UsingCHEMCADforPipingNetworkDesignandAnalysis

Part1UnbranchedPipes

By

JeffreyL.Silverstein,PhD
Director
ProcessSimulationExpressLLC
Ramsey,NJ07446

Abstract

CHEMCADisapowerfultoolfordesigningandanalyzingcomplexpipingnetworks.Itenablestheengineerto
integratethepipingnetworksimulationintotheoverallprocesssimulation,calculatingamomentumbalancein
additiontoaheatandmaterialbalance.Thismakesitpossibletoquicklyevaluatetheeffectsofchangesinthe
processconcept,orofitschemicals,onthepipingnetwork.

Part1ofthispaperpresentsatutorialonhowtousethepipingnetworktoolforunbranchedpipeanalysis.Part
2progressivelyaddscomplexitywithmorecomplicatednetworks,culminatinginexamplesthatdemonstrate
howCHEMCADcanbeusedtoanalyzepracticalplantpipingproblems.

Introduction

TheCHEMCADsoftwaresuiteisapowerfultoolfordesigningandanalyzingcomplexpipingnetworks(1).As
showninFigure1,CHEMCADcontainsanumberofUnitOpsthatcalculateflowasafunctionofpressuredrop.
Theseare:PipeSimulator,ControlValve,Valve,Pump,Node,Compressor,andExpander.

Figure1CHEMCADUnitOpsthatcalculateflowasafunctionofpressuredrop

Sincethispaperfocusesonliquidpipingsystems,wewillexaminethefirstfiveoftheseunitoperationsin
CHEMCADtoshowhowtheycanbecombinedtosimulatecomplexpipingnetworks.

WewillbeginbyexaminingthePipeSimulatorandshowinghowitcanbeusedforpipesizing.Wewillexplore
thevariouscalculationoptionsavailableforthisUnitOp,andaddapumptoconstructasimplesingleline
example.WewillreviewthefeaturesofthePumpUnitOp,andseehowtheSensitivityStudyfeatureof
CHEMCADcanbeusedtoobtainpumpheadvs.flowrateforthesystem.Thenwewilladdapumpcurveto
characterizethepump,andcalculatetheactualflowratethroughthesystem.

Toachieveadesiredflowrate,wewilladdacontrolvalvetothesystem,andshowhowthecontrolvalvesizing
optioninCHEMCADcanbeusedasastartingpointforactualvalveselection.

WewillalsoaddaflowrestrictionorificetothesystemusingCHEMCAD,anddeterminetheeffectonthevalve
positiontoaccommodatethisnewflowresistance.

InPart2,wewillexamineamorecomplicatedtwobranchflowproblem.Thesignificantlymorecomplex
calculationmethodnecessarytosolvethisproblemwillbeevaluatedinsomedetail.Wewillthenintroducea
nodalapproachtosolvingthisproblem,anddemonstratetheimprovedcalculationefficiencyachieved.Two
otherbasicbranchedproblemswillbesolvedtodemonstratetheutilityandpowerofthenodalapproach.

Wewillfollowupwithpracticalplantpipingexamples,whichcanbeanalyzedinCHEMCADtounderstandand
correcttheplantissue.

Itisrecommendedthatthereaderdownload,open,andrefertoreferencedCHEMCADfileswhilereadingabout
theapproachestosolvingthevariousproblemsdiscussedinthispaper.

PipeSimulatorUnitOp

Figure2showstheCHEMCADflowsheetforasimplepipe.Thefilenameis#1SizePipe.Thefluidiswaterandthe
flowrateis20gpm.Thepipehasa200horizontalrun290elbows,anda200verticalrunwithoneballvalve
and390elbows.Whatpipesizeshouldweuse?

Figure2Simplepipingcasepipesizing

CHEMCADprovidesapipesizingtool,foundunderSizingonthemainmenu.Touseit,youmustfirstspecifythe
stream(stream1)thatwillflowthroughthepipe.Todothis,doubleclickthestreamlinetoopentheEdit
Streamsdialog,showninFigure3.

Figure3TheEditStreamsdialogboxforstream1

Asyoucansee,thestreamtemperature,pressure,andflowrateingpmarespecifiedasinputs.Thevapor
volumefractioniscalculated.Onlytwoofthesethreeparameterscanbespecified;thethirdiscalculatedby
CHEMCAD.Tospecifythetotalflowingpm,itisnecessarytospecifythecomponentunitincompositionalunits.
Ifmassunitsarespecified,thetotalflowcannotbespecifiedinvolumeunits.

Nowrightclickstream1andselectSizing>LineSizing,(seeFigure4)thenclickOKintheSelectStreamsdialog
box.ThisbringsupthePipeSizingdialogbox,showninFigure5.Notethatyoucanalsonavigatetothisdialogby
selectingSizing>Pipingfromthemainmenu.

Figure4SelectingLineSizingfromtherightclickmenu


Figure5ThePipeSizingdialogbox

Threesizingoptionsareoffered:Typicalsizingforsinglephase,SizingbasedonfrictionalDp/100ft,andSizing
basedonvelocity.Notethatthepipeschedulemustbespecified,butthatthedefaultforpiperoughnessisfor
steelpipe.Eitheroftheseentriescanbechangedifdesired.Therearetwochoicesofflowmethod,withsingle
phaseandBakerstwophasemethodbeingthefirstandBeggsandBrillstwophasemethodbeingthesecond.
Sincethisisasinglephaseflowproblem,choosethefirstmethod.

Forthisexample,useTypicalsizingforsinglephase.WhenyouclickOK,theresultsshowninFigure6appearin
anewtab.

Figure6Typicalsizingforsinglephaseflow

CHEMCADsuggestsapipesizeof1.5in.,andshowstheresultforonepipesizelarger,2.0in.andonepipesize
smaller,1.0in.Howaccuratearethecalculatedpressuredropsinpsi/100ftforeachpipesize?Table27,Flow
ofWaterThroughSchedule40SteelPipe(2),providedattheendofthispaper,givestheanswer.Comparison
resultsaregiveninFigure7.TheCHEMCADandCranefrictionalpressuredropsmatchupverywell.So,wecan
haveconfidenceintheCHEMCADresults.


Figure7CHEMCADresultscomparedtoCrane

Howshouldyouchoosewhatpipediametertouse?Letslookatthefluidvelocityforeachpipesize.

VelocitiesforvariousfluidsaregiveninTable22,SuggestedFluidVelocitiesinPipeandTubing,(Ludwig,1977).
Thetablesuggestswatervelocitiesintherange38ft/sec,withthecaveatthatThevelocitiesaresuggestive
onlyandaretobeusedtoapproximatelinesizeasastartingpointforpressuredropcalculations.Thefinalline
sizeshouldbesuchastogiveaneconomicalbalancebetweenpressuredropandreasonablevelocity.

ThevelocitiesforthepipesizesCHEMCADoffersinFigure6areinthesuggestedrangeforthe1.0in.and1.5in.
diameterpipe.BasedonTable22,the2.0in.pipediameterwouldberejected.Thechoicebetweenthe1.0and
1.5in.pipediameterswouldbebasedonthecostofpiping,fittings,valves,andthepump,withthesmallerpipe
sizelikelybeingmoreeconomical.

ThethirdoptionforpipesizinggiveninFigure5isSizingbasedonvelocity.Ifyouchoosethisoption,thedialog
boxprovidesaninputforvelocity(seeFigure8);ifyouuse6ft/secasthedesiredvelocity,yougettheresults
showninFigure9.

Figure8PipeSizingdialogwithVelocityfieldenabled


Figure9Sizingbasedonvelocity

TheseresultsareidenticaltothoseobtainedbylettingCHEMCADdeterminetypicalsizing.Thisisnotsurprising,
becausepipesareavailableonlyindiscretesizes.Theflowconditionshavetoconformtowhatiscommercially
available.CHEMCADgivestheminimumpipediameterthatdoesnotexceedthevelocityspecification.

