what is my operating pressure?

[cdale]

ok, have sort of a lame question but here goes...

if i have designed a forcemain and sized a pump for the anticipated flow and head conditions, can I convert the calculated feet of head to psi and assume that will be my design operating pressure in the pipeline??

For example, if I calculated 25 ft of head (water) and converted that to 10.8 psi, could I pressure test that pipeline at 15 psi and assume I have tested the line in excess of the pressure it will be operating with??

Thanks for your patience...

 

[LHA]

That's exactly how its done. Here's a sample spec I use:

3.02 TESTING WATER LINES

A. Hydrostatic Testing: Test each newly installed section of water line by hydrostatic test procedure in accordance with the recommended practice established by AWWA, Standard C600, Section 5, hydrostatic testing, as modified hereinbelow.
1. Pressure Test:
a. Conduct pressure tests for a period of not less than 2 hours at 150 psig or at a pressure of not less than 1.25 times the working pressure based upon the elevation of the lowest point in line under test corrected to the elevation of the test gauge, but shall not exceed 150 psi.

Remember: The Chinese ideogram for “crisis” is comprised of the characters for “danger” and “opportunity.”
-Steve