POLITECNICO DI TORINO

WATER AND OIL

PIPELINES SIZING

Master of Science: Petroleum Engineering

Course: Oil and Gas Transportation

Prof. Coordinator:

Student:

Guido Sassi

Frincu Iuliana Aurora

S196092

2014
1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.....3
I.

WATER PIPELINE... 4
I.1. Geometry and elevation...5
I.2. Water properties...... 5
I.3. Water pipeline sizing....6
I.4. Water pipeline pressure profile... 8
I.5. Pumps and valves.... 9
I.6. Other considerations.... ..15

II.

OIL PIPELINE.......16
II.1. Oil properties......16
II.2. Oil pipeline sizing......16
II.3. Other considerations.......23

III.

CONCLUSIONS.........24

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, animals and good from one location to
another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline and space. Transport is
important because it enables trade between people, which is essential for the development of
civilizations.[1]
Pipeline transport sends goods through a pipe; most commonly liquid and gases are sent. Shortdistance systems exist for sewage, slurry water and beer while long-distance networks are used for
petroleum and natural gas.
A water pipeline will pump water from a large source and transfer it across a great distance to
areas in need. Water pipelines are large in diameter and the purpose is to pump without causing
erosion.[2]

Figure 1. Water pipeline

Friction loss is the loss of energy or head that occurs in pipe flow due to viscous effects
generated by the surface of the pipe. Friction loss is considered as a major loss and it is not to be
confused with minor loss which includes energy lost due to obstructions.
This energy drop is dependent on the wall shear stress between the fluid and pipe surface. The shear
stress of a flow is also dependent on whether the flow is turbulent or laminar. For turbulent flow, the
pressure drop is dependent on the roughness of the surface, while in laminar flow the roughness effects
are negligible. This is due to the fact that in turbulent flow, a thin viscous layer is formed near the pipe
surface, which causes a loss in energy, while in laminar flow the viscous layer is non-existent. [3]
In the present report will be calculated all parameters for dimensioning in the first row a water
pipeline, then an oil pipeline. Flow type, pressure profile and different parameters influecing the
pressure profile will be presented.
3

I.

WATER PIPELINE

The case study is done on a waterworks pipeline which has to serve a city of 100,122
inhabitants. The pipeline is coming from a natural source situated in mountains, serving the city
situated at the basis of the mountain.

Figure 1. Water pipeline pathway

Considering an average consumption of 24 m3/year/inhabitant, we will a need a water supply
structure able to provide a water flow of:
QH2 O = 0,0762 m3/s
Also, we will consider a flow variation of 4 m3/year/inhabitant, so we have to chose a proper
diameter for the pipeline which will transport the water without any problem regarding the flow
variation issues.

I.1. Geometry and elevation

Height [m]

We will consider the distance from the delivery point and the city to supply of 130,9 km.

22.8478

53.4188
78.3583
Distance [km]

117.7788

Figure 2. Altrimetry Profile

I.2. Water Properties

We assume a constant temperature along the pipeline, which is not subject to seasonal changes.
Also, we consider constant properties even with the temperature variations.
Table 1. Water properties
Propriety

Value

Unit

21

1000

Kg/m3

Viscosity

0,0015

Pa.s

Vapor pressure

0,0087

bar

Temperature
Density

I.3. Water pipeline sizing

We will assume liquid velocities from 0.5 to 2 m/s with a spacing of 0.25 m/s. Then, according
to the velocity interval assumed, we can calculate the diameter using following formula:
D =

!!
!!

After calculating pipe diameter, we can choose from standards the commercial size of the
diameter. Also, maximum allowable pressure can be calculated using data provided by the
standardization table of commercial steel pipes.
Table 2. Diameter calculation
D

[m]

0.440

0.360

0.311

0.279

0.254

0.235

0.220

[in]

11.188

9.135

7.911

7.076

6.460

5.980

5.594

D comercial

[m]

0.502

0.423

0.340

0.300

0.261

0.261

0.219

D comercial

[in]

12.75

10.75

8.63

7.63

6.63

6.63

5.56

Wall thickness

[in]

0.41

0.37

0.32

0.32

0.28

0.28

0.28

If friction is neglected and no energy is added or given, the total head H is constant for any
point in the pipeline. But in the real systems, flow is creating always energy losses due to friction. The
energy losses can be measured with two gauges along the pipeline.
After choosing the commercial size of the steel pipes, we can recalculate the velocities and
choose the diameters which give us a velocity in our considered range, regarding the flow variations.
We will choose the last four diameters, keeping into account that one diameter is the same.
=

4

!

