Facility, Measurement & Utilities Fundamentals

37 engineering guides for facility design, measurement, and utilities

Facility Design

Station Layout Fundamentals

DOT 49 CFR 192

Compressor station layout fundamentals: equipment spacing requirements, setback distances, plot plan design per DOT 49 CFR 192, and facility arrangement best practices.

49 CFR 192 Plot Plan

Equipment Spacing Fundamentals

API 2510 / NFPA 30

Equipment spacing fundamentals: API 2510, NFPA 30, fire exposure distances, minimum separation requirements for compressor stations and gas plants.

API 2510 Spacing

Electrical Area Classification Fundamentals

NEC 500 / API RP 500

Electrical area classification fundamentals: Class I Division 1 and Division 2 hazardous areas per NEC 500, API RP 500, and API RP 505 for natural gas facilities.

API RP 500 Hazardous Areas

Area Classification Extent Fundamentals

API RP 500/505 / NEC 500

Electrical area classification fundamentals: API RP 500/505 hazardous area extent, NEC Article 500/505, Class I Div 1/2 vs Zone 0/1/2, and classified area boundaries.

API RP 505 Zone Extent

Piping Standards Fundamentals

ASME B31.8 / API 5L

Facility piping standards fundamentals: pipe specifications, fittings, flanges, valves, and material requirements per ASME B31.8, API 5L, and ASTM standards.

ASME B31.8 Pipe Specs

Pressure Drop in Piping Fundamentals

Darcy-Weisbach / Crane TP-410

Pressure drop in piping fundamentals: Darcy-Weisbach equation, Moody diagram, friction factors, equivalent lengths, K-factors, and Crane TP-410 methods.

Crane TP-410 Friction Loss

Branch Reinforcement Fundamentals

ASME B31.3

Branch reinforcement fundamentals: ASME B31.3 area replacement method, reinforcement pad design, integrally reinforced fittings, and branch connection stress analysis.

ASME B31.3 Area Replacement

Electrical Cable Sizing Fundamentals

NEC / API RP 14F

Electrical cable sizing fundamentals: NEC ampacity tables, voltage drop calculations, temperature and conduit fill derating, motor circuit sizing, and hazardous area wiring.

NEC Ampacity

Hydrostatic Test Pressure Fundamentals

ASME B31.3 / B31.8

Hydrostatic testing fundamentals: ASME B31.3 and B31.8 test pressure calculations, temperature correction factors, test medium selection, and hold time requirements.

ASME B31.8 Hydrotest

Pig Launcher Sizing Fundamentals

ASME B31.8 / B31.4

Pig launcher and receiver sizing fundamentals: barrel diameter and length, closure types, kicker line sizing, pig trap design per ASME B31.8 and B31.4.

ASME B31.8 Pig Trap

Pipe Rack Loading Fundamentals

ASCE 7 / PIP STC01015

Pipe rack loading fundamentals: dead, wind, and seismic load calculations per ASCE 7 and PIP STC01015. Structural steel selection, span limitations, and LRFD load combinations.

ASCE 7 Structural

Noise Propagation Fundamentals

OSHA

Noise propagation fundamentals: sound pressure and power levels, distance attenuation, barrier insertion loss, OSHA permissible exposure limits, and noise control.

OSHA Acoustics

PID Tuning Fundamentals

ISA-5.1

PID tuning fundamentals: Ziegler-Nichols, Cohen-Coon, IMC/Lambda tuning methods, process dynamics, and practical loop tuning for gas plants per ISA-5.1.

ISA-5.1 Controls

Air Permitting Fundamentals

Clean Air Act / Title V

Air permitting fundamentals for natural gas facilities: Clean Air Act, Title V, PSD, minor source permits, emission calculations, and BACT requirements.

Title V Air Permits

Major Source Threshold Fundamentals

CAA Title V / PSD

Major source threshold fundamentals: CAA Title V permitting, PSD thresholds, HAP emissions, criteria pollutant calculations, and regulatory applicability.

PSD HAP Thresholds

Potential to Emit Fundamentals

EPA / CAA

Potential to emit (PTE) calculation fundamentals: maximum capacity assumptions, emission factor sources, enforceable limitations, and regulatory applicability.

EPA PTE Calcs

Design Checklist Fundamentals

DOT 49 CFR 192

Facility Design Compliance Checklist based on DOT 49 CFR 192 and industry standards. Verify compressor station spacing, ESD placement, noise limits, and safety systems.

49 CFR 192 Checklist

Gas Measurement

Utilities & Conversions

Orifice Meter Fundamentals

AGA 3 / ISO 5167

Orifice meter flow measurement: Bernoulli principle, AGA Report 3 equations, discharge coefficient, beta ratio, and installation requirements.

