NEWS

WEBINAR DETAILS

We are pleased to confirm our next FABIG Lunchtime Webinar covering 'CostFX - A potential new Recommended Practice for design of piping against blast', which will be presented by Asmund Huser & Andreas Aaslid from DNV on Wednesday 4^th March 2026 at 13.00 GMT.

For additional information and registration, please go to the Events section of the website.

Abstract:

Recent advancements in explosion research and insights from the CostFX Joint Industry Project (JIP) have prompted a reconsideration of conventional blast design practices for piping and pipe supports. While the current approach of applying uniform static drag loads to all pipes do not capture the temporal and spatial variability of these loads - since they represent peak rather than sustained forces - there remain uncertainties in the degree to which these findings can be broadly applied. Experimentally validated findings from CostFX Phases I and II, which will be discussed in this upcoming Webinar, suggest that accounting for dynamic three-dimensional blast effects may reduce representative pipe loads by more than fifty percent. These findings offer the potential to give significant blast load reduction, and Phase III of the CostFX JIP aims to develop a streamlined methodology which can be implemented in the industry by a Recommended Practice (RP). Although modern piping systems generally demonstrate substantial structural integrity, these developments indicate a potential shift in industry practice; it is anticipated that many high-risk explosion zones may not require additional pipe reinforcement or support structures. Still, some uncertainty remains regarding the applicability of these conclusions to all installations and conditions.

As a result, while there is an expectation that requirements for structural strength and steel quantities in support design can be substantially diminished, these projections should be viewed with caution until further validation is conducted. It is also noteworthy that increased drag loading may occur under rare, extreme scenarios based on the updated models, and the likelihood and impact of such scenarios warrant further investigation.

Preliminary structural analyses indicate that current piping designs may be sufficiently robust to withstand standard DAL drag loads without the need for supplementary reinforcement previously dictated by traditional methodologies. Nevertheless, these conclusions are based on initial studies, and additional research is needed to confirm their general applicability. In Phase III of the CostFX JIP, a more comprehensive review of various pipe configurations and parameters will evaluate escalation risks following blast events. Despite anticipated reductions in required steel and supports, continued attention to potential blast impacts remains important.

FABIG WEBINAR SERIES

We are always looking for interesting presentations for our Webinar Series, so please contact us at fabig@steel-sci.com if you or one of your colleagues would like to present at a future FABIG Webinar.

Take care,

The FABIG Team