PPI BCD PLASTIC PIPE DESIGN CALCULATOR

The BCD Plastic Pipe Design Calculator is a software tool that aids in designing plastic pressure pipe and tubing systems using the materials CPVC, HDPE, PEX, PE-RT, PP-R and PP-RCT. It is intended to assist designers using these materials for applications such as plumbing, water service, fire protection, hydronic piping (liquids), radiant heating & cooling, snow & ice melting, geothermal ground loops, district heating, and turf conditioning.

The tool includes five main functions:

  • Pressure/Head Loss
  • Pipe Weight/Volume
  • Thermal Expansion/Contraction
  • Hydraulic Shock
  • Expansion Arm/Loop

The BCD Calculator utilizes dimensional data from ASTM International and CSA Group industry standards for these piping materials, as well as data gathered from various PPI research projects and publications.

Note on Fittings: Characteristic pressure loss data on pipe fittings is often published by fitting suppliers as “equivalent feet of pipe length”. This data is not built into the Calculator, due to the wide variety of fitting designs available in the market. When doing Pressure/Head Loss calculations for piping systems with fittings, the user can manually enter this data for the selected fittings, if it is known, and the pressure loss through fittings will be added to the calculated pressure loss through piping.

The Calculator allows the user to select either IP/US or Metric/SI working units, as well as multiple fluids (e.g., water, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol). Fluid temperatures and mix ratios are chosen by the user.

The BCD Calculator allows the results to be viewed, printed, or emailed.

Clicking on opens a window showing those details.

Updates: In March 2021, Version 2.0 of the BCD Calculator went live with numerous updates:

Image
  • Updated appearance
  • Pipe/Tubing Selection Menu is revised to prevent confusion between pipe types
  • New sizes of PEX pipe are added, with dimensions taken from ASTM F2788
  • HDPE pipe and tubing are added, with dimensions taken from ASTM D2737, ASTM D2239, ASTM D3035, ASTM F714, and ASTM F3123
  • PP-R & PP-RCT pipe are added, with dimensions taken from ASTM F2389 and CSA B137.11
  • Links are added to BCD Material webpages
  • Product pictures are updated


Click here or on the image above to enter PPI Plastic Pipe Design Calculator