ThesecondoptionforpipesizingisSizingbasedonDp/100ft.Itypicallythinkofthisasaresultofsizingapipe,
ratherthananinput.Thefirstandthirdsizingoptionsaresufficientformostsituations.

Letsuse1.5inSchedule40pipeandentertherequiredinformationinthePipeUnitOp.DoubleclickthePipe
UnitOptoopenthePipeSizingandRatingdialogbox.AsshowninFigure10,avarietyofflowoptionsare
offeredintheMethoddropdownbox.Figure11showsthevariousSizingoptions.

Figure10PipeUnitOpMethodoptions


Figure11PipeUnitOpSizingoptions

Fornow,chooseSinglePhaseflowasthemethodandDesign,singlephaseflowasthesizingoption,andleave
theinputforpipediameterblank,asshowninFigure12.

Figure12Typicalpipesizing

Althoughthepipelengthandelevationchangesarespecifiedhere,youcanobtainapipediameterwithonlythe
feedstreamflowinformation,thepipeschedule,andthepiperoughness.

ClickOK,andthenrightclickUnitOp1andselectRunThisUnitOp.Aftertheunitruns,youcanreopenthepipe
dialogandseethatthepipediameterchosenis1.5inchSchedule40.Theflowcalculationisalsomadethrough
thepipeasconfiguredinthedialogbox.

Beforewelookatthecalculatedresults,letsagainchecktheinputsforthepipeconfiguration.Thepipe
diameter,pipeschedule,pipeMOCandroughness,frictionfactorcalculationmethod,totalpipelength,and
pipeverticalelevationareallspecified.Twootherpipediametercasescanbespecified,asIwilldiscusslater.
TheuseofpipesegmentsandfluidholdupinthepipeareexplainedinthehelptopicforthePipeUnitOp.

ClickingontheValvesandFittingstabsshowstheavailablechoicesandtheselectionsmadeforthisexample.
TheseareshowninFigures13and14,respectively.ClickingonthePropertiestabshowsthephysicalproperties
ofthefluidusedforthepipecalculations,whichiswaterinthiscase.

Figure14ThePipeUnitOpsValvestab

Figure13 ThePipeUnitOpsFittingstab

LetsseewhatCHEMCADcalculates,asshownbyclickingontheCalculatedResultstabandgiveninFigure15.

Figure15ThePipeUnitOpsCalculatedResultstab

TheDeltaPforelevationandthefrictionalDeltaParegivenasseparateitems.Thepressuredropatthetopof
thelistissimplythesumofthetwo,91.99psi.Thepressuredrop/100ftiscalculatedfromthefrictional
pressuredropandthetotalequivalentlengthofpipe,whichincludestheeffectoffittingsandvalves.The
velocity,ReynoldsNumber,andfrictionfactorarealsogiven.IfyouselectReport>UnitOps>SelectUnitOps
fromthemainmenu,youcanobtainthesameinformationandabitmore,inaformthatyoucanprintif
desired.

Beforemovingon,letstakealookatthesizingoptionsundertheSpecificationstab,asshowninFigure11:

Ifthe0option,Rating,ischosen,thepipeoutletpressureiscalculatedwhenthepipediameter,theflow
rate,andtheinletpressurearespecified.Runningwiththeseoptionsproducesidenticalresultstothose
giveninFigure14,whereDeltaP=91.99psi.
Options1,2,and6arethedesignoptions,discussedabove.Option3isfortwophaseflowandwillnot
bediscussedinthispaper.
Option4isthereverseoftheratingoption:theoutletpressureisspecifiedandtheinletpressureis
calculated.Letschoosethisoptionandsettheinletandoutletpressuresto14.7psia.Sincetheflow
rateisunchanged,thedeltaPshouldalsobeunchangedat91.99psi.Ifyourunthiscase,theinlet
pressureis106.69psiaandthedeltaPisindeed91.99psia,asexpected.
Option5calculatestheflowratewiththepipediameterandtheinletandoutletpressuresasinputs.Try
usingthisoptionandincreasingtheinletpressurefromthecurrent106.69psiato164.7psia.Keepthe
outletpressureat14.7psiasothatDeltaP=150psia.Theflowrateincreasesto73.6gpm.Option5is
importantformorecomplicatedbranchednetworks,aswillbediscussedinPart2ofthispaper.

Nowresettheflowrateandpressureofstream1to20gpmand200psia,respectively.Selectoption0and
specifythediameteras1.5inches.Inaddition,letsdoacasestudyandspecifytwootherpipediametersinthe
dialogbox1.0inchand2.0inchasshowninFigure16.

Figure16ThePipeUnitOpsCalculatedResultstab

IfyourunthepipesimulationandthenlookattheCalculatedResultstab,youllseethattheresultsareidentical
towhatyousawinFigure6,asexpected.

AddaPump

Nowletsaddapumptotheproblem,asshowninFigure17.Thefilenameis#2SimpleCaseWithPump.

Figure17Singlepipewithpump

Inthisexamplethewaterflowrateis200gpm.Thestreaminformationforstream1isgiveninFigure18.

Figure18Specificationsforstream1

Ifweusethetypicalpipesizingoptionforstream1,weobtainapipesizeof4incheswithafluidvelocityof5
ft/sec,withinthesuggestedrangeof38ft/sec.Typicalguidelinesforsuctionsidepipingforcentrifugalpumps
oftenrecommendthesamepipesizeastheoutletpipingoronepipesizelarger.Inthisexample,wewilluse6
inchesasthesuctionsidepipesize,and4inchesasthedownstreampipesize.Wewillneedtoprovideareducer
onthesuctionsideofthepumpatthepumpinletnozzle.Inaddition,thereshouldbeatleast510pipe
diametersofstraightpipeenteringthepumptoensureoptimalsuction.

Figure19showsthesuctionsidepipedialogbox.Itis6in.Sch40,20feetlongwithadropinelevationof8feet.
Thereare2ballvalvesinthisline,onereducerandtwo900elbows.Thepumpoutletlineis4in.Sch40andis
400feetlongwithanincreaseinelevationof200feet.Ithasoneballvalveandfive900elbows.

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Figure19Suctionsidepipedialogbox

Whatistherequiredpressureatthepumpoutlettodeliverthisflow?Figure20showsthepumpdialogbox.

Figure20Pumpdialogshowingmodeselection

Thepumpcanbeonoroff.Thereisachoiceofmodesorcalculationbasis.Thepumpoutletpressure,the
pressureincreaseacrossthepump,orthepumpcurvecanbespecified.Inthisexample,wewillspecifythe
pumpoutletpressureas150psia.Inlaterexamples,wellexplorethemoretypicalsituationwhenthepump
curveisknown.WecanalsorequestthatCHEMCADcalculatetheavailableNPSH;wellcoverthisinmoredetail
later.

Afterthesimulationruns,theflowrateof200gpmsetforstream1isunchanged.AsshowninFigure21,the
pumpoutletpressureis150psia,asspecifiedandtheoutletpressureofthesystemis59psia.

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Figure21Pipe1inletandoutletstreams

Ifthedesiredpressureis14.7psia,howcanthatbeachieved?Onesimplewayistorecognizethatthepressure
dropacrosspipeelement#1foraflowrateof200gpmisfixed.Thispressuredropis15059=91psi.Thepump
pressuremustbe14.7+91=105.7psia.Ifwesetthisasthenewpumppressureandrunthesimulation,the
desiredpipeoutletpressurewillbeachieved,asshowninFigure22.

