PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARDS
-For design of Piping Systems, knowledge of codes and
standards, selection of proper material of construction and to
detail out the material specifications is essential.
- Industry standards are published by professional societies,
committees and trade organizations.
-Each country has its own Codes and Standards.
-On Global basis, American National Standards are undoubtedly
the most widely used and compliance with those requirements
are accepted all over the world.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
CODE VS STANDARD
- CODE tells you what you need to do.
- STANDARDS tells you how to do it.
- Example:
A CODE may say that a building must have a fire alarm system.
while The STANDARD will spell out what kind of system and how it
must work.
- In case of piping, CODES prescribes requirements for Design,
Fabrication, Erection, Examination, Testing and Inspection. While
STANDARD contains design and contructions rules and
requirements for pipe components, various process services,
materials, equipments.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
COMPLIANCE ACCEPTANCE

- Compliance to CODE is generally

mandated by regulations imposed by
regulatory and enforcement agencies.
- Compliance to STANDARDS is
normally required by the rules of the
applicable code or the purchasers
specification.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
What are RECOMMENDED
PRACTICES:
Documents prepared by professional
groups or committees indicating
good engineering practices but which
are OPTIONAL.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
-The US based American Standards referred
by piping engineers are mainly as follows:
1) ASTM
2) ASME
3) API
4) MSS
5) NACE
6) AWWA
7) AWS

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
Evolution of Pressure Piping Code.
- In the beginning of 20th Century, the need
for a pressure piping code got started.
- To cater this, in March 1926, ASME and ASA
has started the project to develop B31
piping code. A section of Committee B31
was formed.
- In 1935, The 1st Edition of B31 Code got
peblished as the American Tentative
Standard Code for pressure piping.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
- In 1942, change name to American
Standard code for pressure piping ASA
B31.1 and it was published till 1955.
- In 1955, It was then decided to publish as
separate documents in the various industry
sections beginning with ASA B31.8, for Gas
transmission and Distributions piping
systems.
- in 1959, The Petroleum Refinery Piping
Code, ASA B31.3 was first published.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
Then it was followed by:
1) ASME B31.1
2) ASME B31.2 (Fuel Gas Piping) withdrawn
in 1988 and got superseded by ANSI Z223.1
3) ASME B31.3 (Process Piping)
4) ASME B31.4 (Pipeline Transportation
Systems for Liquids and Slurries)
5) ASME B31.5 (Refrigeration Piping and
Heat Transfer Components

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
6) ASME B31.6 (Chemical Plant Piping)
never published instead folded into B31.3.
7) ASME B31.7 (Nuclear Piping)
withdrawn and superseded by ASME Boiler
& Pressure Vessel Code, Section III.
8) ASME B31.8 ( Gas Transmission and
Distribution Piping Systems.
9) ASME B31.9 (Building Services Piping)

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
10) ASME B31.10 (Cryogenic Piping) (Chemical Plant Piping) never
published instead folded into B31.3.
7) ASME B31.11 (Slurry
Transportation Piping Systems).
8) ASME B31.12 (Hydrogen piping
and Pipelines).

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
B. ASME BOILER AND PRESSURE
VESSEL CODE.
It contains 11 sections:
With a 2 section each to power boiler,
heating boiler, pressure vessel and
nuclear power plants components.
Out of this sections, only Section VIII,
Rules for pressure vessels is important
for Process Piping Engineers.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
C. ASTM STANDARDS
The American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) is a technical organizations that
developes and publishes voluntary standards on
the characteristics and performance of
materials, products, systems and services.
The standard published by the ASTM include
test procedures for determining or verifying
characteristics, such as chemical composition,
and measuring performance, such as tensile
strength and bending properties.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
..continue ASTM STANDARDS
The standards cover refined materials, such
as steel and basic products, such as
machinery and fabricated equipment. The
standards are developed by committees
drawn from a broad spectrum of professional,
industrial and commercial interest. Many of
these standards are made mandatory by
reference in applicable piping codes.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
..continue ASTM STANDARDS
Most of the materials of constructions for
process and utility piping system used within a
plant are covered by ASTM specifications.
- Materials and their testing methods are
divided into 15 sections and Each sections
subdivided into various volumes . ASTM covers
materials of construction for industries other
than the petrochemical process facilities and
almost 15 volumes are not relevant to process
industry.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
D. API STANDARDS
The American Petroleum Institute
(API) publishes specifications,
bulletins, recommended practices,
standards and other publications as
an aid to procurement of
standardized equipment and
materials

