The selection of pipe components is mostly determined by the properties of the process fluid. The chemical substance, the pressure and temperature determine the required resistance and strength of the material. Also some external factors such as wind loads can have an influence on the design of the piping and indirectly on the selection of the pipe components.
The pipe class is a toolbox for the pipe designer with the approved components for specific process conditions. With these components the designer can build the pipe line.
The piping engineer can commence with building the pipe classes when the process (and utility) design is completed. The process design will include the tentative line sizing and the material choice for the pipe systems.The piping engineer will consider the corrosion allowances and tolerances necessary for the overall plant lifecycle.
The PCC program allows the piping engineer to select the pipe components based on the information stated above. Easy edit windows make updates of the pipe specification efficient. Copy and paste facilities provide additonal flexibility when building new pipe classes. All the pipe classes are organized in projects, each project can be considered as a complete pipe specification for the respective plant or unit.