Automated Flange Selection - Intergraph Smart 3D - Reference Data - Hexagon PPM

Intergraph Smart 3D Piping Reference Data

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Intergraph Smart 3D
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Piping
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Reference Data
Smart 3D Version
13

To enable or disable the automated flange selection, set the Automated Flange Selection Option as appropriate in the piping material class. See Piping Materials Classes.

The software bases automated flange selection on the end's Termination Class property being set to "Bolted" (5).

Automated flange selection uses the piping commodity class data to select the flange that identically matches the Pressure Rating, End Preparation, and End Standard of the bolted end to which the flange is to be connected. However, the bolted end generic data is used to determine the best match if the Pressure Rating, the End Preparation, or the End Standard is different between the bolted end of the flange and the bolted end in the model.

The Bolt Circle Diameter, Quantity of Bolts Required, and Bolt Diameter are also used to automatically select the appropriate flange. This is the same data required to create bolts in the model.

  • Bolt Circle Diameter is required for comparison of circular bolt hole patterns

  • Bolt Pattern Length is required for comparison square bolt hole patterns

  • Bolt Pattern Length and Bolt Pattern Width are required for comparison of rectangular bolt hole patterns

  • Bolt Pattern Length is required for both triangular and oval bolt hole patterns

A bolted end of one bolt hole pattern is only compatible with a bolted end of the same bolt hole pattern. In other words, a circular bolt hole pattern is never considered compatible with a square or rectangular bolt hole pattern.

The flange selection process also handles small and large tongue-and-groove flanges and small and large male-and-female flanges, where male and female ends are involved. The software selects the flange based on a compatible end preparation versus an identical end preparation. Other types of flanges include ring type joint and lap joint.

The software automatically selects the correct flange for non-thru-bolted ends and for thru-bolted ends with bolt holes using the following criteria (End Preparation, Pressure Rating, and End Standard) priority with the highest priority listed first and the remaining conditions listed in descending order:

  • An identical match of End Preparation, Pressure Rating, and End Standard.

  • An identical match of Pressure Rating and End Standard and an acceptable End Preparation determined by the End Preparation Compatibility rule, and, optionally, the End Preparation Compatibility Exceptions rule, where the Materials Category of each applicable fitting is considered in determining compatibility.

An identical match of End Preparation and an acceptable combination of Pressure Rating and End Standard determined by an identical drilling template as defined by the bolted end generic data (the Flange Outside Diameter, the Quantity of Bolts Required, the Bolt Circle Diameter, and the Bolt Diameter).

  • The latter condition occurs when either the Pressure Rating or the End Standard differ. In other words, unless both Pressure Rating and End Standard are identical, the drilling template must be compared.

  • In some situations for ASME, a CL125 flange has a drilling template that is identical to a CL150 flange. Likewise, in the DIN standard, PN10 and PN16 flanges have identical drilling templates up to a nominal piping diameter of 150 mm. As an example, a valve with a pressure rating of PN16 might be connected to a nozzle with a pressure rating of PN10.

  • An acceptable End Preparation determined by the End Preparation Compatibility rule, and, optionally, the End Preparation Compatibility Exceptions rule, where the Materials Category of each applicable fitting is considered in determining compatibility. An acceptable combination of Pressure Rating and End Standard determined by an identical drilling template as defined by the bolted end generic data (Flange Outside Diameter, Quantity of Bolts Required, Bolt Circle Diameter, and Bolt Diameter). In other words, unless both Pressure Rating and End Standard are identical, the drilling template must be compared.

The software automatically selects the correct flange at a thru-bolted end without bolt holes, when a bolted fitting exists at the "other" end of the thru-bolted fitting using the following criteria. In this situation, the candidate flange is compared to the bolted fitting at the "other" end of the thru-bolted fitting, if the "other" bolted fitting exists.

  • An identical match of End Preparation, Pressure Rating, and End Standard.

  • An identical match of Pressure Rating and End Standard and an acceptable End Preparation determined by the End Preparation Compatibility rule, and, optionally, the End Preparation Compatibility Exceptions rule, where the Materials Category of each applicable fitting is considered in determining compatibility.

