Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking

Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

Chapter 4. Sizing of tanks

1. Introduction

This chapter deals with the sizing of the principal elements of a tank based on the French
CODAP calculation code. The preferential order to carry out sizing calculation is depicted by
Figure 4.1.

Sizing calculations

Thicknesses of cylindrical shells

Thicknesses of conical shells

Thicknesses of bottoms

Thicknesses of nozzles

Reinforcement of openings

Flanges

Figure 4.1. Preferential order of tank sizing calculations.

2. Mechanical stresses in thin shells

The mechanical stresses carried in thin shells are due to both pressure and weights (self-
weight of the shell and weight of the tank’s roof). Figure 4.2 depicts the stresses induced by
the pressure applied on the shell: the transverse stress σ t applied on the shell wall and the

longitudinal stress σ l applied through the shell, in function of the applied fluid pressure P ,

the shell mean diameter Dm and the shell thickness t .

30 Rached Nciri, Technologist, D. Eng.

Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

σ t

σl σl
σ t

σl σl

σ t

σl σl

P× D
σ = m

2×t
t

 σ = σ + σ = 1.12 × σ 2 2

P× D σ
t l t

σ = = m t

4×t
l
2
Figure 4.2. Stresses induced by an applied pressure on a thin shell.

It is to note, also, that the self-weight of the shell and the weight of the tank’s roof are
applied longitudinally through the shell in same way as that of σ l .

3. Thickness of a cylindrical shell

The thickness of a cylindrical shell is expressed as:

tn = tu + C
{ + C1 + C2
{ { Corrosion allowance
{ {
Nominal thickness Useful thickness Engineerin g tolerance Reduction during manufactur ing

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Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

P × Dm P × Di P × De
= = : Far from shell ends
2× f × z 2× f × z − P 2× f × z + P
tu =
P × Di
≤ tu 0 = : At the shell ends (junction with another shell , bottom, reiforcement plate,..)
2× f − P

• P: The pressure P, used to calculate the thickness of the shell, is the maximum
pressure evaluated at the bottom of the shell.

• Dm, Di, De: Respectively the mean diameter, the internal diameter and the external
diameter of the shell.

• f: Nominal stress evaluated as:

 Rt R 
f = Min 0.002 ; 
 1.6 2.7 

The following table permits to determine the apparent yield strength at 0.2% R0t .002
(depending on the temperature) and the ultimate tensile strength R for the principal
construction materials.

• z: The welding coefficient, which might be said to represent the coefficient of security
related to shells, depends on construction category as it is summarized in the following
table:

32 Rached Nciri, Technologist, D. Eng.

Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

Construction Safety controls for

Welding coefficient Thickness
category tanks
A (or B) 1 Thin Important
B;C 0.85 Medium Average
C;D 0.7 Thick soft

It is to note here that the construction categories for tanks can be summarized in the
following table:

Construction
Risk
category
A High
B Quite high
C Average
D Low

• C : The allowance corrosion is determined by customer or based on an agreement

between customer and designer, based on the shell material as well as the chemical
and physical characteristics of the fluid to be in contact with the shell such as
corrosivity, temperature, velocity,..etc. Based on CODAP, the corrosion allowance
varies from 0 to 3 mm.

• C1 : For a plate thickness up to 4.76 mm, the engineering tolerance is determined based
on the width of the plate as it is depicted by the following table:

For thick plates ( t > 4.76 mm ), the tolerances on thickness and mass are related as it is
depicted by the following table:

33 Rached Nciri, Technologist, D. Eng.

Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

• C2 : The reduction during the manufacturing is determined based on the manufacturing

process.

• The useful thickness at the end of a shell, made of materiel with nominal stress f ,

joined to another shell made of another material with a nominal stress f1 > f , should

be lower than tu 0 as it is expressed by Figure 4.3.

Figure 4.3. Junction between 2 cylindrical shells.

4. Nozzle

4.1. Stresses around an opening

The opening carried out on a pressure vessel creates a weakening in the surrounding area
where the stress is almost tripled as it is depicted by Figure 4.4

Figure 4.4. Stress in the neighborhood of an opening.

34 Rached Nciri, Technologist, D. Eng.
Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

In order to avoid this problem, the thickness in the zone surrounding the opening should be
increased using a reinforcement plate, since it is not wise to increase the thickness of the
whole shell, unless it has so many openings. Figure 4.5 depicts a reinforcement plate
surrounding a nozzle carried out in a tank’s shell.