Figure22Pipe1inletandoutletstreamswithnewpumppressure

AddaController

Amoreefficientwaytodeterminetherequiredpumppressureisbyaddingafeedbackcontrollertothe
flowsheetasinFigure23.Thefilenameis#3SimpleCaseWithPump&Controller.Inthisway,anyotherchanges
inthesystemlikeflowrateorpipingconfiguration,willbeautomaticallyaccountedforwithouttheneedfora
handcalculation.

Figure23Addingafeedbackcontrollertotheflowsheet
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ThedialogboxforthecontrollerisgiveninFigure24.Wearedeterminingthepumpoutletpressurefora
desiredsystemoutletpressureof14.7psia.UndertheFeedbackOptionstab,setthetoleranceto1e5andlet
CHEMCADdecidehowtovarythepumpoutletpressuretobestarriveatthedesiredoutletpressure.

Figure24Controllersettings

Beforerunningthesimulation,letsarbitrarilysetthepumpoutletpressureat200psiaandrunthesimulation
withthecontrollerturnedoff.SettheControllerModetoControlleroff.Theresultsofthesimulationaregiven
inFigure25,forallstreamsintheflowsheet.

Figure25Streamflowsummarieswithcontrolleroff
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TheDeltaPacrossthedownstreampipeis91psiaswepreviouslycalculated.Thesystemoutletpressureis109
psia.Thepumpoutletpressureof200psiaisset.Notethatthestreampressureatthepumpinlet,18psia,is
higherthanthepressureattheupstreampipeinletof14.7psia.CHEMCADaccountsforthehydrostatic
pressureincreaseduetothe8footdropinelevation.

Nowletsturnthefeedbackcontrolleronandrunthesimulationtodeterminethepumppressure
correspondingtothesystemoutletpressureof14.7psia.Figure26showsthesimulationresultsandthatthe
pumpoutletpressureiscorrectlydeterminedat105.7psia.

Figure26Streamflowsummarieswithcontrolleron

Thisflowsheetcanbeusedtodeterminetheoperatingcurveforthissystem.Thiscurveshowstherelationship
betweenthepumpoutletpressure,orhead,andthesystemflowrate.InCHEMCAD,thiscaneasilybe
calculatedusingthepowerfulSensitivityStudyfeature.Withasensitivityanalysis,wecanmakerepetitive
simulationsautomaticallychangingtheflowrateincrementallyandcalculatingthepumpheadateach
increment.Youcangenerateagraphofpumpheadvs.flowratethatcanbesuperimposedonthepump
operatingcurvetodeterminethepumpsoperatingpointandactualsystemflowrate.

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Toaccessanexistingsensitivityanalysis,selectRun>SensitivityStudy>[studyname]>Edit,asshowninFigure
27.ThenameoftheanalysisinthiscaseisPumpHeadvsFlowRate.

Figure27Accessingthesensitivitystudy

ThefirsttabintheEditSensitivityStudydialogboxiscalledAdjusting,asshowninFigure28.Onthispagewe
specifytheindependentvariablewewishtoveryincrementally.

Figure28TheAdjustingtab

TheindependentvariableistheflowrateofStream1ingpm.Specifytheflowrangeyouwantandthesizeof
eachstepchangeinflow.Theflowrangeis50500gpmin25gpmincrements.SensitivityanalysisinCHEMCAD
allowsustospecifyasecondindependentvariablethatwillprovideparametricplots.Thiscanbeextremely
usefulinapplicationswherewewanttoexaminetheeffectofchangingtwosystemvariables,forexample,
temperatureandpressure.Asecondindependentvariableisnotneededinthisexample.

ThenextthreetabsofthedialogboxarelabelledRecording.AsshowninFigures29and30,thesepagesallow
youtorecorduptotwelvevariablesofinterestfortheanalysisateachincrementalstepofCHEMCADs
calculations.

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Figure29Recording(dependent)variablesforsensitivitystudy

Figure30Recordingvariables,continued

Withthevariablesallspecified,youcannowexecutetheRunAllcommandforthesensitivitystudy,usingthe
menupathshowninFigure27.TabularresultscanbeobtainedbyclickingonReportResultsinthesame
submenu.ThetabulatedresultsaregiveninFigure31.

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Figure31Tabularresultsfromthesensitivitystudy

Toobtaingraphicalresults,usethesamemenupathandclickonPlotResults.Anewdialogboxopensasshown
inFigure32,givingthevariablesyoumightwanttoplot.InthiscaseyoushouldplotHeadvssystemflowrate.
ThegraphproducedisgiveninFigure33.

Figure32SensitivityPlotdialogbox

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Figure33Sensitivitystudyplot

AddthePumpCurves

TypicalpumpoperatingcurvesareshowninFigure34(4).

Figure34Typicalpumpcurves

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ThispaperbyFernandez,K.,etal.,entitledUnderstandingtheBasicsofCentrifugalPumpOperation,provides
anexcellentsummaryofthetopic.Thepumpoperatingcurvesrelatetotalhead,power,NPSHR,andefficiency
toflowrateforspecificpumpimpellerdiameters.Totalheadisdefinedasthedifferenceinpressurebetween
theoutletandinletofthepumpexpressedinfeetofwatercolumn.

TheflowsheetforaddingpumpcurvesisshowninFigure35.Thefilenameis
#4SimpleCaseWithPumpCurve&Controller.

Figure35Flowsheetforpumpcurve

IfyouopenthepumpdialogboxandchooseSpecifyperformancecurve,asshowninFigure36,youcanseethat
thepumpspeedisarequiredspecification.Pumpspeedshouldbeavailablefromthepumpvendorandisoften
providedonthepumpcurves.ClickingOKproducesthefilledininputformforpumpcurves,asshowninFigure
37.

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Figure36Pumpspecifications

Figure37Pumpperformancecurve

WecanplotthetotalheadvsflowratecurveforthepumpfromFigure37andtheheadvsflowrateforthe
systemfromthetablegiveninFigure31onanExcelspreadsheet,asshowninFigure38.Wheretheycrossisthe
flowratethepumpshoulddeliver.Thisflowrateisabout366gpm.

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Figure38Systemoperatinglineandpumpcurve

NowletsruntheCHEMCADsimulationfortheflowsheetinFigure35toseeifthisresultismatched.Figure39,
obtainedbyclickingReport>StreamProperties>AllStreamsonthemainCHEMCADmenu,showsthatthe
flowrateisindeedaccuratelydeterminedbyCHEMCADusingthepumpcurve.Ifalowerflowrateisdesired,say
200gpm,acontrolvalveneedstobeaddedtotheline.

Figure39Streamsummaryusingpumpcurve

NPSHRandNPSHA

However,beforewedothis,letsdigressanddefineNPSHR,netpositivesuctionheadrequired,andNPSHA,net
positivesuctionheadavailable.Theformerisacharacteristicofthepumpandmustbespecifiedbythepump
manufacturer.Thelatterisacharacteristicofthepipeconfigurationandthefluidbeingpumped.Itmustbe
calculatedasisdonebyCHEMCAD.

NPSHAistheabsolutepressureatthesuctionportofthepump.

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NPSHRistheminimumpressurerequiredatthesuctionportofthepumptopreventthepumpfromcavitating.

Topreventcavitation,NPSHAmustbegreaterthanNPSHR.Moresuctionsidepressuremustbeavailablethanis
requiredbythepump.Pumpcavitationoccurswhenthepressureatthepumpinletisbelowthevaporpressure
oftheliquid.Vaporbubblesformatthepumpinletandaremovedtothedischargesideofthepumpwhere
theycollapseoftencausingpittinganddamagetothepumpimpellers.Ifcavitationoccurs,thepumpwillbe
noisy,willexperiencelossofcapacityandreducedoperationallife.NPSHAiscalculatedfromthefollowing
equation:

NPSHA=HA+HZHF+HVHVP

where:

HA=theabsolutepressureonthesurfaceoftheliquidinthesupplytank.

