Pipe Rack Load Calculation

[Vikoll]

Hello All

As a new member of piping design team I have to compute and deliver loads imposed by piping on a T-shaped pipe rack of petrochemical plant. These loads will be used by structural for pipe rack design. Wind, seismic snow etc loads are not a concern in this case.

After I calculated load due to dead weight of water filled piping including insulation I need to determine horizontal loads due to friction and pipe deflection, acting on anchors and guides and space these restrains properly.
In particular I need to know how to calculate a force acting an anchor that is on a branch and approximately 40m away from the header and resulting from header deflection due to branch thermal expansion.
I am also wondering what percentage of friction force from one side of anchor should I take into account (there is counteracting friction force from other side of the same anchor)?

Should I consider any DLF?

Could anyone guide me through this process please?
Any helpful comments and references will be truly appreciated.

Thanking in advance
Vikoll

 

[civilperson]

All this knowledge and design criteria will be found in the "Engineering Standards" of the owner of the facility. I disagree with your statement that seismic will not be of concern.

 

[sigma1]

There are many things to consider here. Besides the weight of the piping and its contents there are other forces to consider here. Thermal forces can be much higher and more dificult to handle than the dead weight of the piping. If there are expansion joints on the line, the pressure thrust forces can create havoc to the piping and the support system. In addition, you mentioned pipe racks....Are all the pipes on the rack behave the same?

The best way to approach this is to hire someone with piping and pipe support experience that can analyze the piping for all operating conditions and design the appropriate support system.

 

[DSB123]

Vikoll,
Loads on pipe racks are due to weight, thermal, wind,seismic and surge effects to name a few. The best way to determine the loads is via a pipe stress analysis of the piping systems. The effects of each pipe can then be considered accurately. however you need to consider if surge effects are possible in any of the pipes. Also what the friction factor between pipe and pipe rack needs to be determined. Wind loads can be affected by shielding within the pipe rack. It's not as simple as you think. There are a number of aspects to consider.