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Economic Pipe Diameter

Background: As stated on page 497 of the 4th edition of Peters & Timmerhaus, Piping
is a major item in the cost of chemical process plants. These costs in a fluid-process plant
can run as high as 80 percent of the purchased equipment cost or 20 percent of the fixedcapital investment. The diameter of the pipe strongly influences the present value of the
plant, through both the annual cost of electric power and the installation cost of the piping
system (pipe, pumps, valves, etc.). As one increases the pipe diameter, the cost of the
pipe increases but the pressure drop decreases, so that less power is required to pump
(liquid) or compress (gas). The net result is that there is a minimum cost as manifested in
the net present value (which is negative if one considers the piping system in isolation of
the rest of the plant). The diameter corresponding to this minimum cost is known as the
economic pipe diameter. Several methods have been developed to provide quick
estimates of the economic pipe diameter without going through detailed economic
calculations. These are given below. Before deciding on a diameter, its probably a good
idea to compare the predictions of the methods.
Perrys 5th edition:
The nomograph below was created using cost data from the early 1960's. Since only
relative cost data are important, the economic diameter should not change significantly
over time. To use, draw a straight line between the flow rate (in gallons per minute for
liquids or cubic feet per minute for gases) to the density (top for liquids, bottom for
gases). Where this line crosses the middle scale gives the economic diameter of Schedule
40 steel pipe. Smaller diameters should be used for more expensive piping, larger
diameters for more expensive pumps or compressors.

Peters & Timmerhaus 5th edition (Max S. Peters, Klaus D. Timmerhaus and Ronald E.
West, Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers, McGraw-Hill, NY, 2003)
p 501:
For turbulent flow in steel pipes with an inside diameter t 1 inch (2.54 cm):
 0v.45 U 0.13
D i ,opt | 0.363m

 v is the volumetric flow rate in m3/s


where Di,opt is the optimal inside diameter (m), m
and U is the fluid density in kg/m3. Note that this and the following equations are not
dimensionally consistent, so you must convert all parameters to the specified units.
For viscous flow in steel pipes with an inside diameter t 1 inch:
 0v.40 P 0.13
D i ,opt | 0.133m
where P is the fluid viscosity in Pas.

On page 502, P,T&W give an updated nomograph similar to that above, for both viscous
(laminar) and turbulent flow.
Perrys 7th edition: On page 6-14 it states For low-viscosity liquids in schedule 40
steel pipe, economic optimum velocity is typically in range of 1.8 to 2.4 m/s (5.9 to 7.9
ft/s). For gases with density ranging from 0.2 to 20 kg/m3 (0.013 to 1.25 lbm/ft3), the
economic optimum velocity is about 40 m/s to 9 m/s (131 to30 ft/s). Charts and rough
guidelines for economic optimum size do not apply to multiphase flows.
Towler & Sinnott (Gavin Towler and Ray Sinnott, Chemical Engineering Design:
Principles, Practice and Economics of Plant and Process Design, ButterworthHeinemann/Elsevier, Burlington, MA, 2008) p 269:
For turbulent flow in A106 carbon-steel pipe:
25 to 200 mm,
di,opt = 0.664 G0.51U-0.36
250 to 600 mm,
di,opt = 0.534 G0.43U-0.30
For turbulent flow in 304 stainless-steel pipe:
25 to 200 mm,
di,opt = 0.550 G0.49U-0.35
250 to 600 mm,
di,opt = 0.465 G0.43U-0.31
where di,opt is the optimum diameter in m, G is the flowrate in kg/s, and U is the fluids
density in kg/m3.
Example of detailed optimization:
http://web.ontrackengineering.com/downloads/pipetrackasme.pdf

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