What is a Piping System?

Overview: What is a Piping System?

The Piping System is considered the Veins of an industrial plant that carry different types of fluids. For the refinery, it carries crude oil, Hydrocarbons, Water, Plant Air, etc. The power plant piping system carries mainly high-pressure Steam from the boiler drum. fire protection piping networks in residential, commercial, industrial, and other buildings carry fire suppression fluids, such as water, gases, and chemicals to provide protection of life and property.

What is a Piping System?

The pipe is a tube with a round cross-section conforming to the dimensional requirements of

ASME B36.10M Welded and Seamless Wrought Steel Pipe
ASME B36.19M Stainless Steel Pipe

The Piping System includes Pipe, Flanges, Fittings, Bolting, Gaskets, Valves and the pressure-containing portions of other piping components. It also includes pipe hangers and supports, and other items necessary to prevent over-pressurisation and over-stressing of the pressure-containing components. The pipe is one element or part of piping.

Types of Piping Systems (Based on Industry)

Industry	Common Piping Systems
Oil & Gas	Process piping, gas pipelines, flare systems
Power Plants	High-pressure steam lines, feedwater lines
Water Treatment	Potable water piping, chemical dosing lines
Pharma	Sanitary piping, clean-in-place (CIP) lines
Food & Beverage	Hygienic stainless steel piping

Design Considerations

Pressure & Temperature Rating (as per ASME codes)
Material Compatibility with transported fluid
Corrosion Allowance
Pipe Routing & Layout
Stress Analysis (thermal expansion, vibration)
Code Compliance (e.g., ASME B31.3, B31.1)

Main Components of a Piping System

Pipes – Cylindrical conduits to carry the fluid
Fittings – Elbows, tees, reducers, and couplings to change direction or connect segments
Valves – Regulate, control, or shut off fluid flow
Flanges & Gaskets – Join pipe sections together while preventing leaks
Supports & Hangers – Carry the weight of the piping and maintain alignment
Instrumentation – Includes sensors, gauges, and flow meters to monitor system performance
Insulation – Prevents heat loss or gain and protects personnel
Equipment – These are components that perform specific functions. Eg: Pump, Compressor, Heat Exchanger etc

How is a pipe defined?

Pipe Size Pipe Nominal Diameter to MM and Inches Chart

It was initially known as iron pipe size (IPS).
Each pipe size was produced to have one thickness, which later was termed as standard (STD).
Higher-pressure fluids, pipes were produced having thicker walls, which came to be known as extra strong (XS) or extra heavy (XH).
The higher pressure requirements increased further, requiring thicker wall pipes.
Accordingly, pipes were manufactured with double extra strong (XXS) or double extra heavy (XXH) walls while the standardized outside diameters are unchanged.

Pipe Wall Thickness

The term schedule (SCH) was invented to specify the nominal wall thickness of pipe.
Schedule is expressed in numbers (5, 5S, 10, 10S, 20, 20S, 30, 40, 40S, 60, 80, 80S, 100, 120, 140, 160).
ASMEB36.19M does not cover all pipe sizes.
Therefore, the dimensional requirements of ASME B36.10M apply to stainless steel pipe of the sizes and schedules not covered by ASME B36.19 M.