Piping· Worked example · Release 2.69

Worked example — a utility piping package: line list, pumps and surge

A utility piping package of twelve lines: eight fluids, Darcy–Weisbach hydraulics per line, ASME B31.3 wall thickness, a pump with its NPSH check, above-ground supports and buried pipe, surge by the method of characteristics and a pipe-stress case.

Try it online for 30 days →About the bench

The figures on this page are the bench's built-in example project with sample data ("Example — Utility piping package"), generated from the software itself, not a real project. Values the bench takes from a document in the ASH library carry the clause; values it assumes are labelled "engineering default" in the software.

Inputs

What the example starts from.

Location	Example site, 650 m elevation
Design code	ASME B31.3 (process piping)
Atmospheric pressure (bar)	1.01
System frequency (Hz)	60
Ambient temperature (°C)	45
Scope	Example data for demonstration only. Replace with project design basis before issue.
Fluids	8 rows
Lines	12 rows
Networks	1 row
Pumps	1 row
Branch connections	2 rows
Stress cases	1 row
Surge cases	2 rows
Valves	4 rows

Results

What comes out.

12 · 120Lines · checks

120checks evaluated

Coverall code

Code A · 104Code B · 3Code C · 8Not evaluated · 5

120 checks are evaluated in the detailed design stage; the rows below are the ones a reviewer looks at first (Code C, then B), each with the clause it rests on.

Item	Check	Code	Clause
L-001	Velocity	C	Darcy–Weisbach; velocity limit by service
L-003	Design pressure vs allowable (PFA)	C	ASME B31.3 §304.1.2 (or plastic PFA per ISO 4427 / 1452)
L-009	Velocity (max along line)	C	Darcy–Weisbach; velocity limit by service
L-009	Pressure drop / inlet pressure	C	Darcy–Weisbach / Colebrook–White (line hydraulics)
L-011	Friction gradient	C	Darcy–Weisbach / Colebrook–White (line hydraulics)
N1 · Peak hour	Highest velocity (S1)	C	Global Gradient Algorithm (Todini & Pilati); available fire flow by bisection on the added node demand
N1 · Fire flow at J3	Highest velocity (V1)	C	Global Gradient Algorithm (Todini & Pilati); available fire flow by bisection on the added node demand
SG-01	Surge pressure (Joukowsky)	C	Joukowsky surge — transient analysis for protection design

Inside the bench

Two screens of the example.

Captured from the Piping Design Bench with the example loaded (release 2.69).

Piping Design Bench, Line list & hydraulics page of the example project: Line list & hydraulics — one row per line with the result and the review code — **Line list & hydraulics**Line list & hydraulics — one row per line with the result and the review code

Piping Design Bench, Surge page of the example project: Surge — maximum and minimum pressure envelopes against the allowable — **Surge**Surge — maximum and minimum pressure envelopes against the allowable

Standards applied

The bench's standards register.

As printed in Annex A of the bench's report (20 documents). Clause texts are not reproduced; each check cites its clause.

Document	Title	Used for
ASME B31.3	Process Piping	Wall thickness 304.1.2, branch reinforcement 304.3.3, displacement stress range SA, hydrotest 345.4.2
ASME B31.3-2002 §302.3.5 / §302.3.6 / §319 / Appendix D	Process Piping — flexibility analysis	Pipe stress page: S_L ≤ S_h, S_E ≤ S_A (Eqs. 1a–1c, 17, 18), 1.33 S_h occasional, Table D-300 k / i_i / i_o (library copy read 8 Oct 2026; the 1999 copy lacks Appendix D). Not applied: Note 5 flange correction (Chart B), Note 7 pressure stiffening; S_L formula not given in this edition — Appendix D intensification applied to the sustained bending term; E_a and α from Appendix C Tables C-3 / C-6 of the same copy (SI tables not included in the edition; US values converted). One-way rests and spring hangers (v2.52): supports that act in one direction are released by iteration and the operating and weight cases are solved as combined cases, the displacement stress range being their difference (§319.2.3, §319.5 — the code gives no specific procedure for one-way supports; the method is the usual nonlinear-support iteration); spring hanger stiffness and preset load are user inputs — no hanger catalogue is held
ASME B31.1-2007 Table 121.5 / B31.9	Power Piping — Suggested Pipe Support Spacing / Building Services Piping	Pipe-support spacing: table span for standard-weight or heavier steel pipe, water or steam/gas/air (edition held: 2007); beam-formula span with the table's note (c) limits otherwise; alternative pressure design
ASME B16.5	Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings	Pressure–temperature ratings
ASME B36.10M / B36.19M	Welded and seamless wrought steel pipe / stainless steel pipe	Pipe dimensions
API 5L	Specification for Line Pipe	Line pipe grades
ISO 4427 / ISO 1452 / ISO 2531 / ISO 10639 / ISO 15874	PE / PVC-U / ductile iron / GRP / PP-R piping systems	Plastic and non-steel pressure ratings (PFA / PN)
AWWA M11 / M45 / C950	Steel pipe / fiberglass pipe design manuals	Buried pipe loads, deflection, buckling
Crane TP-410	Flow of Fluids Through Valves, Fittings and Pipe	Fitting K = n fT
Darcy–Weisbach / Colebrook–White	Friction in pipes	Line hydraulics
IAPWS-95 / CoolProp / API MPMS 11.1	Water and steam / fluid properties / petroleum liquids	Fluid properties
ANSI/HI 9.6.1 / 9.6.3	NPSH margin / operating regions	Pump checks

… and 8 more documents in the bench's register.

Trial

Run the example yourself, then your own project.

Start the 30-day online trial →About the Piping bench

The trial opens with the same example project; choose "Load example project" on the first screen. Trial reports and exports carry a watermark.