Tag
#piping
10 topics across all disciplines.
Pipe materials — what the grade on the spec actually means
A106, A312, P11 — how to read a piping material grade, why carbon steel is the default, and what forces an upgrade to alloy or stainless.
Pipe sizes and schedules — why NPS 2 is not 2 inches
NPS, DN and schedule numbers explained. Why the outside diameter is fixed, what changes when the schedule goes up, and how to read a pipe size chart.
Line sizing — why pipe diameter is an economic decision
The two criteria that size every line, why a bigger pipe costs once and a smaller one costs forever, and the lines where neither rule applies.
Fittings and branch connections — how a pipe changes direction
Elbows, tees, reducers and caps, and the branch fittings that take a small line off a big one. What each is for, why the dimensions are fixed, and why a branch needs reinforcement.
Valve types — picking one for the duty, not the drawing
Gate, globe, ball, butterfly and check valves explained by what each is built to do. Why throttling with a gate valve destroys it, what double block and bleed means, and how check valves slam.
Flanges and pressure classes — why Class 150 is not 150 psi
What a flange class means, how pressure–temperature ratings work, the common facing types, and why a gasket and bolt set are part of the rating.
Gaskets and bolting — why most flange leaks are assembly, not hardware
How a bolted joint actually seals, reading a spiral wound gasket by its colours, choosing stud and nut materials, and the bolt-up sequence that decides whether any of it works.
Reading a line class — the document that has already decided
How a piping material specification works, how to decode a line number, what a spec break is, and why almost every piping decision on a project was made before you arrived.
Pipe supports and thermal expansion — why you cannot just bolt it down
Hot pipe grows, and it grows with enormous force. How expansion is calculated, why loops exist, what anchors, guides and spring hangers actually do, and how supports protect equipment nozzles.
Insulation, tracing and coatings — the layers outside the pipe
Four different reasons to insulate and why confusing them causes corrosion, how steam and electric tracing differ, why tracing fails silently, and why surface preparation is most of a paint system.