Piping Overview – Codes & Standards

Piping is governed by the following codes:

• ASME B31.1 for power plant piping.
• ASME B31.3 for chemical process plant piping.
• ASME B31.4 for oil pipelines.
• ASME B31.5 for refrigeration piping.
• ASME B31.8 for gas pipelines.
• ASME B31.9 for gas, steam and water piping.
• ASME B31.11 for for slurry transportation piping.
• AWWA for water works piping.
• NFPA-13 and -24 for fire protection systems.
• Each code has different set of rules & allowable limits.
• Use of appropriate code for safe & economic design.
• Wrong selection of the code can cost the project several extra million riyals.

Codes

• Set forth minimum mandatory requirements for design, material, fabrication, erection, test and inspection of the piping system.
• The ASME develops codes for pressure piping.
• The first edition of code for pressure piping was published in 1935 under the ANSI committee which later changed to ASME.

Standards

• Contain design and construction rules for piping components.
• Compliance to standards is the owner’s prerogative.