Water. Desalination + reuse
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/670678
May-June 2016 | Desalination & Water Reuse | 23 | tECHNOLOGY PrOduCt dEsiGN fOr a raNGE Of PiPiNG aPPLiCatiONs aNd CONditiONs It is not unusual for the individual product designer to have five or six key markets in mind throughout the product development life cycle. The challenge is often being able to maintain cost-effective designs as the performance criteria evolves from the most basic to the most challenging field applications. For example, the planning of a piping system component in a building's domestic water system is very different from a transportable high-pressure desalination platform. Typically, the operating pressures, temperatures, and loading conditions of the building's water system do not pose any particular challenges for joint integrity or safety. Whereas, the installation of the same product in the desalination system is subject to high stress loads, due to high pressure and possible pressure pulsations, varying temperatures, external bending forces, vibration conditions generated by the pumps and other equipment that must operate continuously, as well as the weight of the pipe itself and the fluid that it is carrying. In the second scenario, the total combined loading must be considered during the design stage, if the single product will be used in the full range of systems and multiple market applications. The design and safety review must include all possible scenarios that could be experienced across a multitude of operating conditions. struCturaL iNtEGritY aNd matEriaLs CaPabLE Of HaNdLiNG sYstEm strEssEs When designing products for multiple markets and service conditions, the structural elements and materials of construction are equally important. The modelling process in product design is a critical step, as potential exposure to static and dynamic loading conditions must be considered. Computer-aided design models can easily predict the stress response to input loads in an almost infinite number of locations along the part's geometry, both internally and externally. The data generated from this modelling technique gives the designer valuable insight into how the product will perform under both short term and long term exposure to the loading condition. The designer can easily introduce new material property values (for example, tensile / yield strength, elongation, modulus of elasticity and others) through the modeling program for situations in which these stresses cannot be accommodated by simply smoothing a sharp corner or increasing the material thickness of a particular section. During the development of piping system components, it is vitally important to provide a detailed analysis of fluid types that will come in contact with the "wetted surfaces" and adjoining sealing materials. This part of the design process involves material technology experts, who are responsible for ensuring long term seal integrity and performance over a wide range of anticipated substances and operating temperatures. They therefore conduct detailed studies to evaluate the seal's physical properties for any adverse effects of prolonged or cyclical pressure loading, while in contact with these various fluid media. This is another area in which Victaulic displays best practices in employing materials development expertise and utilizing techniques and methodologies focused on formulating the most durable and reliable sealing materials available in today's piping industries. safEtY aNd Hazard aNaLYsis Another process that runs in conjunction with the design and materials studies is a dedicated and focused review of product safety. Design safety factors are just one part of this review, as the designer also incorporates a comprehensive risk analysis and safety review in accordance with the PED. In this review, the pressure-bearing components (i.e. items that are directly exposed to the system operating pressure) are thoroughly analyzed against rigorous criteria outlined in the PED's Annex 1 (Essential Safety Requirements). The information included in a typical Annex 1 file include stress Figure 1 The modelling process in product design is a critical step, as potential exposure to static and dynamic loading conditions must be considered.