HZ=theverticaldistancebetweenthesurfaceoftheliquidinthesupplytankandthecenterlineofthe
pump.Thisispositiveifthesupplytankisabovethepumpandnegativeifitisbelow.Asthefeedtanklevel
dropsduringpumping,theNPSHAwillalsodrop.

HF=thefrictionallossesinthesuctionpipingfromthesupplytanktothepumpinlet.

HV=thevelocityheadatthepumpsuctionport.Thisisusuallysmallandisoftenignored.

HVP=absolutevaporpressureoftheliquidatthepumpingtemperature.

ThecalculationsshouldbedoneinpressureunitsoffeetofwatercolumntomatchthewayNPSHRisusually
specified.Inparticular,HZ,theliquidstaticheadmusttakeliquiddensityintoaccountforliquidsotherthan
water.

FortheexampleofFigure35,NPSHAiscalculatedasfollowsusingresultsobtainedfromtheCHEMCAD
simulation:

NPSHA=14.696+3.46820.2802+00.2564=17.383psia

Thisisequivalentto40.66feetofwatercolumn.CHEMCADcalculates40.7feetasshowninFigure40,obtained
fromReport>UnitOps>SelectUnitOps>6>OKfromthemainCHEMCADmenu.

Figure40Pumpsummary
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AddaControlValvetoAchieveaDesiredFlowRate

Nowletsaddacontrolvalvedownstreamofthepumptocontroltheflowtothedesired200gpm.Thereare
manyonlinesourcesforcontrolvalvesizing(58).BlackmonkEngineering(7)inparticular,providesanexcellent
stepbystepcalculationguideforsizingacontrolvalve.Guidelinesforchoosingalinearvalveoranequal
percentagevalvearediscussedin(9).

CHEMCADprovidesacontrolvalvesizingoption.Itisimportanttopointoutthatthisisastartingpointforactual
valveselection.Irecommendthatyouuseasizingguidesimilarto(7)andvendorsuppliedsoftwaretofinalize
thedesign.

Tobeginthecontrolvalvesizingforthisproblem,estimatetherequiredcontrolvalvepressuredroptoachieve
200gpmflowrate.Wecaneasilydothisbygoingbacktothesimulationwithfilename
#3SimpleCaseWithPump&Controller.Thisflowsheetcorrespondstothecasewherewesettheinletflowto200
gpmandusedacontrollertosettheoutletpumppressuresothatthesystemoutletpressureis14.7psia.

AsshowninFigure41,forsimulationwithfilename#5SimpleCaseEstimateControlValveDeltaP,weadda
controlvalveandshowthepressureatvariouspointsinthepipelinecorrespondingto200gpmflowrate.Note
thatthecalculationcontrollerisremovedbecausethecontrolvalveoutletpressurecanbesetinthecontrol
valvedialogbox.

Figure41FlowsheetforestimatingcontrolvalvedeltaP

Theactualpumpoutletpressureisobtainedfromthetotalheadvsflowratecurveforthepump.Remember
thatthetotalheadisthedifferencebetweenthepumpoutletandinletpressuresexpressedinunitsoffeetof
watercolumn.Thetotalheadat200gpmis327.8feetofwatercolumn,asshowninFigure37.Thiscorresponds
to142.08psia.Addingthistothepumpinletpressureof18.08psiagivesanabsolutepumpoutletpressureof
160.19psia.CHEMCADcalculates159.97psia,whichwewilluseinourcalculations.

Thepressuredropacrossthedownstreampipefor200gpmflowis91psia,fromthesimulation
#3SimpleCaseWithPump&Controller.Thus,thepressureatthepipeoutletis68.97psia.Weknowthatthe
systemoutletpressureis14.7psia,sothecontrolvalvepressuredropmustbeapproximately54.27psia.
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NowletssizethecontrolvalvewithCHEMCADin#5SimpleCaseEstimateControlValveDeltaP.Weneedto
determinethevalveinletpressure,sowesettheoutletpressureofthepumpto159.97psia,asshowninthe
dialogboxinFigure42.

Figure42Pumpdialogforcontrolvalvesizing

Figure43showstheunspecifiedcontrolvalvedialogbox.Asyoucansee,thevalveCvanddownstreampressure
areunspecified.Thedefaultsarelinearvalveandcalculatevalvepositionforaspecifiedflowrate.

Figure43UnspecifiedControlValvedialogbox

Wenowrunthesimulationfortheunitsupstreamofthevalve,namely,thepumpinletpipe,thepump,andthe
outletpipe.Thisestablishestheinletpressuretothecontrolvalve.ThestreamsummaryinFigure44showsthat
thisis68.97psia.

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Figure44Controlvalvesizing,streamsupstreamofvalve

IfwenowclickonStream2,thecontrolvalveinletstream,wecanselectcontrolvalvesizingunderthesizing
option.ThisopensthedialogboxinFigure45,whichisfilledinforthisexample;theoutletpressureissetat
14.7psia.

Figure45ControlValveSizingdialogbox

ClickingOKbringsupthesizingrecommendationgiveninFigure46.Thestreampressureinformationwe
providedisusedinthevalvesizingalgorithm.

Figure46CHEMCADrecommendedcontrolvalvesizing

CHEMCADrecommendsa2inchvalvewithacorrespondingCvof36.ThecalculatedCViswhatisrequiredfor
theproblemandCHEMCADchoosesthenexthighernumbercorrespondingtoavalvesize,inthiscase36.
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PleasenotethatCvandvalvesizemayvaryfromvendortovendor.Forexample,anEmerson2inchESglobe
valvewithlineartrimhasaCvof65.3atavalveopeningof100%(7).Returningtothevalvedialogboxby
doubleclickingthevalvesymbol,weseethatthevalveCvandvalveoutletpressureareenteredautomatically.

Nowletsrunthefullflowsheet.Figure47providesastreamsummaryshowingallofthestreampressuresas
indicatedontheflowsheet.

Figure47Summaryshowingallstreampressuresinflowsheet

Openingthevalvedialogboxshowsthatthevalveis84%open.Ifwetrya3inchvalvewithCvof75asper
CHEMCAD,thevalveis40.3%open.Theusualguidelineforvalveopeningatmaximumexpectedflowrateis20
80%.Accordingly,Iwouldchoosethe3inchcontrolvalve.Thevalvecanalsobepositionedbetweenthepump
andthepipeasshowninthefilecalled#6SimpleCaseControlValveAfterPump.

AddaRestrictionOrifice

CHEMCADpermitstheadditionofarestrictionorificeplatetoapipingsystem.Thisisdemonstratedinthe
CHEMCADfilecalled#7SimpleCaseWithControlValve&RO.TosizetheRO,rightclickstream4,thepumpoutlet,
andselectSizing>OrificeSizing.Thisopensthefilledinorificesizingdialogbox,asshowninFigure48.

Figure48TheOrificeSizingdialogbox

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Requiredinputsarepressuretaplocations,pipeinsidediameter,andpressuredropininchesofwatercolumn.
InformationaboutorificeconfigurationandpressuretaplocationsisavailableintheChemicalEngineers
Handbook(10).Thepressuredropchosenforthisexampleis10psi.IfyouclickOK,theCHEMCAD
recommendedsizingisshown,asinFigure49.

Figure49Recommendedorificesizing

Therecommendedborediameteris1.85inches,andtheflowresistancefactor,Kr,is46.Krisusedtoinsertthe
orificeintothepipeUnitOpthatfollowsthepump.

Returningtotheflowsheet,doubleclickpipeUnitOp1,thenselecttheValvestabasshowninFigure50.The
valueforKrmustbeinserted;itisnotautomaticallytransferredfromtheorificesizingprocedure.Rememberto
fillintheCountbox,asshown,toprovidethenumberoforifices.