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
The major ones are:
1) API RP 520 Recommended practice
for sizing, selection and installation of
Pressure Relieving devices in Refineries.
2) API 560 Fired Heaters for General
Refinery Service.
3) API 610 Centrifugal Pumps for
petroleum, petrochemical and Natural
Gas Industries

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
4) API 612 Petroleum, Petrochemical
and Natural Gas Industries - Steam
Turbines special purpose applications.
5) API 617 Axial and Centrifugal
Compressors.
6) API 618 Reciprocating Compressors
7) API 650 Welded Tanks for Oil and
Gas.
8) API 661 Air Cooled Heat Exchangers

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING CODES
1) ASME B31.1- POWER PIPING
- This code provides requirements for piping typically found in
electric power generating stations, in industrial and institutional
plants, geothermal heating systems and central and district
heating and cooling systems.
- It also covers boiler external piping for power boilers and high
temperature and high pressure water boilers in which steam or
vapor is generated at pressures exceeding 160 psig and/or
temperatures exceeding 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- This code is intended for manufacturers, designers, operators
and owners of piping systems including but not limited to
steam, water, oil, gas and all air services plus all potential
governing entities.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING CODES
Continue ASME B31.1
- This code is mainly important for Power piping professionals. It does not
apply to piping systems covered by other section of the code for pressure
piping, and other piping which is specially exclude from the scope of this code.
2) ASME B31.2: Fuel Gas Piping Withdrawn in 1988 and superseded by ANSI
ASC Z223 on National Fuel Gas Code.
- NFPA 54, ANSI Z223.1 provides minimum safety requirements for the design
and installation of fuel gas piping systems in homes and other buildings.
- This codes requirements cover the installation and operation of fuel gas
piping systems, appliances, equipments and related accessories with rules for
piping systems materials and components, piping system testing and purging,
combustion and ventilation air supply, and venting of gas fired appliances
and equipment.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING
CODES
3) ASME B31.3- PROCESS PIPING (Formerly Chemical Plant
and Petroleum Refinary Piping)
- This code normally provides rules for piping typically
found in petroleum refineries, chemical, pharmaceutical,
textile, paper, semiconductor and cryogenic plants, and
related processing plants and terminal including piping for
fluids raw, intermediate and finished chemicals, petroleum
products, gas, steam, air and water, fluidized solids,
refrigerants, cryogenic fluids etc.
- For process piping professionals, this code is the most
important code.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING CODES
4) ASME B31.4- Pipeline Transportation Systems for Liquids and
Slurries.
- This code prescribes requirements for the design, materials,
constructions, assembly, inspection and testing of piping
transporting liquids such as crude oil, condensate, natural
gasoline, natural gas liquids, liquefied petroleum gas, carbon
dioxide, liquid alcohol, liquid petroleum products between
producers lease facilities, tank farms, natural gas processing
plants, refineries, stations, ammonia plants, terminal (marine,
rail truck) and other delivery and receiving points.
- For process pipeline professionals, this code is the most
important code.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING CODES
5) ASME B31.5- Refrigeration Piping and Heat Transfer Components.
-This code prescribes requirements for refrigerants, heat transfer
components and secondary coolants for temperature as low as -320
degree F (-196 degree C) whether erected on the premises or
factory assembled. Users are advised that the other piping code
sections may provide requirements for refrigeration piping in their
respective jurisdictions.
6) ASME B31.6 Chemical Plant Piping
- Never been published as a separate documents, instead got
folded into B31.3. A draft of the sections for Chemical Plant piping,
B31.6 was completed in 1974. However it was decided to merge
this section in ASME B313 because the 2 codes section were closely
related.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING
CODES
- A joint code section, Chemical plant and Petroleum Piping
refinery was published in 1976. At this time, items such as
fluid service categories ( eg. Category M) Non metallic
piping and safeguarding were introduced into B31.3.
7) ASME B31.7 Nuclear Piping
- Was withdrawn and superseded by ASME Boiler and
Pressure Vessel Code, Section III.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING CODES
8) ASME B31.8- Gas Transmissions and Distribution Piping Systems
- This code covers the piping transporting products that are mostly gas
(Liquefied Petroleum Gas) between sources and terminals. This code also
covers safety aspects of the operation and maintenance of those
facilities.
9) ASME B31.9 Building Services Piping
- This code sections has rules for the piping in industrial, institutional,
commercial and public buildings and multi unit residences, which does
not require the range of sizes, pressures and temperature covered in
B31.1.
- This code prescribes requirements for the design, materials, fabrication,
installation, inspection, examination and testing of piping systems for
building services It includes piping systems in the building or within the
property limits.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING CODES
10) ASME B31.10 Cryogenic Piping.
- Never been published as a separate documents, instead got folded into
B31.3. A draft of the sections for Cryogenic Piping was prepared ready
for approval in 1981. Again since coverage overlapped with ASME B31.3,
it was decided to merge the section committees and developed a single
exclusive coded. This codes was issued in 1984.
11) ASME B31.11 Slurry Transportation Piping Systems
- The primary purpose of this code is to establish requirements for
design, construction, inspection, testing, operation and maintenance of
slurry transportation piping systems for protection of the general public
and operating company personal and reasonable protection of the
environment. The code covers piping systems that transport slurries of
no hazardous materials such as coal, mineral and other solids between a
slurry processing plants and receiving plants.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING CODES
10) ASME B31.12 Hydrogen Piping and Pipelines.
- This standards activity has been formed to developed a new
code for hydrogen piping and pipelines that contains
requirements specific to hydrogen service in power, process,
transportation, distribution, commercial and residential
applications. It includes equivalent information found in B31.3,
B31.8 and NFPA54 for natural gas.
- This code is applicable to piping in gas and liquid hydrogen
service and to pipelines in gas hydrogen service and also
applicable up to and including the joint connecting the piping
to associated pressure vessels and equipments but not to the
vessels and equipment themselves.
- This code was first published in 2008.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING CODES
13) ASME CODES: BOILER AND PRESSURE VESSEL.
- Boiler and Pressure Vessel code contains 11 Sections as mentioned below:
i) Section I
Power Boiler
ii) Section II
Material Specifications
iii) Section III
Div 1, Rules for Construction of Nuclear Power Plant
Components
iv) Section III
Div 2, Code for Concrete Reactor Vessels and
Containments
v) Section IV
Heating Boilers
vi) Section V
Nondestructive Examination
vii) Section VI
Recommended Rules for Care and Operations of Heating Boilers
viii) Section VII

