Liquid Pipeline Sizing

Design a liquid pipeline using Darcy-Weisbach pressure drop calculations. Determine required pressures, flow capacity, and verify velocity limits.

Design Steps:

• Define pipeline geometry and fluid properties
• Calculate pressure drop at target flow rate
• Determine inlet/outlet pressures
• Check velocity and Reynolds number

Velocity Guidelines:

• Crude oil: 3-8 ft/s typical
• Water: 5-10 ft/s typical
• Erosional velocity limit: varies by fluid and material

Relative Roughness:

• New steel: e/D = 0.0002
• Commercial steel: e/D = 0.0006
• Corroded steel: e/D = 0.002

Elevation Change (dH):

• Positive: outlet higher than inlet (uphill)
• Negative: outlet lower than inlet (downhill)
• Zero: flat pipeline

Reference: Crane Technical Paper No. 410 - Flow of Fluids.