Use PipingRouteBuilder when a source document describes a piping route as a line-list or route table: line numbers, from/to nodes, nominal size, wall thickness, straight length, fittings, valves, elevations, and equipment nodes. The builder converts those rows into a serial ProcessSystem with one PipeBeggsAndBrills unit per segment and explicit material connection metadata.

For STID/E3D work, this is the preferred bridge between document extraction and NeqSim hydraulics whenever the task is route pressure drop, upstream/downstream piping screening, debottlenecking, or compressor suction/discharge line analysis.

When To Use

Use this builder when the route is mostly serial and the extracted data includes segment-by-segment geometry.

Source data Builder field
Line number, row id, or stress-isometric segment segmentId
Upstream equipment/node/nozzle fromNode
Downstream equipment/node/nozzle toNode
Straight run length length, lengthUnit
Nominal bore or calculated internal diameter nominalDiameter, diameterUnit
Schedule/wall thickness setSegmentWallThickness(...)
Elevation rise/drop setSegmentElevationChange(...)
Pipe roughness or piping class assumption setSegmentPipeWallRoughness(...) or default roughness
Valve, bend, tee, strainer, reducer K value addMinorLoss(...)

For branched or looped networks, use the route builder for each serial branch or use the looped-network tools described in Looped Pipeline Networks.

What It Builds

For a standalone route pressure-drop study, calling build(inletStream) creates:

  1. A ProcessSystem named Piping route.
  2. The provided inlet stream as the first process unit.
  3. One PipeBeggsAndBrills unit per route segment, in line-list order.
  4. ProcessConnection entries between the inlet stream and each generated pipe.
  5. Fittings on each pipe using equivalent length ratios.

For a route embedded in a larger process simulation, call addToProcessSystem(process, inletStream). This adds only the generated pipe units to the existing process and returns the outlet stream from the last pipe. Pass that returned stream directly to downstream equipment constructors.

Minor losses are stored as K values on the route segment, then converted to equivalent length ratio using:

\[\frac{L_e}{D} = \frac{K}{f_D}\]

where $f_D$ is the Darcy friction factor assumption. The default is 0.02 and can be changed with setMinorLossFrictionFactor(...). This is a screening assumption; record the source of K values and the selected friction factor in the task notes and results.json.

Java Example

The example below is exercised by neqsim.process.equipment.pipeline.routing.PipingRouteBuilderTest.

import neqsim.process.equipment.pipeline.PipeBeggsAndBrills;
import neqsim.process.equipment.pipeline.routing.PipingRouteBuilder;
import neqsim.process.equipment.stream.Stream;
import neqsim.process.processmodel.ProcessSystem;
import neqsim.thermo.system.SystemInterface;
import neqsim.thermo.system.SystemSrkEos;

SystemInterface gas = new SystemSrkEos(303.15, 50.0);
gas.addComponent("methane", 0.9);
gas.addComponent("ethane", 0.1);
gas.setMixingRule("classic");

Stream feed = new Stream("feed", gas);
feed.setFlowRate(10000.0, "kg/hr");
feed.setTemperature(30.0, "C");
feed.setPressure(50.0, "bara");
feed.run();

PipingRouteBuilder route = new PipingRouteBuilder()
    .setDefaultPipeWallRoughness(45.0, "micrometer")
    .setMinorLossFrictionFactor(0.02)
    .addSegment("ROUTE-001-S1", "Upstream manifold", "separator outlet", 120.0, "m", 0.508,
        "m")
    .setSegmentWallThickness("ROUTE-001-S1", 12.7, "mm")
    .addMinorLoss("ROUTE-001-S1", "gate valve", 0.15)
    .addSegment("ROUTE-001-S2", "separator outlet", "compressor scrubber", 65.0, "m", 0.508,
        "m")
    .setSegmentElevationChange("ROUTE-001-S2", 4.0, "m")
    .addMinorLoss("separator outlet->compressor scrubber", "long-radius bend", 0.20);

ProcessSystem process = route.build(feed);
process.run();

PipeBeggsAndBrills lastPipe = (PipeBeggsAndBrills) process
    .getUnit("Pipe ROUTE-001-S2 separator outlet to compressor scrubber");
double outletPressure = lastPipe.getOutletStream().getPressure("bara");
String routeJson = route.toJson();

Use Inside A Larger ProcessSystem

PipingRouteBuilder accepts any StreamInterface as its route inlet. That can be a feed stream or the outlet stream from upstream equipment. The returned stream can feed the next unit operation in the same ProcessSystem.

import neqsim.process.equipment.heatexchanger.Cooler;
import neqsim.process.equipment.pipeline.routing.PipingRouteBuilder;
import neqsim.process.equipment.stream.StreamInterface;
import neqsim.process.processmodel.ProcessConnection;
import neqsim.process.processmodel.ProcessSystem;

ProcessSystem process = new ProcessSystem("Full plant process");
// feed is an existing StreamInterface or upstream feed stream in the process.
process.add(feed);

PipingRouteBuilder route = new PipingRouteBuilder()
    .addSegment("S1", "Feed", "Route outlet", 50.0, "m", 0.20, "m")
    .addMinorLoss("S1", "check valve", 0.5);

StreamInterface routeOutlet = route.addToProcessSystem(process, feed);

Cooler downstreamCooler = new Cooler("Downstream cooler", routeOutlet);
downstreamCooler.setOutletTemperature(25.0, "C");
process.add(downstreamCooler);
process.connect(route.getSegment("S1").getPipeName(), "outlet", downstreamCooler.getName(),
    "inlet", ProcessConnection.ConnectionType.MATERIAL);

process.run();

When the inlet stream comes from upstream equipment, use the explicit metadata overload so the process connection list retains the true source tag and port:

StreamInterface routeOutlet = route.addToProcessSystem(
  process, hpSeparator.getGasOutStream(), "HP Separator", "gasOut");

The stream object performs the simulation wiring. The ProcessConnection records are topology metadata for exports, graph inspection, DEXPI-style handoffs, and agent traceability.

STID Extraction Handoff

When reading STID P&IDs, E3D exports, stress isometrics, or line-list Excel files, extract route rows into a neutral handoff structure before creating the builder. Keep source references so pressure-drop results can be traced back to specific drawing rows.

{
  "route_id": "generic compressor suction route",
  "source_documents": ["P-ID-001.pdf", "stress_iso_route_001.pdf"],
  "minor_loss_friction_factor": 0.02,
  "default_roughness_m": 0.000045,
  "segments": [
    {
      "segment_id": "ROUTE-001-S1",
      "from_node": "Upstream manifold",
      "to_node": "separator outlet",
      "length": 120.0,
      "length_unit": "m",
      "internal_diameter": 0.508,
      "diameter_unit": "m",
      "wall_thickness": 12.7,
      "wall_thickness_unit": "mm",
      "elevation_change": 0.0,
      "elevation_unit": "m",
      "minor_losses": [
        {"type": "gate valve", "k_value": 0.15}
      ],
      "source_ref": "stress_iso_route_001.pdf page 2 row S1"
    }
  ]
}

Then convert each row with addSegment(...), setSegmentWallThickness(...), setSegmentElevationChange(...), and addMinorLoss(...).

STID Workflow Checklist

Limitations