Rational Design of Pipe Racks Used for Oil Sands and Petrochemical Facilities

Design of pipe racks used for oil and gas applications is very challenging and requires reliable coordination between several engineering disciplines. Few guidelines are available in North American and European codes of practice for practitioners to effectively design pipe racks. In practice, there is currently no standard procedure to implement. Unfortunately, the design is performed in a random fashion, and the engineers may overlook critical aspects. The paper provides some industrial guidelines for practicing engineers and steel fabricators to design steel pipe racks. The author was involved in several megaprojects during the feasibility and detailed design phases and will present to readers some critical aspects for the design of pipe racks. Additionally, there is a focus on the design coordination required by engineering disciplines. The paper also describes modeling of the pipe rack design loads, modularization procedure, and the foundation system. Design recommendations are also outlined for practicing engineers to avoid excessive member sizing and optimize the structural utilization.