Reinforcement plate Flanges

Shell

Nozzle

Figure 4.5. Reinforcement plate surrounding a nozzle.

4.2. Diameter and positions of an opening

The diameter d of the opening should be limited to:

d ≤ 16 × D m ×t

The positions of the openings should meet some rules such as depicted by Figure 4.6.

(
x − x0 ≥ Max 0.2 × Dm × t ;3 × t )
Figure 4.6. Rules for the locations of opening positions.

35 Rached Nciri, Technologist, D. Eng.

Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

4.3. Welded nozzle

Welded nozzles, carried out on cylindrical and conical shells, should meet some rules as it
is depicted by Figures 4.7-4.9:

Figure 4.7. Rules applied on nozzles that are welded on a cylindrical shell.

Figure 4.8. Rules applied on nozzles that are welded on a conical shell.

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Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

Figure 4.9. Rules applied on nozzles that are welded on a spherical shell or a dome bottom.

4.4. Thickness of a nozzle

The thickness t nz of a nozzle is expressed as:

tnz ≤ kt × t{
Thickness of the shell in the
neighborho od of the opening

The coefficient kt is determined based on the chart depicted by Figure 4.10:

d  d 
0.2 ≤ ≤ 0.6  kt = 2.5 × 1 − 
Dm  Dm 

Figure 4.10. kt coefficient chart.

37 Rached Nciri, Technologist, D. Eng.

Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

4.5. Length of a nozzle

The measurement of the nozzle length lnz should be based on Figure 4.11.

Figure 4.11. Illustrations about the measurement of nozzle lengths.

5. Reinforcement plate

The sizing and the resistance verification of the reinforcement plate is based on the model
depicted by Figure 4.12.

38 Rached Nciri, Technologist, D. Eng.

Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

Reinforcement plate
Shell
Nozzle

L : Shell length participating to the resistance of the opening.

l : Nozzle length participating to the resistance of the opening.
l ′ : Length of the internal exceeding of the nozzle participating
to the resistance of the opening.
lnz′ : Length of the internal exceeding of the nozzle.
t nz : Thickness of the nozzle.
t nz′ : Thickness of the internal exceeding of the nozzle.
t : Thickness of the shell.
d nz : Internal diameter of the nozzle.
Ri : Internal radius of the shell.

Figure 4.12. Model for the sizing and the resistance verification of a reinforcement plate.

The length L is calculated as:

L = k0 × Dm × tu

The width of a reinforcement plate should be ≤ Max(L;50 mm ) .

39 Rached Nciri, Technologist, D. Eng.

Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

The thickness of a reinforcement plate should be ≤ 1.5 × tu

The coefficient k0 is determined based on the chart depicted by Figure 4.13.

13 δ
4 ≤ δ ≤ 16  k 0 = −
12 48
Figure 4.13. k0 coefficient chart.

The lengths l and l ′ is calculated as:

(
l = Min d m × tnz ; lnz ) d m = d nz + tnz
l ′ = Min (0.5 × )
with
d m′ × tnz′ ; lnz′ d m′ = d nz + tnz′

The resistance verification is carried out only for openings verifying the following
condition:

d > 0.14 × Dm × tu

Based on the model depicted by Figure 4.14, the resistance verification condition of the
shell in the neighborhood of the opening is expressed as:

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Higher Institute of Technological Studies_Gafsa-Tunisia Calculation and Sizing in boilermaking
Department of Mechanical Engineering Sizing of tanks

S × ( f − 0.5 × P ) + S nz × ( f nz − 0.5 × P ) + S r × ( f r − 0.5 × P ) ≥ P × G

With:

f : Nominal stress of the shell material

f nz : Nominal stress of the nozzle material
f r : Nominal stress of the reinforcement plate material

If f nz and f r are higher than f , the resistance verification condition is carried out assuming

that f = f nz = f r .

If the opening is located on a weld joint:

• Along any orientation on a cylindrical shell, dome bottom or a spherical cap bottom,

• Helicoidal or along a longitudinal direction on a cylindrical or conical shell.

f should be replaced by f × z in the resistance verification condition.

If the nozzle presents a longitudinal weld bead, f nz should be replaced by f nz × z in the

resistance verification condition.

41 Rached Nciri, Technologist, D. Eng.