In the case of metallic piping, the Designer will often carry out pressure design calculations to demonstrate the adequacy of the selected components, particularly non-standard components. The piping system Designer is responsible for ensuring that the selected piping components are suitable for his/her piping system’s design conditions. But who normally carries out that pressure design of components, and what are the next steps in the piping system design process? The answers to these questions are the subject of this article. This aspect of piping design is sometimes referred to as “hoop” design of the piping given that the only hoop stress that piping components are normally exposed to is pressure. In our three previous articles, we looked at pressure design of FRP piping components including pipe, fittings and joints, and flanges.