Figure50AddingKrvaluetothePipespecifications

Whenyourunthesimulation,youwillseethatthefrictionalpressuredropacrosspipeUnitOp1hasincreased
by7.88psi,whiletheDeltaPacrossthevalvehasdecreasedbythesameamount.Thevalvepositionhas
increasedfrom40.3%opento43.6%,toadjustforthelowerDeltaP.

27

Part2ofthispaperwillexpandthescopeofinvestigationtoanalysisofmorecomplicatedsystemswith
branchedpiping.

Appendix:ReferencedTables

Table22,SuggestedFluidVelocitiesinPipeandTubing(Ludwig,1977)

28


Table27,FlowofWaterThroughSchedule40SteelPipe(Crane,1957)

29

References

1.CHEMCAD5.6PipingSystemTutorial,http://www.chemstations.com/Downloads/

2.TechnicalPaperNo.410,CraneCo.,EngineeringDivision,Chicago,1957

3.Ludwig,E.E.,AppliedProcessDesignforChemicalandPetrochemicalPlants,Vol.1,2ndEd,GulfPublishing
Company,Houston,Texas,page54,1977

4.Fernandez,K.,et.al.,UnderstandingtheBasicsofCentrifugalPumpOperation,CEP,52,May,2002

5.Monsen,J.,SizeMatters:Controlvalvesizing101,http://www.valin.com/resources/articles/sizematters
controlvalvesizing101

6.Headley,M.C.,GuidelinesforSelectingtheProperValveCharacteristics,ValveMagazine,Vol.15,No.2,2003

7.HowToSolveALiquidControlValve,http://blackmonk.co.uk/2009/11/13/howtosizealiquidcontrolvalve/

8.ParcolBulletin,ACA010101/16Handbookforcontrolvalvesizing,
http://www.parcol.com/index.asp?menu=downloads#doc_type1

9.http://www.controlglobal.com/articles/2015/linearorequalpercentagevalveswhenshouldiusewhich/

10.Perry,R.H.andChilton,C.H.,ChemicalEngineersHandbook,FifthEdition,Section5,pages,1214,1973

AuthorInformation

JeffreyL.SilversteinisaprivateConsultingProcessSimulationEngineer&Analyst.Heprovidesadvancedprocess
analysis,processsimulation,andprocessdesignservicestosmallandmediumsizedchemicalcompanies.Hehas
39yearsofexperienceasaSeniorProcessSimulationEngineerwithAmericanCyanamidCompanyandCytec
Industries,andservedasthecompanyexpertondistillation,solventrecovery,andairemissioncontrol.In
addition,heledCHEMCADworkshopstoteachpracticalapplicationstoplantengineersthroughoutthe
company.HeholdsaPhDinChemicalEngineeringfromTheCityUniversityofNewYork.Dr.Silversteincanbe
reachedbyemailatJLS@ProcessSimulationExpress.comandbyphoneat2017396850.Hewelcomesyour
inquiriesregardinghisservices.

30

 UsingCHEMCADforPipingNetworkDesignandAnalysis

Part2BranchedPipingNetworks

By

JeffreyL.Silverstein,PhD
Director
ProcessSimulationExpressLLC
Ramsey,NJ07446

Abstract

CHEMCADisapowerfultoolfordesigningandanalyzingcomplexpipingnetworks.Itenablestheengineerto
integratethepipingnetworksimulationintotheoverallprocesssimulation,calculatingamomentumbalancein
additiontoaheatandmaterialbalance.Thismakesitpossibletoquicklyevaluatetheeffectsofchangesinthe
processconcept,orofitschemicals,onthepipingnetwork.

Part1ofthispaperpresentedatutorialonhowtousethepipingnetworktoolforunbranchedpipeanalysis.In
Part2wewilladdcomplexitywithmorecomplicatednetworks,culminatinginexamplesthatdemonstratehow
CHEMCADcanbeusedtoanalyzepracticalplantpipingproblems.

Introduction

TheCHEMCADsoftwaresuiteisapowerfultoolfordesigningandanalyzingcomplexpipingnetworks(1).InPart
1ofthispaper,yousawhowtouseCHEMCADtoanalyzeunbranchedflowproblems.Inthispaper,Part2,we
willexploremorecomplicatedpipingnetworksinwhichflowinasinglepipeisdividedbetweentwoormore
downstreampipes,suchasthedistributionofcoolingtowerwatertovariousplantheatexchangersandprocess
vessels.Wewillalsoexaminethecombiningoftheflowsfromseveralpipelinesintoasinglepipe,asmightbe
seeninthereturntoacoolingtower.Indeed,complexpipingsystemsarenothingmorethancompilationsof
sectionsofpipelinesthatinvolvedividingandcombiningflows.

Wewillbeginbyexaminingbasicdividingandcombiningconfigurations,andseehowthesecanbesolvedusing
CHEMCADcontrollers.Thetwobasicconfigurationswillthenbecombinedintoasimplenetwork.Againthe
solutionwillbedemonstratedusingCHEMCADcontrollers.

Nextwewillexplorethesolutionofpipingnetworkproblemsusinganodalmethod,anddiscusssimplerulesfor
usingnodesinCHEMCAD.AlthoughCHEMCADcontrollerscanbeusedtosolvepipingnetworks,asthe
complexityincreasesitbecomesmoredifficulttodeterminethepositionandsettingsforthecontrollers.In
particular,specifyinglimitsonflowratesthatpreventflowsheetnonconvergencefromoccurringcanbe
challenging.Simulationofthepipingnetworkonesectionatatimetoestablishflowraterangesforinclusionin
thecontrollersoftheflowsheetcanbefrustratingandtimeconsuming.

Thesimplerulesforusingnodesmitigatetheseissues,andprovideforstraightforwardsimulationoftheentire
flowsheet.However,withverycomplexnetworks,itisstilladvisabletobuildthenetworkbyconvergingit
sectionbysection.

Finally,wewilllookatpracticalplantpipingexamples,andseehowCHEMCADcanbeusedtoanalyzethese
examplestounderstandandcorrecttheplantissue.

SimpleDividedFlowProblemUsingControllers

Letsstartwiththesimpledividedflowproblemwiththefilename#1SimpleDividedFlowControllerSolution.
TheflowsheetisgiveninFigure1.

Figure1Simpledividedflowproblemflowsheet

Fordetailsaboutthepump,heatexchanger,andpipingspecifications,seethesimulationfile.Thetemperature
andpressure(80Fand14.7psia,respectively)ofthefeedstream,stream1,arefixed.Thepressuresoftheexit
streamsareeachfixedat14.7psiaandthepressuredropsoftheheatexchangersare3and2psi,respectively,
asnotedinFigure1.Theoutlettemperatureofeachexchangeris100F.

Thecontrollersareusedtofixthepressureforeachoftheexitstreamsat14.7psia.Controller7adjuststheflow
ofstream1toaccomplishthisforstream7.Controller8accomplishesthisforStream8,byadjustingtheflow
ratiospecificationinthedivider.Aspecifiedrangeofpermissibledividersettingsisprovidedinthecontroller
dialogbox,namely,0.100.90.Theinitialdividersettingsplitstheflowequallytoeachbranch.

LetssettheflowforStream1at10gpm,asshowninFigure2.

Figure2Specificationsforstream1

RunningthesimulationnowresultsinthestreaminformationgiveninFigure3.Thetotalflowisabout66gpm,
with39gpmgoingtotheupperpipeand27gpmtothelower.Thismakessensesincetheupperpipeis100feet
shorterthantheloweroneanditselevationchangeis5feetlower.

Figure3Flowsummary,simpledividedflowcontrollersolution

SimpleCombiningFlowProblemUsingControllers

Thefilenameforthesimplecombiningflowproblemis#2SimpleCombiningFlowControllerSolution.The
flowsheetisgiveninFigure4.FordetailsaboutthepipingandotherUnitOps,seethesimulationfile.

