---
title: "Managing Piping - Pipe vs Piping System"
slug: "managing-piping-pipe-vs-piping-system"
updated: 2026-10-27T23:11:45Z
published: 2026-10-27T23:11:45Z
canonical: "ims-handbook.cenosco.com/managing-piping-pipe-vs-piping-system"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ims-handbook.cenosco.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Managing Piping - Pipe vs Piping System

## Piping System Theory

In [Piping Systems - Overview](/v414/docs/piping-systems-overview), we mentioned that a Piping System is a type of FLOC/Equipment that is used to group together pieces of Pipe/Piping in much the same way that Corrosion Loops are used to group together piping and Equipment subjected to the same degradation mechanisms.

However, Piping Systems are used to define a **group of pipe/piping from one piece of Equipment to another** within a Corrosion Loop.

## Comparison of Approaches to Managing Pipe

Three of the main approaches to managing Piping in Piping Systems:

- Pipe/Piping grouped by **Corrosion Loop**.
  - All Pipe/Piping in a specific Corrosion Loop (or process area within a Unit) is managed together.
- Pipe/Piping grouped by **Piping System**.
  - Pipe/Piping extending from one piece of Equipment to another are grouped together. This approach is described in the S-RBI for Pressure Vessels and Piping Recommend Practice document. See the [Piping System Hierarchy example](/v414/docs/managing-piping-pipe-vs-piping-system#piping-system-hierarchy-example) below.
- Pipe/Piping managed at **Pipe Tag** level.
  - Each piece of Pipe/Piping is managed as a distinct entity.

Some of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the approaches are identified in the Table below.

| Management Approach | Advantages | Disadvantages |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Corrosion Loop** | - Easier to optimize for external inspection. - Might be a viable solution for assets with simple processes or predominantly corrosion resistant alloy piping (e.g. upstream platforms or trading & supply terminals). | - Inspection strategy needs to be clear for the entire loop - Several materials and degradation might exist, criticality and risk can change dramatically within the same loop. - CMLs might not provide a representative sample of corrosion issues. - Analysis might require more time to understand localized corrosion issues. |
| **Piping System** | - Compared to individual pipe tags, fewer Circuits and Schedules to manage. - Circuits and Components have a 1-1 relationship; Calculated corrosion rates, corrosion allowance and Remnant Life can be used as inputs into RBI analysis. - RBI analysis results can be applied to Circuits for Thinning (age-related Damage Mechanisms). - Effective way to manage inspections schedules. | - Piping FLOCs and Equipment may not directly represent other data sources, e.g. 3D model. |
| **Pipe Tag** | - Very granular approach to managing piping integrity - Might be better aligned with other data sources, e.g. 3D models. | - Unmanageable number of Inspections Schedules and SAP Work Orders. - Large number of default Schedules will be created - Difficult to align with RBI, results in more Components than are needed. - Results in many more Circuits and Corrosion Schedules than are needed for corrosion rate determination. |

### Piping System Hierarchy Example

To illustrate how a Piping System might be implemented, the hypothetical System illustrated below shows Corrosion Loop CL01 which extends from FLOC V-100 to V-110 containing two separate Piping Systems:

- P100-CL01-001 containing Pipe and related Equipment extending from V-100 to E-100, and,
- P100-CL01-002 containing Pipe and related Equipment extending from E-100 to V-110.

![image.png](https://cdn.document360.io/e492a0e0-a4ba-4aca-8fc6-76b95f91fdf3/Images/Documentation/image%28125%29.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-28T14%3A39%3A27Z&se=2026-10-28T15%3A39%3A27Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aWHCzRM76PF%2F3fM1C%2Bj2v4OaGc%2FvPZxiNOxutoMtIKI%3D)

Example of Corrosion Loop Containing two Piping Systems.

For the example above, the [hierarchy](/v414/docs/pei-hierarchy-overview) of Piping System P100-CL01-001 could look something like the following.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e492a0e0-a4ba-4aca-8fc6-76b95f91fdf3/Images/Documentation/image-1687842370423.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-28T14%3A39%3A27Z&se=2026-10-28T15%3A39%3A27Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aWHCzRM76PF%2F3fM1C%2Bj2v4OaGc%2FvPZxiNOxutoMtIKI%3D)

Example of a Piping System hierarchy.

To learn how to create a Piping System in IMS, see: [Creating Piping Systems](/v414/docs/creating-piping-systems).