BOC

PROCESS PLANTS Standard Specification 00000-P-S-020-00-04 Sheet 1 of 5

MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE VELOCITIES OF
DRY GASEOUS OXYGEN IN PIPES AND FITTINGS

1. DOCUMENT INFORMATION

1.1 Revision History

Rev. Date Remarks By Chkd Approved

04 7-Sep-99 Generally Revised ES RT JC
03 17-Feb-98 Generally revised (New CGA Velocity SC TC RP IP RS
graph)
02z 14-Aug-97 First Issue in Electronic Standards System
02 22-Mar-96 Revised where marked ∆2 RH ACH ACH
01 12-May-95 Was L1-10 (25-Mar-86, Rev. 3) Re- JGR ACH WG PL ACH
numbered, re-formatted and revised where
∆1

1.2 Referenced/Related Company Standards

Specifications
00000-P-S-024 Gaseous Oxygen Piping External to Cold Boxes (Guildford)
00000-P-S-080 Cleaning for Oxygen Service
2. SCOPE

2.1 This Standard specifies the permissible velocities of Dry Gaseous Oxygen and the relative
restrictions for pipework and fittings constructed from aluminum, stainless steel, carbon
steel, copper, and copper/nickel alloys.

2.2 This standard applies to oxygen with a purity greater than 95% and pressures up to 70
bar(g). For oxygen concentrations between 25% and 50% there are no velocity restrictions,
however all pipework and fittings shall be cleaned for oxygen service and all non-metallic
materials must be fully compatible with oxygen. Another standard will cover velocity
restrictions and materials for pipework carrying oxygen at concentrations between 50-95%.

2.3 This Standard applies to pipework within an air separation complex or on a customer’s site
but does not apply to cross country/transmission pipelines or cylinder filling installations.

2.4 Due to the special nature of this document, it must not be updated without the approval of
the Materials Section at the Group Technical Center.

3. VELOCITY

The maximum permissible velocities under non-impingement conditions shall not exceed
those given in Graph – Figure 1. This Graph – Figure 1 does not apply to aluminum which
is covered by Graph – Figure 2. Graph – Figure 2 covers those situations where
impingement occurs for carbon and stainless steels and copper and nickel alloys.

This document and the Copyright are the property of BOC Process Plants and all information which it contains is confidential. The document must not be
reproduced or disclosed, nor must any information taken therefrom be disclosed without the prior consent in writing of BOC Process Plants.
THIS DOCUMENT IS CONTROLLED ELECTRONICALLY - PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED - CHECK VALIDITY BEFORE USE.
 BOC
PROCESS PLANTS Standard Specification 00000-P-S-020-00-04 Sheet 2 of 5
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE VELOCITIES OF
DRY GASEOUS OXYGEN IN PIPES AND FITTINGS

4. RESTRICTIONS

4.1 Piping shall only transmit dry gas ie gas having a dew point better than -40°C at the
operating pressure.

4.2 The gas must be filtered to a maximum particle size of 300 microns at the suction of oxygen
compressors and the inlet of customer distribution and control stations. For control stations
at the end of cross country transmission/pipelines or connection to customer pipelines of
unknown cleanliness consideration should be given to a higher level of filtration.

4.3 The pipework must be free from all millscale and corrosion products and degreased for
oxygen service. The maximum allowable levels of hydrocarbon contamination are:
• 500 mg/m2 for pipework
• 100 mg/m2 for valves and fittings
• 50 mg/m2 for all medical pipework and components
The 500 mg/m2 limit is determined as the level of contamination that can be practically
detected by a wipe test in a fabrication/construction environment. All pipework must
undergo a visual inspection, an inspection with a UV light and a wipe test. The wipe test
should be viewed under a UV light. If at the end of the cleaning process any odor is
detected then the component/system must be recleaned. If possible, pipework should be
brought to site already prepared for oxygen service and suitably protected.

Valves and fittings should be cleaned by the manufacturer and delivered to site in sealed
bags and marked ‘Cleaned for Oxygen Service’. The 100 mg/m2 level is readily achievable
in a clean environment under controlled conditions.

The level set for medical systems can only be confirmed by sending samples of the cleaning
agent to a recognized laboratory for analysis.

4.4 The material selection (Graph – Figure 1 and Graph – Figure 2) are valid for the following
design temperatures:
• up to 100 °C for general carbon steel pipework
• up to 150 °C for general stainless steel pipework
• up to 200 °C for carbon steel or stainless steel pipework within a fire/blast wall
For applications above the design temperatures quoted approval must be obtained from the
Materials Section at the Group Technical Center. The provision of a fire/blast wall can be
negated if the particular application is deemed low risk and is approved by the Materials
Section at the Group Technical Center.
4.5 Stainless steel pipework and fittings shall have a minimum of 1" nominal bore and 1/8"
thickness otherwise they shall be treated as carbon steel.