Figure4Flowsheetforsimplecombiningflowusingcontrollers

Asnotedontheflowsheet,therearesevenindependentvariablesandfourindependentequationsthatdefine
theflowproblem.Threeindependentvariablesmustbespecifiedtopermitsolution.Thesearethepressuresof
thefeedstreamsandtheexitstream.

Controller1adjuststheflowofstream2tofixtheoutletpressureat20psig.Controller3adjuststheflowof
Stream1sothatthepressuresofstreams5and6areequalastheyenterthemixer,UnitOp8.Theinitialsetting
forthepressureoutletofthemixerisleftblankinthemixerdialogbox.

Settheflowforstreams1and2at10gpm,asshowninFigure5.


Figure5Feedstreamspecifications

RunningthesimulationnowresultsinthestreaminformationgiveninFigure6.Thetotalflowisabout13.3
gpm,with7.7gpmflowingthroughtheupperpipeand5.7gpmthroughthelower.Thismakessense,sincethe
lowerpipehasalargerequivalentlength.

Figure6Flowsummaryforsimplecombiningflowcontrollersolution

SimpleNetworkUsingControllers

Wenowcombinethesimpledividedflowflowsheetwiththesimplecombiningflowflowsheettoconstructa
simplenetwork,asshowninFigure7.Thefilenameis#3SimpleNetworkControllerSolution.Fordetails
aboutthepipingandotherUnitOps,seethesimulationfile.


Figure7Flowsheetforsimplenetworkusingcontrollers

Thisflowsheetcombinesthetwopreviousones,toconstructasimplenetworksimilartoacoolingsystem
networkinaplant.Acoldwaterstreamat80Ffromthecoolingtowerissplittoprovidecoolingfortwoheat
exchangers.Thestreamsarerecombinedandreturnedtothecoolingtower.

Weneedtoknowtheflowrateprovidedbythepump,thepumpoutletpressure,theflowratesofthetwo
streams,andthepressureaftertheyrecombine.Thereareonlytwoindependentvariables:oneatthesystem
inletandoneatthesystemoutlet.Whenthesearespecified,alloftheflowrelatedvariablesbetweenthem,the
interiorvariables,canbecalculated.

Inthisexample,theindependentvariablesarethesysteminletandoutletpressures.Controller13iteratively
calculatesthestreamsplituntiltherespectivepressuresofthestreamsareequalwhentheyrecombine.
Controller14iterativelycalculatestheflowrateintothepumpuntilthesystemoutletpressureequals14.7psia,
thevaluefixedinitiallyasoneoftheindependentvariables.

Ifeitheroftheindependentvariablesischanged,alloftheinteriorvariableswillalsochange.Itisnot
surprising,however,thatifthesysteminletandoutletpressuresareequal,thecalculatedflowresultsare
independentoftheactualvalueofthesepressures.ThisisshowninFigure8,forinletandoutletpressuresof
14.7psiaand64.7psia,respectively.

Figure8Flowsummariesforsimplenetworkusingacontroller

Figure9providesthepumpcharacteristicsforeachcase.Becausebothpressureswereincreasedbythesame
amount,theresistancetoflowthatthepumpexperiencesdoesnotchangeanditoperatesatthesamepointon
thepumpcurve.TheNPSHA,howeverdoeschange,becausetheupstreampressurehasincreased.


Figure9Comparisonofpumpcharacteristicsforthetwocases

SolvingPipingProblemswithControllersSummary

Wehavedemonstratedwiththreesimpleexamplesthatcontrollerscanbeusedtosolveincreasingly
complicatedpipingproblems.Furthermore,wehaveshownthatthenumberofindependentvariablesthatmust
bespecifiedtosolvesuchproblemsisequaltothetotalnumberofindependentsysteminletandoutletstreams.

Forthesimpledividedflowproblemandthesimplecombiningflowproblem,therearethreeindependent
variables,asshowninFigure1andFigure4,respectively.Ineachcasewespecifiedthesysteminletandoutlet
pressures.ThesimplenetworkproblemofFigure7hasonlyoneinletandoneoutletstream,andonlytwo
independentvariables.

UsingCHEMCAD,itispossibletoaddanynumberofsimplenetworkpipingconfigurationstogethertodevelop
andsimulatecomplexpipingsystemsusedinplantwidecoolingtowernetworks,rawmaterialdistribution
networks,solventcollectionsystems,liquidwastecollection,andvaporemissionstoflareorscrubbersystems.

Ineachcase,thenumberofdegreesoffreedomisdeterminedbythenumberofindependentinletandoutlet
streams.Asthesystemsbecomemoreandmorecomplex,however,thedifficultyinsimulationliesin
determiningthelocationandsettingsofthecontrollersinternaltothesystemthatarerequiredtocompletethe
calculation.Thiscanbequitefrustratingandtimeconsuming.

UsingNodesforPipingNetworkSimulation

CHEMCADoffersasimpleandrobustalternativetousingcontrollersthatdoesnotrequirethedetailsof
feedbackcontrollercalculationstobeconsciouslyconsidered.Thisapproachusesnodes.Itisonlynecessaryto
determineandsetthevaluesofthesystemindependentvariablesateachoftheindependentinletandoutlet
streamsofthesystem.Aswillbeshown,althoughnodesarerequiredtobeplacedatinteriorpositionsinthe
pipingnetworkflowsheet,theirsettingsareallidenticalandinvariant.

TheuseofnodesforpipingnetworksoriginatedwithHardyCross,astructuralengineeringprofessoratthe
UniversityofIllinoisatUrbanaChampaign.TheHardyCrossMethod,firstpublishedin1936,isaniterative
methodfordeterminingtheflowinpipenetworksystemswheretheinputsandoutputsareknown,buttheflow
insidethenetworkisunknown(2).Otherinvestigators(36),havesoughttoimproveontheoriginalmethod
overtheyears.

Letsbeginwithasinglepipeelement,asshowninFigure10.Thecorrespondingfilenameis#4SinglePipeWith
Nodes.

Figure10Singlepipewithnodesflowsheet

Thisisasimpleexampleofnodestodemonstratetheiruse.Therearethreevariablesthatdefinetheflow
problem:theflowrateandtheinletandoutletpressures.Therearetwodegreesoffreedomforthisproblem.
Wemustfixthesedegreesoffreedombyspecifyinganytwoofthethreevariables.Thethirdvariablecanthen
becalculated.

ThedialogboxforthenodeinthefeedstreamisshowninFigure11.

Figure11Nodedialogboxforinletwithfixedflowrate

Therearetwoinputchoicesforthisinletnode.Youcanspecifyeitherthesysteminletpressureortheinletflow
rate.Forthisexample,fixtheinletflowrateat20gpm.Massandmolarflowunitscanalsobespecified,if
desired.ThepressurespecificationisVariablepressurebecausethisvaluewillbecalculated.

Alternatively,youcanfixthepressureandfillinavalueforit,andlettheflowratebethecalculatedvariableby
designatingthestreamintothenodeasaFreeinletstream.ThisisshowninFigure12.

Figure12Nodedialogboxforinletwithfixedpressure

Inbothcases,indeedforeveryinletnode,theoutletstreamflowthedownstreampipeinthiscaseissetto
FlowsetbyUnitOP.

Nowletslookatthesettingsfortheoutletnode,showninFigure13.

Figure13Nodedialogboxforoutletwithfixedpressure

Therearetwoinputchoicesforthisoutletnode.Youcanspecifyeitherthesystemoutletpressureortheoutlet
flowrate.Forthisexample,fixtheoutletpressureat14.7psia.TheoutletflowspecificationissettoFreeoutlet
stream,astheflowratehasalreadybeenspecifiedintheinletnode.Foreveryoutletnode,theinletstreamflow
specificationisFlowsetbyUnitOP,theupstreampipeinthiscase.

