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  WHAT PIPING ENGINEERING SHOULD KNOW ABOUT A piping engineer should have good knowledge about industrial process, mechanical, civil, electrical & instrumentation so as to discuss & understand the problem with the specialist. A piping engineer should have good knowledge of materials. A piping engineer should have good understanding of engineering economics & cost of method of pipe fabrication & erection. A piping engineer should have good knowledge of international codes & standards. Piping engineer should be well conversant with drafting procedures & practices.

 RESPONSIBILITY OF PIPING ENGINEER Piping engineer is responsible for accurate design Piping design must satisfy the P&ID & specification constraints. Standardization of engineering design method. To achieve adequate design at an economic cost. To co-ordinate with other departments. Co-ordination with the site. Much of the piping data is used by other engineering group so it must be correct, clear, consistent & reliable. To complete the project within the planned completion period.

 INTRODUCTION TO PIPING SYSTEM A pipe can be defined as a tube made of metal, plastic, wood, concrete or fiberglass. Pipes are used to carry liquids, gases, slurries, or fine particles. A piping system is generally considered to include the complete interconnection of pipes, including in-line components such as pipe fittings and flanges. Pumps, heat exchanges, valves and tanks are also considered part of piping system. Piping systems are the arteries of our industrial processes and the contribution of piping systems are essential in an industrialized society. Fig. 1 illustrates the magnitude of piping required in a typical chemical process plant. Piping systems accounts for a significant portion of the total plant cost, at times as much as one-third of the total investment. Piping systems arranged within a very confined area can be added challenge to piping and support engineers.

 Cold Spring.  Cold spring is the intentional deformation of piping during assembly to produce a desired initial displacement and reaction. Cold spring is beneficial in that it serves to balance the magnitude of the reaction under initial and extreme displacement conditions. When cold spring is properly applied there is less likelihood of overstrain during initial operation; hence, it is recommended especially for piping materials of limited ductility. There is also less deviation from as installed dimensions during initial operation, so that hangers will not be displaced as far from their original settings. Inasmuch as the service life of a piping system is affected more by the range of stress variation than by the magnitude of stress at a given time, no credit for cold spring is permitted in stress range calculations. However, in calculating the thrusts and moments where actual reactions as well as their range of variations are significant, credit is given for cold spring.