If an acceptable flange is not available with a Pressure Rating and End Standard that are both identical to that of the thru-bolted end, the selection of the flange is based on the first non-thru-bolted end at the "other" end of the thru-bolted fittings. In other words, although the End Preparation from the "other" non-thru bolted end is used in the drilling template comparison, the End Preparation from the thru-bolted end without bolt holes is used in the verification of the acceptability of the End Preparation. In this situation, the Pressure Rating of the thru-bolted end without bolt holes is ignored in the drilling template comparison.

  • The data (Pressure Rating, End Preparation, End Standard, and Nominal Piping Diameter) for the comparison of the drilling templates is determined by the non-thru-bolted end at the "other" end of the thru-bolted arrangement, if such an end exists. This is necessary because by definition, this thru-bolted End Preparation does not require bolts, whereas the bolted end generic data is required for the drilling template comparison. The remaining data for the thru-bolted end is determined from the thru-bolted component itself. An example of this thru-bolted end without bolt holes scenario, if an orifice flange is being selected at one end of an orifice plate for which an orifice flange exists at the other end of the orifice plate, the drilling templates is compared by the bolted end generic data for the two orifice flanges.

The software automatically selects the correct flange at a thru-bolted end without bolt holes, when a bolted fitting does not exist at the "other" end of the thru-bolted fitting using the following criteria. In this situation, the candidate flange is compared to the thru-bolted fitting.

  • An identical match of End Preparation, Pressure Rating, and End Standard.

  • An identical match of Pressure Rating and End Standard and an acceptable End Preparation determined by the End Preparation Compatibility rule, and, optionally, the End Preparation Compatibility Exceptions rule, where the Materials Category of each applicable fitting is considered in determining compatibility.

An identical match of Pressure Rating and an acceptable End Preparation determined by the End Preparation Compatibility rule, and, optionally, the End Preparation Compatibility Exceptions rule, where the Materials Category of each applicable fitting is considered in determining compatibility.

  • Because an identical match of End Standard is not required, the resulting flange may not be compatible. However, only the piping designer (or piping specification writer) can determine the compatibility in this case. An example of this thru-bolted end without bolt holes scenario, if an orifice flange is being selected at one end of an orifice plate, when an orifice flange does not exist at the other end of the orifice plate, the Pressure Rating of the orifice flange is compared for equality with the Pressure Rating of the orifice plate.

Automated flange selection never selects a slip-on flange or a lap-joint flange without stub ends for connection to any type of fitting. The non-bolted end of slip-on, or lap joint, flanges should only be connected to a plain section of pipe. For a piping materials class where slip- on, or lap joint, flanges are applicable, two groups of flanges are available:

  • Flanges to use when connecting to pipe stock.

  • Flanges to use in a fitting-to-fitting situation.

Such piping materials classes should have the automated flange selection option enabled to automatically select the flange based upon the configuration in the model (being connected to pipe stock or is used in a fitting-to-fitting situation).

However, there are often allowable exceptions to this rule. When space is tight, it is often permitted to attach slip-on flanges to butt weld reducers and long radius 90° elbows and 45° elbows. Even in tight spaces, however, it is usually unacceptable to attach slip-on flanges to butt weld short radius 90° elbows, tees, and crosses because the back of the slip-on flange hits the curvature of these fittings. For these situations, the piping designer must select the appropriate flange. The piping specification writer can specify which flanges are subject to the automated flange selection logic using the Selection Basis property in the piping commodity filter.

The automated flange selection logic also applies to placing a flange at a nozzle. Changing the nozzle's end conditions, for example the End Preparation or the Pressure Rating, results in a different flange being selected from the Piping Specification.

In some situations, the engineering contractor may purchase a pump with bolted nozzles based on an ASME flange standard. In such a case, the supplier is typically requested to provide with the pump a set of compatible flanges to be welded to DIN piping. In other words, the vendor may be required to provide a special flange with a DIN female port and an ASME bolted port. It is possible that the nozzle’s drilling template may be compatible with the default DIN flange for the applicable piping materials class. Because the flange selection is based on matching the drilling templates of the nozzle face and the flange face, the piping designer would be required to select an optional flange with a DIN female port, because at the time the flange is being selected for the ASME nozzle, the knowledge that DIN piping will be connected to the female end of the flange is not available to the software.

On the other hand, if the piping materials class does not include a DIN flange with a drilling template identical to that of the ASME nozzle, then the special ASME/DIN flange would be selected automatically.