Recommended Rules for Care and Operations of Heating Boilers

ix) Section VIII

x) Section VIII

Div 1, Pressure Vessels

Div 2, Pressure Vessels Alternative Rules
xi) Section IX
Welding and Brazing Qualifications
xii) Section X
Fiber- Reinforced Plastic Pressure Vessels
xiii) Section XI Rules for In-Service inspection of
Nuclear Power Plants Components

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
DETAIL EXPLANATIONS OF PIPING CODES
13) ASME STANDARDS: Other important relevant section titles.
i) B1.1
Unified Inch Screw Threads
ii) B16.1
Cast Iron Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings
iii) B16.3
Malleable Iron Threaded Fittings
iv) B16.4
Cast Iron Threaded Fittings
v) B16.5
Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings
vi) B16.9
Factory made wrought steel butt weld fittings
vii) B16.10 Face to face and End to end dimensions of valves
viii) B16.11
Forged Steel Fittings, Socket Welding and
Threaded
ETC (Refer list)

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
AMERICAN WELDING SOCIETY (AWS)
- The American Welding Society (AWS) Standards provides
information on welding fundamentals, weld design, welders
qualifications, testing and inspection of welds and guidance
on the application and the use of welds.
AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATIONS (AWWA)
- The AWWA has developed voluntary standards of minimum
requirements for materials, equipments and practices used
in the water treatment and supply. AWWA standards are
used by manufacturers, distributors and water treatment
facilities to ensure the highest quality product and services.

PIPING DESIGN CODES AND

STANDARD
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CORROSION ENGINEERS (NACE)
- NACE International, originally known as The National Association
of Corrosion Engineers, creates standards for corrosion
prevention and control. NACE is a member of the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an accredited standard
body.
- The following is a few common publications relevant for piping
1) NACE MR0103 Standard Materials Requirements Materials
Resistant to Sulfide Stress Cracking in Corrosive Petroleum
Refining Environment.
2) NACE MR0175 Petroleum and natural gas industries Materials
for use in H2S containing environments in oil and gas production.
3) Others are such as IF192, SP0403 and SP0472.