AGA 3 Flow Measurement

Venturi Meter Fundamentals

ISO 5167-4

Venturi meter design per ISO 5167-4: pressure recovery vs orifice, permanent loss calculation, and beta ratio optimization.

ISO 5167 Venturi

Fixed Pressure Factor Fundamentals

AGA 3 / AGA 8

Fixed Pressure Factor (FPF) fundamentals for gas measurement: volume correction per AGA-3, AGA-7, and AGA-8 including pressure, temperature, and supercompressibility.

AGA 8 Fpv

Gas Conversions Fundamentals

MCF, MMCF, SCF

Gas unit conversions: volume units (scf, mcf, mmscf, bcf), standard conditions, mass-volume relationships, and international unit systems.

Volume Standard Conditions

Metric Conversions Fundamentals

GPSA / API

Engineering unit conversions for pipeline operations: SI and imperial conversion factors, pressure, temperature, gas flow rates per GPSA and API standards.

Imperial/SI GPSA

Energy Conversion Fundamentals

BTU, kWh, Joules

Energy conversion: BTU, kWh, horsepower, kilojoules, power calculations, efficiency, and fuel consumption rates for gas operations.

Energy BTU/kWh

Temperature Conversion Fundamentals

°F / °C / K / °R

Temperature conversions: Fahrenheit, Celsius, Kelvin, Rankine scales, absolute vs. gauge temperature, thermal expansion calculations, and process design temperature bases.

Temperature Scales

MCF to MMBTU Fundamentals

Gas to Energy

MCF to MMBTU conversion: natural gas volume to energy calculations, heating values, and measurement standards.

MCF MMBTU

H2S Conversions Fundamentals

OSHA / NACE MR0175

H2S concentration conversions: ppm, mol%, mg/m3, grains/100 scf, toxicity levels, OSHA exposure limits, and NACE MR0175 material requirements.

NACE H2S

Linear Interpolation Fundamentals

Table Lookup

Linear interpolation methods: linear, bilinear, inverse interpolation, and extrapolation techniques for engineering data tables.

Interpolation Data Tables

Value Extrapolation Fundamentals

Trend Projection

Value extrapolation: linear, polynomial, exponential methods, interpolation vs extrapolation, accuracy limits, and statistical validation techniques.

Extrapolation Trends

Horsepower and Torque Fundamentals

Motor Sizing

Horsepower and torque calculations: motor sizing for compressors and pumps, gearbox selection, starting torque, locked rotor current, power factor and efficiency.

HP/Torque Motor Sizing

Fitting Loss Fundamentals

Crane TP-410

Fitting loss calculations: K-factors, equivalent length methods, 2-K and 3-K correlations, CRANE TP-410 standards for pressure drop in valves and fittings.

Crane TP-410 K-Factors

Instrument Air System Fundamentals

ISA 7.0.01

Instrument air system design fundamentals: ISA 7.0.01 air quality, compressor sizing, desiccant dryer selection, receiver sizing, and dewpoint control.

ISA Pneumatic

Regulator Station Design Fundamentals

49 CFR 192

Gas regulator station design fundamentals: Cv sizing, pressure regulation, relief valve requirements, noise control, and 49 CFR 192 compliance for distribution.

49 CFR 192 Regulation

District Regulator Sizing Fundamentals

AGA Gas Distribution

District regulator sizing fundamentals: diversity factors, load estimation, Cv sizing, lockup and droop analysis, and relief valve sizing for gas distribution.

AGA District Reg

Town Border Station Fundamentals

49 CFR 192

Town border station design fundamentals: TBS layout, pressure regulation, Joule-Thomson cooling, metering, odorization, and 49 CFR 192 compliance.

49 CFR 192 TBS Design

Service Line Sizing Fundamentals

NFPA 54 / 49 CFR 192

Gas service line sizing fundamentals: Weymouth and Spitzglass equations, pipe material selection, fitting equivalent lengths, NFPA 54 capacity tables, and 49 CFR 192.

NFPA 54 Service Lines

Excess Flow Valve Fundamentals

49 CFR 192.383

Excess flow valve fundamentals: operating principles, 49 CFR 192.383 federal mandate, EFV sizing methodology, installation requirements, and failure modes.

49 CFR 192 EFV

Facility & Measurement Quick Reference

FACILITY DESIGN Layout, Electrical & Piping

Facility design per DOT 49 CFR 192 and API standards

MEASUREMENT Metering & Flow

Custody transfer accuracy: ±0.5% to ±1.0%

DISTRIBUTION Regulation & Delivery

Distribution pressure: 0.25 psig to 60 psig typical