CDMS Engineering has project and piping engineers who are experienced in all facets of piping design – from line sizing, specification and pump selection to flexibility and stress analysis. We have experience with most piping materials including carbon steel, concrete and plastic, in both above-ground and buried applications. CDMS is able to provide assistance for all site piping and pump related issues.
Pipe Stress Analysis
CDMS can provide flexibility and stress analysis of piping systems for compliance with API 6A, AS 4041, ASME B31.1 and ASME B31.3. In addition to design and detailing of new systems, we can also provide fitness-for-service assessments of existing systems and provide highly detailed analyses, usually via FEA, of system components that have failed or leaked or have been over pressurised, either during operation or hydrotest.
CDMS is able to design pipe supports to withstand high loads calculated following pipe stress analysis or to select special type supports (constant effort hangers or snubbers) if required by the project. Our close-knit team of mechanical and structural engineers means the transfer and interpretation of piping loads for design of footings, anchors and pipe supports is seamless. This also enhances the communication process – design issues and problems with the structural/mechanical interface are discussed routinely to improve layouts, reduce loads or change load paths, select better materials of construction and ultimately provide better overall design solutions for our clients.
Flow Calculations
Within the CDMS team we have extensive experience with hydraulic calculations for line sizing and pump selection. Using a blend of proprietary software and in-house design techniques CDMS offers flexibility and experience to perform flow calculations on simple piping systems to complex pipe networks, including water hammer investigation and mitigation, open and closed channel flow, and weir flow calculations. We design based on good industry practice to prevent pipe vibration and static generation in fuel applications. Our experience includes liquid, gas, and two phase flow conditions, as well as slurry systems. Design checks can be conducted on existing networks or we can design new networks to suit specific pipeline velocity and pressure requirements for the Mining and Oil and Gas sectors.
Pump Selection
Our pipe network modelling capabilities and close links with industry partners offers the right conditions to select a pumping solution that not only works, but is reflective of service requirements and equipment availability. We will select the most effective solution based on pumping efficiency, cost of total installation, materials of construction to suit the particular pumping environment and the delivery of equipment.
CDMS will optimise the number of pumps through suitable model selection for high volume flow rates and can design in series within the limits of the casing pressures for high loss applications. Sometimes booster pumps or different system configurations may be preferable and this will be evaluated by the CDMS engineers to recommend the best solution for our clients.
We understand the importance of good piping system design to prevent damage to pumps and avoid cavitation conditions, as well as other system effects that can lead to high bearing wear and gland leakage.
Slurry Systems
An art in itself, slurry system design is not just about selecting the right pump, but complete design of the entire system to suit the particular application including line velocity, pipeline bend radius, wear characteristics, tank entry and exit properties and pump sealing. The CDMS team has experience in all of these facets on a variety of slurry applications including concentrate lines, thickener underflow, mill hopper discharge, cyclone delivery, lime systems and tailings pipelines.
Consideration of particle settlement or suspension characteristics is essential, where the particles may be non-settling or where particle interaction may impede settlement CDMS would opt for rheology testing to better understand the fluid properties. When the viscosity profile becomes non-linear special considerations need to be made to ensure suitable pump selection for these non-Newtonian fluids. With the combined process experience of Mineral Engineering Technical Services (METS), CDMS can deliver reliable solutions for slurry pumping applications for all flow regimes through years of knowledge of these process fluids. Likewise the onsite operational experience ensures our pipe system designs are operable and maintainable.
