A333 vs API 5L pipeline for ammonia transport

[wazmoot]

I am trying to determine the best pipeline material spec to transport ammonia (600 psi pump discharge, 200 psi delivery, 66 °F) in 30 miles of 8" steel pipeline.

In essence, is A333 pipe safer than API 5L pipe for ammonia transport? Is either better for the Joule-Thomson effect should there be a leak? Is one appreciably less expensive than the other?

 

[BigInch]

B31.3 permits variations in temperatures and pressures from operating levels, provided certain conditions are meet. Joule-Thompson cooling IMO would usually be considered outside the normal operating temperature levels, so a JT temperature need not be the "design temperature". Non-the-less, the design should accomodate the lowest temperatures that could be reached under the increased design limit provisions for transient occurrences and either by choosing a material listed for a lower temperature, by qualifying a choosen material for lower temperature use by specifying appropriate toughness requirements, or by providing crack arrestors.

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"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world’s energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies)

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