Itisimportanttonotethatthepipingelevationatthephysicallocationofeachnodeinaflowsheetneedstobe
specifiedintheNodedialogbox,asitisinFigure13,fortheoutletnode.Thepipedialogboxshowsanelevation
of200feetthatmustbeindicatedforthenodefollowingthepipe.Foraseriesofpipeswithchanging
elevations,theelevationatagivennodeisthesumoftheelevationsofthepipesupstreamofit.

LetslookattheConvergencedialogbox,asshowninFigure14,accessedfromthemainCHEMCADmenuby
selectingRun>Convergence.NotethatthecalculationsequenceisSimultaneousmodular.Whenapiping
simulationissetupinCHEMCADwithnodes,thecalculationsequenceautomaticallydefaultstothissetting.

Figure14TheConvergenceParametersdialogboxwithSimultaneousmodularcalculationsequenceselected

Ifthepipedialogboxisopen,asshowninFigure15,weseethatthesizingoptionusedisRating(default).
CHEMCADsuggeststhatforpipingsimulationswithnodes,thesizingoptionchoiceshouldbe:Givensize,Pin
andPout,calcflowrate.Inmypersonalexperience,Ihavefoundthatbothofthesesizingoptionswork.
However,sinceChemstationsrecommendsthelatter,Isuggestthatthereaderfollowit.


Figure15PipedialogwithRating(default)sizingoptionselected

Letsnowrunthe20gpmflowratecase.Therequiredupstreampressureis106.7psia.Openthepipedialogbox
tocheckresults,asshowninFigure16.

Figure16CalculatedresultsforthepipeUnitOp

Tohaveflowthroughthispipe,enoughupstreampressureneedstobeappliedtoovercomethe200feetof
elevation,correspondingto86.6psia.Whathappensiftheupstreampressureis75psiaandthedownstream
pressureis15psia?TheDeltaPat60psiaisnotsufficienttoovercomethepipingelevationchange,andnoflow
wouldoccur.Waterwouldenterthepipeandrisetoheightcorrespondingtothe60psiapressuredifferential,
roughly138feet.HowdoesCHEMCADhandlethissituation?

LetssettheinletpressureattheInletNodeto75psia,asshowninFigure17,andchangetheoutletpressureat
theOutletNodeto15psia.

10


Figure17Inletnodefixedpressureat75psia

Whenthissimulationruns,itconvergesmathematically.However,CHEMCADcalculatesanegativeflowrate.
ThecalculatedinletandoutletstreamsaregiveninFigure18.

Figure18Flowsummariesforpipeinletandoutletstreams

RulesforUsingNodes

Nowletsdefinesomesimplerulesandstrategiesforusingnodesincomplexpipingnetworks.Therearethree
combinationsofsettingsthataretypicalforinletandoutletnodes,asshowninFigure19.Ineachcasetwo
variablesarefixedandoneiscalculated.Figure20providessomeguidelinesforcomplexpipingnetwork
simulationswithCHEMCAD.

11


Figure19Rulesforusingnodestosimulatepipingnetworks

Figure20GuidelinesforbuildingpipingnetworksimulationsusingCHEMCAD

12

SimpleNetworkUsingNodes

Nowletsgobacktothesimplenetworkproblemandsolveitwithnodes.TheflowsheetisgiveninFigure21.
Thefilenameis#5SimpleNetworkSolveWithNodes.

Figure21Solvingthesimplenetworkproblemusingnodes

Thereisoneinletstreamandoneoutletstream,sotherearetwodegreesoffreedom.Thesysteminletand
outletpressuresarespecified,asshownintheinletandoutletnodedialogboxes,giveninFigure22andFigure
23,respectively.

Figure22Specifyingsysteminletpressure

13


Figure23Specifyingsystemoutletpressure

Thesysteminletandoutletflowsaredesignatedasfreestreams,tobecalculatedbyCHEMCAD.Allofthe
internalnodeshaveidenticalsettings:variablepressureandflowinandflowoutsetbytheupstreamand
downstreamUnitOp,respectively.Inflowsheetsthataredifficulttoconverge,itisoftenhelpfultoestimatethe
pressureatinternalnodes,asindicatedintheguidelinesprovidedinFigure20.Notethattheelevationvalues
shownintheNodedialogboxesreflecttheelevationchangesofthepipesectionsintheflowsheet.

Letssettheflowrateforstream1at10gpm,asshowninFigure24,andrunthesimulation.Figure25showsa
comparisonoftheresultsforthesolutionusingcontrollersandthatusingnodes.Theyareidentical,asone
wouldexpect.

Figure24Settingstream1flowrateto10gpm

14


Figure25Comparisonofusingcontrollersandnodes,showingthatresultsareidentical

Now,letsendthispaperwithtwoexamplesthatdemonstratehowCHEMCADspipingpackagecanbeusedto
analyzerealplantproblems.

LowerThanExpectedRawMaterialDeliveryRate

Anacrylicacid(AA)offloadingpipingsystemhasbeendesignedforaplantlocatedinEurope.Thedesignflow
rateis50,000L/hr(220gpm)sothatthedeliverytruckcouldbeoffloadedinnomorethan30minutes.The
actualobservedrateafterstartupwasabout35,000L/hr,resultinginanoffloadtimeofabout43minutes.
Whyistheflowratelowerthanexpected,andhowcanitbeimprovedwithoutincurringalargecost?

TheAAoffloadingpipingsystem,asdesigned,isshowninFigure26.

Figure26Flowsheetofacrylicacidoffloadingpipingsystem

Acrylicacidisdeliveredtotheplantbytruck.Theoperatorusesflexiblehosetoconnecttothehardpipeatthe
inlettotheplantacrylicacidpump.Theflowoutofthepumphastwobranches;thefirstgoestotheplants
acrylicacidstoragetank,andthesecondgoestotheacrylateprocess.

15

Whenthestoragetankisbeingloaded,theflowtotheprocessisblocked.Thesamepumpisusedtofeedthe
processfromthestoragetank.So,whenacrylicacidisdelivered,ittakestwopathstothestoragetank.The
CHEMCADfileforthisdesigncaseis#6AAOffloadSystemDesignCase.Thedetailsofthepipingcanbe
reviewedbyopeningthedialogboxesforeachoftheUnitOps.

Theinletandoutletnodes,respectively,settheinletandoutletpressuresat14.7psia.The3controlvalvehasa
Cvof75andissetat100%open,asshowninFigure27.

Figure27ControlValvedialogboxforAAoffloaddesigncase

Whenyouruntheflowsheet,youseethatthemaximumflowtotheAAstoragetankis57,128L/hr,whichwill
deliverthedesiredquantityofAAinlessthan30minutes.TheresultsaregiveninFigure28.

Figure28MaximumflowtoAAtank

Thepipingdesignasconceivedisadequatefordeliveringthedesiredflow.WhatcouldberestrictingtheAA
flow?

Onepossibilityisthattheinstalledvalvetrimisnotright.Supposearestrictedcapacitytrimwassupplied.Many
restrictedcapacitytrimcombinationsaredesignedtofurnishabout40%offullsizetrimcapacity.Letssuppose
thisoccurredinthisplant,andrunanothersimulationwiththevalvepositionsetat40%open.Thefilenameis
#7AAOffloadSystemReducedValveTrim,andtheControlValvedialogboxisshowninFigure29.

16


Figure29ControlValvedialogboxsetto40%open

Whenyourunthisflowsheet,youseethattheflowtotheAAstoragetankisnow35,458L/hr.Theresultsare
giveninFigure30.