Table 3. Velocity calculation

Qmin

Velocities

[m3/s] 0.32086 0.45135 0.70034

0.89712

1.18839

1.18660

1.68544

Qnorm [m3/s] 0.38503 0.54162 0.84041

1.07654

1.42607

1.42392

2.02252

Qmax

1.25597

1.66374

1.66124

2.35961

D2

D3

D4

D5

[m3/s] 0.44920 0.63189 0.98048

D1

We must determine the type of flow we have in the pipeline and also the relative roughness.
Re=

vD

For laminar flow regime Re < 2000, friction factor can be calculated, but for turbulent regime
with Re>4000 are used experimentally obtained results.
The relative roughness is the absolute
roughness of the pipe compared with the diameter.
The pipes are manufactured from steel, which has an
absolute roughness of = 50 m. Internal absolute
pipe roughness is actually independent of the size
diameters. So pipes with smaller diameter will have a
higher relative roughness, while the pipes with bigger
diameter of the same material will have a lower
relative roughness. On Moody Diagram friction factor
is expressed in function of value of Reynolds number
and relative roughness. Because relative friction is a
function of diameter, we can observe that Reynolds
number will reduce while the diameter and the
friction number will increase.
Figure 3. Moody Diagram
The minimum pressure inside the pipe will be consider equal with the atmospheric pressure in
order to avoid cavitation due to the bubble gas formed at vapour pressure. For calculating the
maximum allowable operating pressure inside the pipeline, I will consider a design factor equal to 0.7:
Pmax =

20.7st
D

Pmin = 1.01325 bar

I.4. Water pipeline pressure profile

The first set of calculation is done in a system without pump or valves.
If we use Bernoullis equation, assuming incompressible fluid, adiabatic conditions, we can calculate
the pressure drop inside the pipeline.
P= p +

v 2
2

+gH

As I said before, the pressure drop due to friction in the pipeline can be determines with
Fanning equation.
P= f

v2
2

The pressure profile equation without pump or valve is as follows;

! = ! + (! !)

8 !
( ! )
! ! !

The pressure profile was calculated using equation of pressure loss due to friction considering all
assumed velocity and their corresponding diameters in equation above. First, I calculate pressure
profile for the normal water flow using all the velocities from the considered range.

100

Pressure [bar]

50

v = 0.5 m/s
v = 0.75 m/s

0
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

v = 1.25 m/s

-50

v = 1.5 m/s
v = 1.75 m/s

-100

-150

v = 2 m/s

Distance [km]

Figure 4. Effect of velocity on pressure profile

v = 1 m/s

I.5. Pumps and valves

A pump is a device that moves fluids by mechanical action. Pumps consume energy to perform
mechanical work by moving the fluid. They operate via many energy sources, including manual
operation, electricity, engines or wind power, come in many size from microscopic for use in medical
application to large industrial pumps.
Pump performance calculations:
Head(m) =

!!

+ h + !!!
!!

P! + gH! + Pump head = P! + gH! + P!

P! = g Pump head + g H! H! + (P! P! )
We calculate the total energy of our profile in terms of head using the new parameters i.e.
pressure loss due to friction and elevation

!"
!"

=0 since water is to be delivered at atmospheric pressure.

The ideal pump for any give pipe system will produce the required flow rate at the required pressure.
The maximum efficiency of the pump will occur at these conditions. If a given pump is to work with a
given system, the operating point must be common to each. In other words H=h at the required flow
rate.

Figure 5. Best efficiency point between pump and system

We choose a pump with head and proper capacity for our conditions. From the pumps curve,
we get the equation with which we calculate for each situation the pump power.
y = -0.002x2 0.3054x +221 where y is the pump head [m] and x the flow rate in m3/hr.

