Managing high-pressure industrial fluids: key engineering considerations

Managing high-pressure industrial fluids is a perennial challenge for the industry. Keeping liquids contained in their relevant vessels requires specialist engineering and expert knowledge of how specific setups work.

These systems are prone to leaks and even dangerous failures that could put workers and operations at risk. 

System Design And Material Choice

The first step is to ensure that all components, including Swagelok fittings, have the proper specifications for the task at hand. Systems must be able to withstand the maximum operating pressure by a considerable margin, often 150% or more. 

Materials must also be compatible with the fluids they contain. Systems must operate non-corroding elements or those that won’t break down in the presence of acids to remain stable and robust long-term. 

For these reasons, many components are made of stainless steel, titanium, or specialist polymers. These are less reactive and often fail more predictably, which is better from a safety perspective. 

Seal integrity on things like gaskets and washers is also critical. Pipelines and hydraulic systems mustn’t leak. If they do, they could damage equipment and lose performance. 

Flow Dynamics

The next consideration is flow dynamics. Systems must consider these to prevent inefficiencies. 

One common problem is pressure loss. Systems can sometimes lose PSI if not properly calibrated to deal with flow characteristics. For this reason, it is critical to use Computational Fluid Dynamics modeling to assess optimal flow paths. These show how fluids are likely to move inside vessels, and the likely impact of these movements on the surrounding material. 

Cavitation prevention is also a consideration. These events occur when there are sudden and rapid pressure changes inside the system that the surrounding materials can’t tolerate. Understanding why these occur and how to prevent them is essential. 

Lastly for this section, many engineers use systems for pulsation management. These dampeners can sometimes smooth flows in turbulent environments, reducing the risk of component failure. 

Safety Measures

When managing high-pressure industrial fluids, implementing safety measures is necessary. These prevent injury and provide protection even when systems fail. 

Pressure relief valves, for instance, are sometimes helpful. These allow the system to relieve some of its pressure before it breaks. The same is true of rupture discs. These help to discharge pressure in a safe way to prevent further downstream failures that might be less manageable. 

Leak detection systems are also warranted in many applications. These leverage sensors to measure facets, like acoustic emissions and flow, and then crunch the numbers in a computer to detect problems.

Putting isolation systems in place can also be helpful. These contain the highest pressures in the strongest parts of the system, protecting peripheral components that are harder to replace. 

Monitoring

Lastly, monitoring of high-pressure industrial fluid systems is essential. Engineers need to look out for things like fatigue and erosion in case they change components’ specifications. 

The best monitoring can be using AI for predictive maintenance. These solutions can tell whether something is going to go wrong ahead of time, preventing it from causing more harm later.