Understanding the difference between Design Pressure and Operating Pressure is crucial for ensuring safety, code compliance, and cost-effective design in piping and pressure equipment within industries such as oil & gas 🛢️, petrochemical ⚗️, and power plants ⚡.
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🧭 1️⃣ Operating Pressure
✔️ Definition:
Operating Pressure is the actual pressure at which the system operates continuously under normal, steady-state conditions.
Determined by process engineers.
Usually lower than the design pressure.
Used for process control, instrumentation, and normal plant operation.
Does not account for abnormal or transient events such as surges or valve closures.
📝 Example:
If a pipeline typically operates at 18 bar, then the Operating Pressure = 18 bar.
> ⚠️ Important: Operating Pressure reflects real process conditions, not design or testing margins.
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📐 2️⃣ Design Pressure
✔️ Definition:
Design Pressure is the maximum internal pressure expected under the most severe operating conditions and is used as the basis for mechanical design of piping systems, pressure vessels, and components.
Determined according to applicable codes (e.g., ASME B31.3, ASME Section VIII).
Includes a safety margin above the operating pressure to cover:
Pressure surges 🚀
Upset or abnormal conditions ⚠️
Valve closure or blockages 🔒
Used to calculate pipe wall thickness, flange ratings, valve selection, and test pressure.
📝 Example:
If the operating pressure is 18 bar, the design pressure may be set at around 21 bar or higher, depending on the code and safety factors.
> 📌 Note:
Design Pressure is not the same as Hydrotest Pressure.
Hydrostatic test pressure is typically 1.5 × Design Pressure, following ASME requirements.
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🧪 3️⃣ Key Differences
Parameter 📝 Operating Pressure ⚙️ Design Pressure 📐
Definition Actual pressure during normal operation Maximum pressure used for mechanical design
Value Lower Higher (includes safety margin)
Determined By Process engineers Design engineers according to codes
Purpose Operation, control, instrumentation Wall thickness, flange rating, valve selection, testing
Code Reference Not directly defined by design codes Defined in ASME B31.3 / ASME Section VIII
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🌍 4️⃣ Why This Distinction Matters
✅ Correctly defining both pressures ensures:
🔸 Safety — prevents overstressing or failure.
📏 Optimized design — avoids unnecessary over-thickness.
🧰 Proper component selection — valves, flanges, fittings.
🧪 Code compliance — with ASME, API, and other standards.
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