In the case of flanges, the active size may not be defined by the piping designer, while routing in the 3D model, in the same system of units for Nominal Piping Diameter as the Nominal Piping Diameter system of units used by the spec writer to define the flanges in the piping commodity filter. For that reason, a flange is selected from the piping commodity filter by the Nominal Piping Diameter value in the primary units, which is represented by the active size defined by the piping designer in the 3D model; or the flange is selected from the piping commodity filter by the Nominal Piping Diameter in the secondary units, as defined by the Nominal Piping Diameter Equivalence rule, if the flange has not been defined by the primary system of units. Consequently, it is not necessary for the spec writer to define the flange in both Nominal Piping Diameter systems of units. Nor is it necessary for the piping designer to define the active size in the system of units used by the spec writer.

Special Considerations for Orifice Plates and Orifice Flanges

A unique flange selection requirement exists at the thru-bolted orifice plate end. If the bolted fitting at the "other" thru-bolted fitting end is an orifice flange, then the automated flange selection is based on the available orifice flanges and not on the Default Short Code for a flange. The orifice flange existence as the bolted fitting at the "other" thru-bolted fitting end is determined by the Piping Component Subclass property being set to "Orifice Flanges". The Short Code to use in querying the piping commodity filter for an orifice flange is determined by the Default Piping Commodity Selection rule.

A similar requirement exists when the piping designer is inserting an orifice plate in a pre-existing pipe run. Typically, the mating flanges for the thru-bolted orifice plate would be selected based on the Default Short Code for a flange. However, in the case of an orifice plate, the Short Code for an orifice flange is used in the automated selection of flanges. The existence of the orifice plate is determined by the Piping Component Subclass property being set to "Orifice Plates"; or by the instrument being thru-bolted and the value of the Instrument Functional Subclass property being set to "Flow rate primary elements".

However, when the piping designer inserts an orifice flange in a pre-existing pipe run, a mating flange should not be selected automatically, because an orifice plate will always exist between two automatically inserted orifice flanges.

A restricting orifice plate is similar to an orifice plate. However, the distinction is that the orifice plate is used where the measurement of flow is required and can only be achieved by using adjacent orifice flanges with tapped holes to read the upstream and downstream differential pressure. The restricting orifice plate is inserted between normal untapped flanges and is used to restrict the flow and maintain a constant back pressure on the upstream side of the plate. This type of restricting orifice plate will have an instrument functional classification set to "Flow quantity primary elements". The spec writer must not include the restricting orifice plate under the same parent that is the value of Piping Component Subclass, as the orifice plate such that the correct flanges are selected.

Verifying the Drilling Template Consistency of Two Bolted Ends

The software verifies the drilling template consistency of two bolted ends when the ends' Termination Class property is set to "Bolted" (5).

The criteria priorities (End Preparation, Pressure Rating, and End Standard) for verifying the drilling template consistency for non-thru- bolted ends and for thru-bolted ends with bolt holes are (the highest priority is first and are listed in descending order of priority):

  • An identical match of End Preparation, Pressure Rating, and End Standard.

  • An identical match of Pressure Rating and End Standard and an acceptable End Preparation determined by the End Preparation Compatibility rule, and, optionally, the End Preparation Compatibility Exceptions rule where the Materials Category of each applicable fitting is considered in determining compatibility.

  • An identical match of End Preparation and an acceptable combination of Pressure Rating and End Standard determined by an identical drilling template, as defined by the bolted end generic data (Flange Outside Diameter, Quantity of Bolts Required, Bolt Circle Diameter, and Bolt Diameter).

  • An acceptable End Preparation determined by the End Preparation Compatibility rule, and, optionally, the End Preparation Compatibility Exceptions rule, where the Materials Category of each applicable fitting is considered in determining compatibility. And, an acceptable combination of Pressure Rating and End Standard determined by an identical drilling template as defined by the bolted end generic data (Flange Outside Diameter, Quantity of Bolts Required, Bolt Circle Diameter, and Bolt Diameter). Unless both Pressure Rating and End Standard are identical, the drilling template must be compared.

The criteria used for determining the compatibility between a flange at a thru-bolted end without bolt holes, when a bolted fitting exists at the "other" end of the thru-bolted fitting. In this situation, the candidate flange is compared to the bolted fitting at the "other" end of the thru- bolted fitting, if the "other" bolted fitting exists.

  • An identical match of End Preparation, Pressure Rating, and End Standard.