This document and the Copyright are the property of BOC Process Plants and all information which it contains is confidential. The document must not be
reproduced or disclosed, nor must any information taken therefrom be disclosed without the prior consent in writing of BOC Process Plants.
THIS DOCUMENT IS CONTROLLED ELECTRONICALLY - PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED - CHECK VALIDITY BEFORE USE.
 BOC
PROCESS PLANTS Standard Specification 00000-P-S-020-00-04 Sheet 3 of 5
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE VELOCITIES OF
DRY GASEOUS OXYGEN IN PIPES AND FITTINGS

4.6 The maximum possible flow conditions, which can occur during operation, shall be used for
determining velocity.

4.7 Pipework shall be adequately supported and free from vibration.

4.8 In cases where impingement occurs alternative configurations should be investigated. If

impingement cannot be avoided then maximum velocities shall be reduced as follows: -
(also shown on Graph – Figure 2):

4.8.1 For gas pressures below 13.8 bar (g)

(a) Carbon Steel – max velocity = 30.5 m/sec

Stainless Steel < 1/8" thick – max velocity = 30.5 m/sec

(b) Stainless Steel ≥ 1/8" thick – velocities within area B on Graph – Figure 1 are
acceptable.

4.8.2 For gas pressures above 13.8 bar (g).

(a) Carbon Steel – 50% of velocity given by solid line in Fig 1

(b) Stainless Steel – 50% of velocity given by solid line in Fig 1

If the above conditions cannot be met, the surface under impingement must be copper or
copper/nickel alloy.

Note: High velocities and impingement always occur at pressure let down valves, vent
valves and relief valves. In most cases the velocity through the valve will be sonic.

4.9 Aluminium must not be used external to the cold box. Inside the cold box velocity in
aluminium piping must be below the value acceptable for carbon steel under impingement,
i.e., area A in Graph – Figure 2.

4.10 Stainless steel for the purpose of this Standard are 300 series austenitic and 400 series
martensitic.

4.11 All gaskets shall be suitable for oxygen service and must not protrude into the gas stream.

4.12 To mitigate any unnecessary risk, high pressure pipework should not be routed through
areas frequently used by the plant operators/customer personnel, or close to ignition
sources/combustible materials.

4.13 This Standard applies only to new installations designed after the publication of this
Standard.

4.14 Any exceptions to this standard or for conditions outside of the range of the document must
be referred to the Materials Section, at the Group Technical Center for approval.

This document and the Copyright are the property of BOC Process Plants and all information which it contains is confidential. The document must not be
reproduced or disclosed, nor must any information taken therefrom be disclosed without the prior consent in writing of BOC Process Plants.
THIS DOCUMENT IS CONTROLLED ELECTRONICALLY - PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED - CHECK VALIDITY BEFORE USE.
 BOC
PROCESS PLANTS Standard Specification 00000-P-S-020-00-04 Sheet 4 of 5
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE VELOCITIES OF
DRY GASEOUS OXYGEN IN PIPES AND FITTINGS
Fig 1G
1 GRAPH FIG.
Maximum permissible Velocity for Dry Gaseous Oxygen in Pipe and Fittings
UNDER NON-IMPINGEMENT CONDITIONS

GRAPH FIG. 1

6.9 Bar(g)
(100 psig)

Note: change
of scale
B C

13.8 Bar(g)
(200 psig)

Gas Pressure – Bar(g)

A = Carbon Steel, stainless steel, copper or copper/nickel alloys.
B = Stainless steel (1” nominal bore and minimum 1/8” thick”) copper or copper/nickel alloys.
C = Copper or copper/nickel alloys only

Note: In situations where impingement occurs, please refer to paragraph 4.8

This document and the Copyright are the property of BOC Process Plants and all information which it contains is confidential. The document must not be
reproduced or disclosed, nor must any information taken therefrom be disclosed without the prior consent in writing of BOC Process Plants.
THIS DOCUMENT IS CONTROLLED ELECTRONICALLY - PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED - CHECK VALIDITY BEFORE USE.
 BOC
PROCESS PLANTS Standard Specification 00000-P-S-020-00-04 Sheet 5 of 5
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE VELOCITIES OF
DRY GASEOUS OXYGEN IN PIPES AND FITTINGS

Maximum permissible Velocity for Dry Gaseous Oxygen in Pipe and Fittings
UNDER IMPINGEMENT CONDITIONS

GRAPH FIG 2

6.9 Bar(g)
(100 psig)

Note: change
of scale
B C

13.8 Bar(g)
(200 psig)

Gas Pressure - Bar(g)

A = Carbon steel, stainless steel, copper or copper / nickel alloys.

(also aluminum inside cold boxes)
B = Stainless steel (1” nominal bore and minimum 1/8” thick”) copper or copper / nickel alloys.
C = Copper or copper / nickel alloys only

This document and the Copyright are the property of BOC Process Plants and all information which it contains is confidential. The document must not be
reproduced or disclosed, nor must any information taken therefrom be disclosed without the prior consent in writing of BOC Process Plants.
THIS DOCUMENT IS CONTROLLED ELECTRONICALLY - PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED - CHECK VALIDITY BEFORE USE.