Pipeline & Piping 3

[xray1366]

Hi.
What are the differences between the Piping and Pipeline?
Thanks.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

While I am not a Mech engineer - my gut feelings are:

Pipe Lines are generally fairly large and run pretty straight for long distances - even miles.

Piping is the stuff you find in say a refinery that is much smaller and has a lot of turns, curves and short distances - at most a few yards.

Just my thought.

 

[metengr]

There is no difference, both can mean the same thing, like automobile and car.

 

[MintJulep]

They are both "technical sounding" words that are used colloquially within different industries to mean different things.

In general, both are long skinny pieces of solid material with a hole in the middle. Liquid or gas generally flows through the hole.

Without context it's not possible to say more.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

I defer to metengr --

But that's just my gut feelings

 

[racookpe1978]

In general, both are long skinny pieces of solid material with a hole in the middle. Liquid or gas generally flows through the hole.

In contrast, electric wires are long skinny round pieces of insulating material with a hole in the middle. Electricity (sometimes) tries to flow through the (very expensive) copper that is stuffed into that hole.

One would think that electric engineers would figure out that they'd have a lot less resistance to flow if they got rid of all that copper ..... 8<)

 

[xray1366]

Dear MiketheEngineer, I think your first reply is the correct answer(I guess), because I asked this question from someone else before and he replied the same. Another reason is that these two words are used together in ASME sec. IX, but not in the same definition. I don't remember the sentence which these words were used in, but it was like this: "either Pipeline or Piping". This sentence indicates that there is difference between them.

 

[metengr]

xray1366;
Don't guess. I thought more about your post and decided to review an authoritative source. Take time and review B31.8 Gas and Transmission Piping Systems, not Section IX.

You will be surprised as I was regarding various Piping Systems Definitions, General Terms and types of Piping Systems.

Pipeline is defined.

Piping is really Piping System, of which Pipeline is a subset

 

[Duwe6]

Pipeline has a specific meaning in industrial context. API-1104 and/or B31.8 apply, and it usually is "cross-country", meaning that the ground it is buried in may or may not belong to the pipeline owner, and is not under continious view of the owner. Thus the different rules from "piping" inside a plant or powerhouse.