Figure 6. Commercial pump curve

400
350
300
250

Head,m

system
curve

200
150

Pump
Curve

100
50
0
0

50

100

150
Qm3/hrs

200

Figure 7. Best efficiency point

10

250

300

Using just one pump, in some situation is not enough. So, pump can work in parallel or in series
in the same pump station. When working in parallel or series, their performance curve is obtained by
adding their flow rated at the same head, as indicated in the figures:

Figure 8. Parallel/series system of pumps

Figure 9. PAHT Pumps Danfoss

For my purpose I choose a commercial high-pressure pump for water. The specifications of the
pump are presented in Table 2.
Table 4. Pump specification

11

Manufacturer

Danfoss

Pump size

Up to 150 l/min

Continuous pressure

Up to 140 bar

Fluid temperature

3 to 50

Efficiency

90%

A valve is a device that regulates, direct or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing or
partially obstructing various passageways. We will use valves to obstruct our flow and to cause energy
losses where the liquid overcome the maximum allowable pressure on the pipe.
Cv = Q

!
!!

Cv, is the valve sizing coefficient determined experimentally for each type and size of valve.
Numerically, the discharge coefficient is equal to the number of U.S. gallons of water at 60F that will
flow through the valve in one minute when the pressure differential across the valve is one pound per
square inch.
A correction for viscosity must be applied due to the fact that the sizing equation is based on the
water flow.
The most used types of valves are check valve, globe valve and ball valve. The one used for
regulation of flow is the globe valve while ball valve is just providing the opening or closing of the
pipeline flow.
Because we will need to regulate our flow, we will use globe ball, having the following
coefficients:
Table 5. Cv for ball valve
OPEN

2/3

1/2

18

0.28

0.16

The pressure profiles, using each diameter and the flow variation are presented in the following plots:

12

Pressure pro<ile for D1 = 0.423 m

140.00
120.00

Pmax

Pressure [bar]

100.00

Pmin

80.00

Q min

60.00

Q min + pump

40.00

Q nom

20.00

Q nom + pump

0.00
-20.00

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Q max
Q max + pump

-40.00

Distance [km]

Figure 10

Pressure pro<ile for D2 = 0.300 m

160.00

Pressure [bar]

140.00
120.00

Pmax

100.00

Pmin

80.00

Q min

60.00

Q min + pump

40.00

Q nom

20.00

Q nom + pump
Q max

0.00
-20.00
-40.00

20

40

60

80

100

Distance [km]

Figure 11

13

120

140

Q max + pump

Pressure pro<ile for D3 = 0.261 m

200.00

Pressure [bar]

150.00

Pmax
Pmin

100.00

Q min
Q min + pump

50.00

Q nom
0.00
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

-50.00

Q nom + pump
Q max
Q max + pump

-100.00

Distance [km]

Figure 12

Pressure pro<ile for D4 = 0.219 m

200.00
150.00
Pmax

Pressure [bar]

100.00

Pmin

50.00

Q min

0.00
-50.00

20

40

60

80

120

140

Q min + pump
Q nom

-100.00

Q nom + pump

-150.00

Q max
Q max + pump

-200.00
-250.00

Distance [km]

Figure 13

14

100

In the case of D1, we used a pump at the beginning of the flow line and as we can see, the pipe
is supporting good even the flow variations.For D2, as for D1 we used one pump, but when we have
smaller flow in the pipe, pressure drops too much and is not anymore in the allowable range. Cavitation
can occur.For D3, we used two pumps in the pump station to overcome the pressure drop and flow
variations.For D4, even with 3 pump in the pump station it is not possible to overcome the pressure
drop.
In conclusion, the best solution are D1 and D3, while the cheapest solution will be D1 because
used less equipment.

I.6. Other consideration

Water storage is mandatory for any community, for different purposes as fire suppression,
agricultural farming, chemical manufacturing, irrigation agriculture, drinking water, etc. Various
materials are used for making water tank: plastics, fiberglass, concrete, stone, steel.
By design, a water tank should do no
harm to the water. Water is susceptible to a
number

of

ambient

negative

influences,

including bacteria, viruses, changes in pH or

accumulation of minerals. Industrial water tanks
can be fixed root type, used for liquids with very
high flash points. Water pipes do not need any
special

treatment,

protection.

