metallurgy and methods of
manufacture than does ANSI B 16.5. As a result, even though 2000, 3,000, and 5,000
API series flanges have the same dimen­sions and are completely interchangeable
with 600, 900 and 1,500 ANSI series flanges, they have a higher pressure rating.
Any joint made by bolting an API flange to its ANSI dimensional equivalent must be
rated at the ANSI pressure rating. API 10,000, 15,000, 20,000, and 30,000 series
have no ANSI series that are dimensionally equivalent.

Oil Production Facilities Ch 9 - 22