A Review of Environmental Sustainability in Piping System Design and Material Selection

Piping systems are vital infrastructure in the industry, and the classic design methods are oriented on the issues of safety and reliability and pay insignificant attention to the lifecycle environmental impact. This paper is a critical analysis of the concept of environmental sustainability in piping systems. It will analyze the engineering principles of sustainability, material selection, and design solutions. The paper addresses the failure of traditional piping regulations, such as ASME B31, to address the issue of energy usage, greenhouse gas production, and ecological disruption. The concept of life cycle assessment (LCA) is brought up as one of the methods to estimate the environmental effectiveness of the piping materials and the installation practices over the course of their lifecycle. Recycled metals, bio-based materials and smart materials are discussed as new materials that could reduce environmental footprints and enhance longevity of the systems. Moreover, the paper also addresses digital technologies such as BIM, digital twins and monitoring through IoT as a solution towards the improvement of energy efficiency and sustainable decisions. It highlights the importance of combined, data-driven solutions in order to build resilient and environmentally friendly piping solutions.