Figure 14. Water storage

15

just

regular

corrosion

II.

OIL PIPELINE

II.1. Oil properties

Following the same procedure describe previous in Chapter I, we will proceed to the sizing of
the pipe for oil.
For oil, even a small variation in temperature will modify the parameters as viscosity and
density. Thats why for the sizing of the oil pipe, we will take into account a variation of the
viscosity, thus a variation of density as well due to temperature change.
In the following tables, will be presented just the final results.
Table 6. Oil properties
Propriety

Value

Unit

Temperature

21

Density

800

Kg/m3

Viscosity

0,0075

Pa/s

Vapor pressure

0,0526

bar

II.2. Oil pipeline sizing

Oil transportation return a high profit, thats why the equipment used must be high - quality in
order to have a higher efficiency. Steels used for the pipes must be high graded with sufficient
strength to erosion.
100

Pressure [bar]

50

v = 0.5 m/s
v = 0.75 m/s

0
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

-50

v = 1.25 m/s

-100

v = 1.5 m/s

-150

v = 1.75 m/s

-200

v = 2 m/s
Distance [km]

Figure 15. Effect of velocity on pressure profile

16

v = 1 m/s

Pressure pro<ile for D1 = 0.423 m; V1 = 0.01

Pa.s and d = 750 kg/m3
140.00
120.00
Pmax

Pressure [bar]

100.00

Pmin

80.00

Q min

60.00

Q min + pump

40.00

Q nom

20.00

Q nom + pump

0.00
-20.00

20

40

-40.00

60

80

100

120

140

Q max
Q max + pump

Distance [km]

Pressure pro<ile for D1 = 0.423 m; V2 = 0.0075

Pa.s and d = 800 kg/m3
140.00
120.00
Pmax

Pressure [bar]

100.00

Pmin

80.00

Q min

60.00

Q min + pump

40.00

Q nom

20.00

Q nom + pump

0.00
-20.00
-40.00

17

20

40

60

80

Distance [km]

100

120

140

Q max
Q max + pump

Pressure pro<ile for D1 = 0.423 m; V3 = 0.005

Pa.s and d = 830 kg/m3

140.00
120.00

Pmax

Pressure [bar]

100.00

Pmin

80.00

Q min

60.00

Q min + pump

40.00

Q nom

20.00

Q nom + pump

0.00
-20.00

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Q max
Q max + pump

-40.00

Distance [km]

Pressure pro<ile for D2 = 0.300 m,; V1 = 0.01

Pa/s and d = 750 kg/m3

160.00
140.00

Pmax

Pressure [bar]

120.00

Pmin

100.00
80.00

Q min

60.00

Q min + pump

40.00

Q nom

20.00

Q nom + pump

0.00
-20.00 0
-40.00

18

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Q max
Q max + pump

Distance [km]

Pressure pro<ile for D2 = 0.300 m; V2 = 0.0075

Pa/s and d = 800 kg/m3

160.00
140.00

Pmax

Pressure [bar]

120.00

Pmin

100.00
80.00

Q min

60.00

Q min + pump

40.00

Q nom

20.00

Q nom + pump

0.00
-20.00

20

40

-40.00

60

80

100

120

140

Q max
Q max + pump

Distance [km]

Pressure pro<ile for D2 = 0.300 m; V3 = 0.005

Pa/s and d = 830 kg/m3

160.00
140.00

Pmax

Pressure [bar]

120.00

Pmin

100.00
80.00

Q min

60.00

Q min + pump

40.00

Q nom

20.00

Q nom + pump

0.00
-20.00 0
-40.00

19

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Q max
Q max + pump

Distance [km]

Pressure pro<ile for D3 = 0.261 m; V1 = 0.01

Pa/s and d = 750 kg/m3

200.00
Pmax

Pressure [bar]

150.00

Pmin
100.00

Q min
Q min + pump

50.00

Q nom

0.00
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Q nom + pump
Q max

-50.00

Q max + pump

-100.00

Distance [km]

Pressure pro<ile for D3 = 0.261 m,; V2 = 0.0075

Pa/s and d = 800 kg/m3

200.00
Pmax

Pressure [bar]

