At JP Jacob International, we have decades of experience in solving pipe stress-related issues for clients across many industries including chemical, nuclear and process plant, automotive, marine and renewable energy. It is this breadth of experience that enables us to identify potential difficulties. For example we still encounter piping designs that reproduce the errors made over forty years ago, which lead to events such as the Flixborough disaster. Inexperience can lead to failure.
Experienced Engineering Consultants
Our long experience in pipe design and pipe stress analysis led to our appointment to design the piping and support brackets for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the London Jubilee Underground Line, and to undertake analysis of the sprinkler systems for the St. Pancras station platform and undercroft
The benefits of using us for piping engineering
JP Jacob International combine practical nous, gained from a wide range of real process safety cases, a high degree of academic insight and the latest powerful software tools.
➢ we’ll aim to understand the problem first, before we dive into the software
➢ we’ll give you practical, commercial advice
➢ we will provide detailed reporting, with feedback of both the qualitative and quantitative
➢ value for money: a fixed priced based on an agreed scope, so no surprises later
➢ speed: rapid uptake, interim updates, disciplined quality procedures
Our approach to pipe stress engineering
The most common tools used in pipe stress engineering are Finite Element packages which can be very powerful. However, we believe that you shouldn’t be given a calculator until you have learnt to count. The first analytical tools our piping engineers turn to are:
➢ a blank sheet of paper
➢ a clear and deep understanding of stress analysis theory
➢ our many collective decades of experience
➢ thousands of past projects for reference
➢ engineering judgement, bringing together our whole team if necessary
Once we have fully considered a problem, performed preliminary calculations and agreed a clear scope, we turn to our more advanced tools.
Hand calculations with MathCAD are a powerful, flexible and clear way of constructing an argument. For more complex systems we would then reach for other renowned commercial packages including AutoPIPE, Caesar II, and our own FEA software.
Our specialist piping experience
JP Jacob International White has extensive experience in the design and substantiation of a wide variety of piping systems, including:
➢ Process chemical plant
➢ Nuclear installations
➢ Process pipelines
➢ Power generation steam systems
➢ Firefighting systems
➢ High temperature steam systems for building services
Design substantiation
We provide expert analytical and design services at all stages of pipe design development and operation:
We provide a fully independent design substantiation service and can complete static, dynamic, seismic and fatigue analysis to national and international standards, e.g. BS EN 13480-3:2012 (previously BS806) and ASME B31.3. We are also experienced in design for water hammer and steam hammer effects.
We will recommend design improvements for all aspects of pipe systems, in particular support methods, flange selection and material specifications.
Process safety and pipe failure analysis
We offer expertise in process safety management and asset integrity for plant and, in particular, piping and piping support.
We also conduct pipe failure analysis to determine root cause of problems and propose an engineered solution to prevent recurrence. Read more about our Failure Analysis service.