What is power piping vs process piping?

The difference between power piping vs process piping has to do with the type and quality of matter that each system transports.

Power piping refers to piping systems that are used to distribute high-pressure steam, high temperature and high-pressure water, compressed air etc. Typically these piping systems will be found in buildings that generate electric power, industrial plants, as well as heating and cooling systems.

On the other hand, process piping is used to distribute liquids, gasses and chemicals. Commonly, process piping is installed in petroleum refineries, chemical plants, pharmaceutical plants, textile plants, paper plants, semiconductor plants, and cryogenic plants, as well as other processing plants.

Regarding ASME codes, ASME B31.1 governs the design, development, installation, use and testing of power piping systems, while ASME B31.3 is intended to be applied to process piping systems. CRN training will further address these specifications.