Within the realm of industry, the need and use for piping is a common thing. Depending on the specific nature of the business, however, piping can serve a few roles. To ensure that things function the way they are intended to, it is important for companies to be detailed and specific about their needs and goals before hiring design engineers and piping fabricators. There are some basic considerations to keep in mind when developing a piping system.

Process Piping VS Traditional Piping

The purpose of traditional piping is quite different than process piping. Traditional piping is used for plumbing and power, while process piping is used to transport material, either gas or liquid, from one point to another and is not tied into the function of the facility in which it is installed. This means that rules of its construction, safety standards, and proper implementation falls under the watch of an engineer instead of a plumber or electrician.

Pressure Piping

Another thing to consider is pressure. In many cases, the gas or liquid that is being transported with process tubing is under pressure. Because the pressure variant differs depending on the nature of the particular gas or liquid, not all piping is liquid useable.

Design, Materials, And Fabrication

Before piping fabricators can get to work a few things need to be worked out. First, the distance and path that the gas or liquid needs to travel need to be determined so that the system can be designed. This will highlight what pipes, tubes, clamps, valves, and control mechanisms are needed and where they need to be placed in the piping system. The material of the piping will be chosen based on the nature of the medium being moved. Some situations may require metal or glass while ceramic piping may be sufficient in other cases. Once this is all decide, fabrication can take place.
The design and implementation of a piping system is an intricate, complicated process. Identifying the piping‘s purpose, whether that’s to house electrical wiring, plumbing, or to transport liquid or gas as part of a process, should be the main focus. Keeping this in mind will help the right decisions in path and materials to be made.