Skip to content
EDWartens UK

Free course · CAD

Piping Design and Isometrics for Oil and Gas (ASME B31.3)

The piping fundamentals an EPC contractor or refinery hires for: pipe sizes and schedules, fittings, flanges, gaskets, bolting and valves, materials and piping classes, ASME B31.3 wall thickness, plot plans, pipe racks and nozzle orientation, reading and drawing isometrics with cut lengths, weld numbers and a BOM, supports and spans, thermal expansion and flexibility, line lists, MTOs and hydrotest.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
13
Video
12 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain how piping fits into an EPC project and what each piping deliverable is for; read pipe tables and calculate weights; choose fittings, flanges, gaskets, bolting and valves for a service; select materials and read a piping class; calculate B31.3 wall thickness and pick a schedule; read plot plans, rack layouts, GA drawings and nozzle orientations; read isometrics and draw them with cut lengths, weld numbers and a BOM; place supports from span tables; calculate thermal growth and recognise when a line needs stress analysis; and produce a line list, an MTO and a hydrotest pressure.

  • Read pipe tables: NPS, DN, OD and schedule, and work out bore, weight and water content
  • Choose fittings, flanges, gaskets and bolting, and pick a flange class from the B16.5 rating table
  • Select valves by duty and lay out the valves around a pair of pumps
  • Read a piping class and choose materials for cold, hot and corrosive service
  • Calculate ASME B31.3 wall thickness with corrosion allowance and mill tolerance
  • Read plot plans, rack sections and nozzle orientations, and check pump NPSH
  • Read and draw isometrics with coordinates, cut lengths, weld numbers, spools and a BOM
  • Place supports, estimate thermal growth, and produce a line list, an MTO and a hydrotest pressure

Software

A spreadsheet (LibreOffice Calc is free) for the calculations. For drawing isometrics, LibreCAD (free 2D CAD with an isometric grid) or FreeCAD (free 3D CAD; the Dodo add-on draws pipes, elbows and flanges). AutoCAD and its Plant 3D toolset are optional: free to eligible students and educators on the Autodesk Education plan, otherwise a short trial. Squared or isometric paper works for every exercise.

Hardware

None. Any laptop that runs a spreadsheet and LibreCAD is enough.

Syllabus

13 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1Piping in a plant: the team, the deliverables and the workflow2 lessons
  2. 2Pipe sizes, schedules, weights and manufacture2 lessons
  3. 3Fittings, flanges, gaskets and bolting3 lessons
  4. 4Valves: types, standards and selection2 lessons
  5. 5Materials and piping classes3 lessons
  6. 6ASME B31.3: scope, structure and wall thickness3 lessons
  7. 7Plot plans, equipment layout, pipe racks and nozzle orientation4 lessons
  8. 8Reading piping isometrics3 lessons
  9. 9Drawing isometrics: cut lengths, weld numbers, the BOM and CAD tools3 lessons
  10. 10Pipe supports and spans3 lessons
  11. 11Thermal expansion and flexibility basics3 lessons
  12. 12Line lists, MTO, spools and hydrotest4 lessons
  13. 13Final assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  5. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Piping Design and Isometrics for Oil and Gas (ASME B31.3)

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • Piping Mantra

    the lessons on FEED, fittings, flange types, valves, codes and standards, equipment layout, nozzle orientation, the 30 percent model review, pipe supports and spans, thermal expansion and anchors, the stress critical line list, MTO, shop and field welds, and pressure testing

  • HardHat Engineer

    the guides to pipe sizes and schedules, API 5L against A106 pipe, piping material selection, and anchors, guides and limit stops

  • The Piping Engineer

    piping isometric drawings for beginners, reading isometrics and calculating slopes, and the recap in the final module

  • Welding and NDT

    the English lessons on pipe sizes, schedules, NPS and DN, and on piping material codes and specifications

  • PipingStress

    pipe rack design tips and the hand calculation of an expansion loop

  • Technical Piping

    selecting a flange rating class from ASME B16.5, and drawing a piping isometric from an orthographic view in AutoCAD

  • saVRee

    the animated explanation of gate, globe, ball and butterfly valves

  • Basics4Piping

    the chapter-by-chapter tour of ASME B31.3

  • I4I Academy

    the minimum required thickness calculation and schedule selection to ASME B31.3

  • WeldTube

    reading and drawing pipe-fitting isometric blueprints from the fitter's side

  • EPSC DESIGN

    the piping line list and its columns

  • Plant 3D virtual factory

    the AutoCAD Plant 3D beginner tutorial, from a 3D model to isometrics and drawings

  • Learn with EngrWaqas

    the piping engineering workflow in EPC projects, from P&ID to isometrics, that opens the course

  • The Engineering Mindset

    pump NPSH basics for the pump suction layout module

Questions

About this course

Who is this piping design course for?
It is for mechanical graduates and diploma holders, CAD draughtsmen and pipe fitters who want to move into piping design or layout at an EPC contractor, a refinery, a gas plant or a chemical plant. It also suits engineers from other disciplines who need to read piping drawings with confidence.
Is the course free to learn?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the worked problems, the practice tasks, the project and the final assessment are free, and the software used is free to download or free on an education plan. The certificate is optional.
Do I need to buy a copy of ASME B31.3?
No. The notes explain the structure of the code, its fluid service categories and its wall thickness and test pressure formulas in our own words, with worked numbers. A working designer uses the licensed edition named in the project specification; the 2024 edition is the current one.
Which software does the course use?
A spreadsheet such as LibreOffice Calc for the calculations, and LibreCAD (free 2D CAD with an isometric grid) or FreeCAD with the Dodo add-on for drawing isometrics. AutoCAD with the Plant 3D toolset is optional, free for eligible students and educators on the Autodesk Education plan. Every exercise can also be done on isometric paper.
What will I be able to do at the end?
Read a piping class and a line list, pick a flange class and a pipe schedule, read and draw an isometric with cut lengths, weld numbers and a bill of materials, place supports from a span table, estimate thermal growth, and work out an MTO and a hydrotest pressure. The optional project takes one line from the P&ID to a test-ready design.
Is this useful for piping jobs in the Gulf and on international projects?
Yes. ASME B31.3 and the ASME B16 and API component standards are used on most oil, gas and petrochemical projects worldwide, including the large EPC projects in the Gulf, and the deliverables taught here (line lists, piping classes, isometrics, MTOs and test packs) are the ones those contractors ask new designers to produce.
How long does the course take?
About 12 hours of video, notes and practice at your own pace, of which under 7 hours is video. The optional project takes about 10 hours more.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens certificate of completion, issued when you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final at 60 percent, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not an ASME, API or other professional credential, and EDWartens is not affiliated with ASME, API or any software maker.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module