150.00

Pmin
100.00

Q min
Q min + pump

50.00

Q nom

0.00
0

20

40

60

80

20

120

140

Q nom + pump
Q max

-50.00
-100.00

100

Q max + pump
Distance [km]

Pressure pro<ile for D3 = 0.261 m,; V3 = 0.005

Pa/s and d = 830 kg/m3

200.00
Pmax

Pressure [bar]

150.00

Pmin
100.00

Q min
Q min + pump

50.00

Q nom

0.00
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Q nom + pump
Q max

-50.00

Q max + pump

-100.00

Distance [km]

Pressure pro<ile for D3 = 0.261 m; V1 = 0.01

Pa/s and d = 750 kg/m3

Pressure [bar]

200.00
150.00

Pmax

100.00

Pmin

50.00

Q min
Q min + pump

0.00
-50.00

20

40

60

80

140

Q nom

Q max

-150.00

21

120

Q nom + pump

-100.00

-200.00

100

Q max + pump
Distance [km]

Pressure pro<ile for D3 = 0.261 m; V2 = 0.0075

Pa/s and d = 800 kg/m3

Pressure [bar]

200.00
150.00

Pmax

100.00

Pmin

50.00

Q min
Q min + pump

0.00
-50.00

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Q nom
Q nom + pump

-100.00

Q max

-150.00

Q max + pump

-200.00

Distance [km]

Pressure pro<ile for D3 = 0.261 m,; V3 = 0.005

Pa/s and d = 830 kg/m3

Pressure [bar]

200.00
150.00

Pmax

100.00

Pmin

50.00

Q min
Q min + pump

0.00
-50.00

20

40

60

80

140

Q nom

Q max

-150.00

22

120

Q nom + pump

-100.00

-200.00

100

Q max + pump
Distance [km]

For D1 and D2 we considered just one pump station with one pump, while for D3 with three
pumps and for D4 with four pumps. Having more pump increase the cost. But, D2 is not supporting
very good the variation in flow and viscosity of oil, thats why I suggest the use of D1 which gives
enough flexibility for variations.
II.3. Other considerations
Oil pipes are usually buried at depth of about 1 2m, so special protection methods from
impact, abrasion and corrosion must be used. These can include wood lagging, concrete coating,
rockshield, sand padding, etc.
Crude oil contains varying amounts of paraffin wax and in colder climate wax buildup may
occur within a pipeline. For our simulation, we consider wax and paraffin free oil. Often, the pipelines
are inspected and cleaned using pipeling inspection gauges, scrapers also known as pigs. Smart pigs are
used to detect anomalies in the pipe such as dents, metal loss caused by corrosion, cracking or other
mechanical damage. Once launched, they either clean wax deposits and material that may have
accumulated inside the line or inspects and records the condition of the line.

Figure 28. Pipe pigging

The storage of oil is made in floating roof tanks after has been stabilized to a vapour pressure of
less than 11.1 psia. The goal with all floating-roof tanks is to provide safe, efficient storage of volatile
products with minimum vapour loss to the environment. The external floating roof floats on the surface
of the liquid product and rises or falls as product is added or withdrawn from the tank [5].

23

III.

CONCLUSIONS

A comparison plot between water pressure profile and oil pressure profile is done in Figure 29.
60
50
40
Pressure [bar]

30
20
10

WATER

0
-10 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

OIL

-20
-30
-40
-50

Distance [km]

Figure 29. Compared pressure profiles

At the same temperature, oil has a higher density and viscosity then water. So, the Reynolds
number will be less, meaning that will create less turbulence in the pipe. The turbulence in the pipe
increase the friction in the pipe, so oil flow will have less energy losses along the pipe than water.
Oil transportation return high profit, so high qualitative equipment is used. On the contrary, for
water transportation can be done in pipes with regular steel.

24

Bibliography
[1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport#Other_modes
[2]. http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/SUPPESBJ/
[3]. Munson, B.R. (2006). Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics 5th Edition. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.
[4]. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/nominal-wall-thickness-pipe-d_1337.html
[5]. http://petrowiki.org/Floating_roof_tanks
[6]. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/ansi-steel-pipes-d_305.html

25