Basic features to know about ANSI valves to work in the oil and gas industry
Why do we talk about DIN and ANSI valves and why is it so important to differentiate each standard while choosing the elements for a piping system? ANSI is the acronym for American National Standards Institute, the authority that defines and validates all the industry product standards developed by American government agencies, companies and consumer groups.
So, ANSI valves are designed to satisfy the standards that makes them suitable to the US market, to American oil platforms or industries. Generally speaking ANSI standards use inches and psi to respectively express mesures and pressure ratings (pounds per square inches). That is why it is crucial to pay attention while designing or making rodersi, althuogh it seems quite unimportant.
For more infromation about the ANSI standard, please have a look at official website:
ANSI, referral agency for ASME and ECEC
ANSI works along with the American society of mechanical engineers and is an unavoidable reference for European engineers and buyers too. US-based companies, mostly those of the automotive and the oil and gas industry, work with ANSI products. DIN standards use metric measurements to measure valves, flange sizes and pressure (mm and bar) and frequently European companies use DIN standard also manufacturing on US soil.
| ANSI standard (inch) | DIN standard (mm) |
| 1/2 | 15 |
| 3/4 | 20 |
| 1 | 25 |
| 1-1/4 | 32 |
| 1-1/2 | 40 |
| 2 | 50 |
| 2-1/2 | 65 |
| 3 | 80 |
| 4 | 100 |
| 5 | 125 |
| 6 |
150 |
| 7 | 175 |
| 8 | 200 |
| 9 | 225 |
| 10 | 250 |
| 12 | 300 |
So, when designing or working with a piping system all parts have to fit each other according ANSI or DIN standard. All parts. ANSI valves for piping therefore require compatible valves and flanges.
A glance on ANSI Class and pressure ratings
Talking about and working with ANSI valves we can not omit talking about ANSI Class or, rather, ANSI Class related to psi: that is all the standards fixed in the “ASME B16.5-2017: Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings”. This is the document developed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) regarding pressure-temperature ratings, materials, dimensions, tolerances, marking, testing and methods of designating openings for pipe flanges and flanged fittings.
Let us recall that ASME has been defining piping safety since 1922. B16 committee was created already in 1920 by the American Engineering Standards Committee to unify and further develop standards for pipe flanges and fittings. Over the years the comittee developed his experience and established new standards according to the progression of materials, purposes and needs in the oil and gas industry.
ASME B16.5-2017
The document called ASME B16.5 (year 2017) includes guideline about
- «Flanges with rating class designations 150, 300, 400, 600, 900, and 1500 in sizes NPS 1/2 through NPS 24 and flanges with rating class designation 2500 in sizes NPS 1/2 through NPS 12, with requirements given in both metric and U.S. Customary units with diameter of bolts and flange bolt holes expressed in inch units.
- Flanged fittings with rating class designation 150 and 300 in sizes NPS 1/2 through NPS 24, with requirements given in both metric and U.S. Customary units with diameter of bolts and flange bolt holes expressed in inch units.
- Flanged fittings with rating class designation 400, 600, 900, and 1500 in sizes NPS 1/2 through NPS 24 and flanged fittings with rating class designation 2500 in sizes NPS 1/2 through NPS 12 that are acknowledged in Non-Mandatory Appendix E in which only U.S. Customary units are provided».
«B16.5 is limited to flanges and flanged fittings made from cast or forged materials, and blind flanges and certain reducing flanges made from cast, forged, or plate materials». And «Also included in this standard are requirements and recommendations regarding flange bolting, flange gaskets, and flange joints».
ASME document invites to use this Standard «in conjunction with equipment described in other volumes of the ASME B16 Series of Standards as well as with other ASME standards, such as the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and the B31 Piping Codes».
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