Figure30MaximumflowtoAAtankwithvalve40%open

Thisflowisconsistentwithwhattheplantactuallyexperienced.Whenthevalvemanufacturerwascalledin,it
wasfoundthat,indeed,arestrictedcapacitytrimwassupplied.Whenthevalvewasreplacedwithonehaving
thecorrecttrim,thedesiredflowwasachieved.

17

Canafeedlinetoascrubberbetiedintoanexistingprocessfeedline?

Anexistinglinefeedsmolarexcessmethanolfromtherecoveredmethanolstoragetanktoaprocessthatuses
methanolasareactant.ThepipingarrangementisshowninFigure31.DetailscanbefoundintheCHEMCADfile
called#8OriginalRecoveredMethanolLineToProcess.

Figure31Flowsheetforrecoveredmethanollinetoprocessproblem

Heretofore,theplanthasusedfreshmethanolasthescrubbingfluidforvaporventedtotheatmosphere.Ithas
beendeterminedthatitiseconomicallyadvantageoustouserecoveredmethanolinsteadoffreshasthe
scrubbingfluid.

Theplantwouldliketotieinanewfeedlinetothescrubberfromtherecoveredmethanolline.Theplant
suggestedtieinisdepictedinFigure32.Thefilenameis#9ProposedPlantPipingTieIn.

Figure32Flowsheetforproposedplantpipingtieinproblem

Beforerunningthissimulation,firstisolatethepipingtieinanddeterminethesupplypressureneededtofeed3
gpmofmethanoltothescrubber.ThepipinglayoutisshowninFigure33,andthefilenameis#10Methanol
ScrubberFeedLineIsolated.

18


Figure33Flowsheetforisolatingthetieintothemethanolscrubber

Whenyourunthissimulationwithafullyopencontrolvalve,youwillseethattheminimumsupplypressureat
node19is11.9psig.Mostofthepressureisrequiredtoovercometheelevationincreaseofthepiping.

Whenyourunthesimulationcallled#8OriginalRecoveredMethanolLineToProcess,asyoucanseefrom
Figure31,thepressureattheproposedtieinpointisonly9.13psig.Consequently,thechosentieinpointwill
notwork.Ifyounowrunthesimulationcalled#9ProposedPlantPipingTieIn,youwillseethatthesimulation
doesnotconverge;theresultsshownegativepressureinthenewline.Therequiredpipelineoutletpressure,
fixedat0.2166psig,cannotbeachieved.

Twosolutionswereoffered.AsshowninFigure34,thefirstrelocatesthenewpipingtothescrubbertoatiein
pointupstreamofcontrolvalveFIC1.Thiscreatesaparallelflowlineandrequiresadditionalpipingasshownin
thefigure.Thefilenameis#11RelocateProposedPlantPipingTieIn.

Figure34FlowsheetshowingrelocationofnewpipingtoapointupstreamofcontrolvalveFIC1

Inthiscase,thereismorethanenoughpressureatnode34toovercomethechangeinpipingelevationand
supply3gpmofmethanoltothescrubber.Notethatmostofthepressuredropinthelineistakenacrossthe
controlvalve.

Thesecondapproachistoaddaboosterpumptothescrubberfeedline.ThisisshowninFigure35.The
filenameis#12ProposedPlantPipingTieInAddPump.Theboosterpumpisaddedtoraisethesupply

19

pressureto20psig.Theplantchosethisoption,ratherthantheadditionalpiping,sincethecostwaslower.

Figure35Flowsheetshowingadditionofaboosterpumptothescrubberfeedline

Inboththisexampleandthepreviousone,CHEMCADprovidedapowerfultoolforanalyzingtheexistingpiping
layoutsandforsimulatingalternativesforcorrectiveaction.Ineachcase,theanalysisledtoasuccessful
modificationofthepipingsystemsothatplantobjectivescouldbemet.

Summary

Part1ofthispaperexplainedhowthevariousCHEMCADUnitOpsthatrelatetopipinganalysiscanbe
configuredtosimulateanunbranchedpipingsystem.ItstartedwithadetailedlookatthePipeUnitOPand
variousmethodsforpipesizingavailableinCHEMCAD.Resultswerecomparedtostandardtabulatedresultsfor
waterwithexcellentagreement.

ApumpUnitOPwasaddedtothepipetodeterminewhatflowwouldbeachievedwiththecorrespondingpump
curve.ThemeaningofNPSHAwasdiscussed.

AcontrolvalveUnitOPwasinsertedintothesimulationtodemonstratehowitcouldbeusedtoachievea
desiredflowrate.Importantconsiderationsforvalveselectionwerediscussed.Itwasshownhowarestriction
orificecanbeaddedtothepipeline.Theeffectonvalvepositiontomaintainthedesiredflowratewas
demonstrated.

Part2extendedthediscussiontobranchedpipingsystems.Itbeganwithdiscussionsontheuseofcontrollers
forsolvingsimpledividedflowandsimplecombiningflowproblems.Thesepipingconfigurationswerethen
combinedintoasimplenetwork.Againitwasshownhowcontrollerscanbeusedtosimulatethissystem.

Asthecomplexityofsuchsystemsincreases,asinacoolingtowerpipingnetwork,itbecomesincreasingly
difficulttoproperlylocatethecontrollersanddeterminethecorrectsettingsforaneasysolution.Toovercome
thesedifficulties,theuseofanodalsolutionapproachwasintroduced.Nodalpositioningandsettingswere
discussedforasinglepipe.Guidelinesfortheuseofnodesincomplexnetworkswereprovided.Thesimple
networkproblempreviouslysolvedwithcontrollerswassolvedusingnodes.Thesolutionswerecomparedand
foundtobeidentical.

Twoactualplantpipingproblemswerethenpresented.ItwasshownhowCHEMCADwasusedtoanalyzethem
andtodeterminedesignmodificationsthatresultedinmeetingplantobjectives.
20

References

1. CHEMCAD5.6PipingSystemTutorial,http://www.chemstations.com/Downloads/

2. Cross,H.,Analysisofflowinnetworksofconduitsorconductors,(PDF).EngineeringExperimentStation.
1.BulletinNo.286,1936.

3. R.W.Jeppson,SteadyFlowAnalysisofPipeNetworks:AnInstructionalManual,1974,
http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1299&context=water_rep

4. M.G.Lopes,ImplementationoftheHardyCrossMethodfortheSolutionofPipingNetworks,Computer
ApplicationsinEngineeringEducation,Volume12,Issue2,pages117125,2004

5. J.Krope,D.Dobersek,D.Goricanec,FlowPressureAnalysisofPipeNetworks
withLinearTheoryMethod,Proceedingsofthe2006WSEAS/IASMEInternationalConferenceonFluid
Mechanics,Miami,Florida,USA,January1820,2006(pp.5962)

6. I.Sarbu,NodalAnalysisModelsofLoopedWaterDistributionNetworks,ARPNJournalofEngineering
andAppliedSciences,Vol.6,No.8,August,2011

AuthorInformation

JeffreyL.SilversteinisaprivateConsultingProcessSimulationEngineer&Analyst.Heprovidesadvancedprocess
analysis,processsimulation,andprocessdesignservicestosmallandmediumsizedchemicalcompanies.Hehas
39yearsofexperienceasaSeniorProcessSimulationEngineerwithAmericanCyanamidCompanyandCytec
Industries,andservedasthecompanyexpertondistillation,solventrecovery,andairemissioncontrol.In
addition,heledCHEMCADworkshopstoteachpracticalapplicationstoplantengineersthroughoutthe
company.HeholdsaPhDinChemicalEngineeringfromTheCityUniversityofNewYork.Dr.Silversteincanbe
reachedbyemailatJLS@ProcessSimulationExpress.comandbyphoneat2017396850.Hewelcomesyour
inquiriesregardinghisservices.

21