  • An identical match of Pressure Rating and End Standard and an acceptable End Preparation determined by the End Preparation Compatibility rule, and, optionally, the End Preparation Compatibility Exceptions rule where the Materials Category of each applicable fitting is considered in determining compatibility.

If either the Pressure Rating or End Standard of the candidate flange differs from that of the thru-bolted end without bolt holes, the determination of the compatibility of the candidate flange is based on the first non-thru-bolted end at the "other" end of the thru-bolted fittings. In other words, although the End Preparation from the "other" non-thru bolted end is used in the drilling template comparison, the End Preparation from the thru-bolted end without bolt holes is used in the verification of the acceptability of the End Preparation.

  • In this situation, the Pressure Rating of the thru-bolted end without bolt holes is ignored in the drilling template comparison. The data to be used for the comparison of the drilling templates (Pressure Rating, End Preparation, End Standard, and Nominal Piping Diameter) is determined by the non-thru-bolted end at the "other" end of the thru-bolted arrangement, if such an end exists. This is necessary because this thru-bolted End Preparation does not require bolts, whereas the bolted end generic data is required for the drilling template comparison. The remaining data to be compared for the thru-bolted end is determined from the thru-bolted fitting itself.

The criteria used for determining the compatibility between a flange at a thru-bolted end without bolt holes, when a bolted fitting does not exist at the "other" end of the thru-bolted fitting. In this situation, the candidate flange is compared to the thru-bolted fitting.

  • An acceptable End Preparation determined by the End Preparation Compatibility rule, and, optionally, the End Preparation Compatibility Exceptions rule where the Materials Category of each applicable fitting is considered in determining compatibility. In this situation, the Pressure Rating of the thru-bolted fitting without bolt hole is ignored in the drilling template comparison. Because an identical match of End Standard is not required, the resulting flange may not be compatible. However, only the piping designer (or piping specification writer) can determine the compatibility in this case.

Optional Flanges

The piping designer can select from a list of available flanges the appropriate flange in the following conditions:

  • A list of flange options is displayed, if the flange being selected by the piping designer is to be connected to a thru-bolted end without bolt holes, if another non-thru-bolted end does not exist at the "other" end of the thru-bolted arrangement.

  • A list of flange options is displayed, if the flange is not being inserted by the bolted end or the flange is not being connected to previously inserted piping. The software assumes that the piping designer is selecting an optional flange by criteria other than the drilling template in this situation.

The automated flange selection logic does not apply to these conditions.

These optional flanges should use the same short code as the Functional Short Code (Generic Short Code) for the default flange for that piping materials class, and the Selection Basis property should be set to "Flange selection logic is disabled". The optional flanges, where the Selection Basis property is set to "flange selection logic is enabled" will also be available to the piping designer because it is possible that there might be a situation that requires one of the flanges, which has been rejected by the automated flange selection logic, to be selected manually by the piping designer.

Automated Hub or Ferrule Selection

The software automatically inserts a hub or ferrule with a clamp when the Termination Subclass property is set to "Mechanical Joint with Clamp and Hub or Ferrule".

Automated hub or ferrule selection must use the piping commodity class data to select the hub or ferrule that matches the End Preparation and the End Standard of the mechanical end to which the hub or ferrule is to be connected. The correct hub or ferrule is selected by an identical match of End Standard, and an acceptable End Preparation determined by the End Preparation Compatibility rule, and, optionally, the End Preparation Compatibility Exceptions rule, where the Materials Category of each applicable fitting is considered in determining compatibility.

For example, a male Techlok end is specified to be compatible with a female Techlok end, or a male Grayloc® end is specified to be compatible with a female Grayloc® end, but a male Techlok end is not compatible with a female Grayloc® end, if both are available in the same size range of the same piping materials class for whatever reason.

A hub or ferrule is selected from the piping commodity filter by the value for the Nominal Piping Diameter in the "primary" system of units, which is represented by the active size defined by the piping designer in the 3D model, or the hub or ferrule is selected from the piping commodity filter by the Nominal Piping Diameter in the "secondary" system of units, as defined by the Nominal Piping Diameter Equivalence rule if the hub or ferrule has not been defined by the "primary" system of units. It is not necessary to define the hub or ferrule in both Nominal Piping Diameter systems of units. Nor is it necessary for the piping designer to define the active size in the system of units used by the spec writer.

See Also

Piping Specification Rules