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The process engineer will end up specifying the main constraints on the
vessel design: if you dont know how to do this properly, you cant really
design anything
2012 G.P. Towler / UOP. For educational use in conjunction with
Towler & Sinnott Chemical Engineering Design only. Do not copy
Chemical Engineering Design
Pressure Vessel Design
Strength of Materials
Vessel Specifications
Materials of Construction
Code rules are often applied even for vessels that dont
require construction to code
Savings of not following code rules are negligible as vessel
shops are set up to do everything to code
Name of Manufacturer
psi at F
Max. Allowable Working Pressure
F at psi
W (if arc or gas welded) Min. Design Metal Temperature
RT (if Radio graphed)
HT (if Postweld heat treated)
Manufacturers Serial Number
Year Built
Can only be used if vessel is designed, inspected and tested under the
supervision of a Certified Individual employed by the manufacturer
Strength of Materials
Vessel Specifications
Materials of Construction
A sphere!
(To scale)
Usually vertical
Easier to distribute fluids across a smaller cross section
Smaller plot space
Ellipsoidal
Cheaper than hemispherical and less
internal volume
Depth is half diameter
Same thickness as shell
Most common type > 15 bar
Torispherical
Part torus, part sphere
Similar to elliptical, but cheaper to fabricate
Cheapest for pressures less than 15 bar
Usually weld reinforcing pads to thicken the shell near the nozzle. Area
of reinforcement = or > area of nozzle: see Code requirements
2012 G.P. Towler / UOP. For educational use in conjunction with
Towler & Sinnott Chemical Engineering Design only. Do not copy
Chemical Engineering Design
Swaged Vessels
Strength of Materials
Vessel Specifications
Materials of Construction
= (L L0)/L0
Cross-sectional area A
Stress or Strain
Stress Stress
Strain Strain
Time Time
y
The maximum shear stress is half
Normal stresses x, y the algebraic difference between
Shear stress xy the principal stresses:
Maximum shear stress = (1 - 2)
For design purposes, often just use 1 - 2
BPV Code gives values for maximum allowable stress for different materials as a
function of temperature, incorporating a safety factor relative to the stress that
causes failure (ASME BPV Code Sec. II)
Failure in compression is by buckling, which is much harder to predict than
tensile failure. The procedure in the Code is iterative. This should definitely be
left to a specialist
PD
L L
4t
Vertical section:
H
Ph D H 2h t
PD
Longitudinal stress, L H
2t
Hoop stress, H
Similar equations can be derived for other
geometries such as heads (see Ch 13)
Strength of Materials
Vessel Specifications
Materials of Construction
Design pressure
Maximum operating pressure plus a safety margin
Margin is typically 10% of maximum operating pressure or 25 psi, whichever is
greater
Usually specify pressure at top of vessel, where relief valve is located
The BPV Code Sec. VIII Div. 1 doesnt say much on how
to set the design pressure
..a pressure vessel shall be designed for at least the most severe condition of
coincident pressure and temperature expected in normal operation.
Minimum
Lowest mean metal temperature expected in operation, including
transient conditions, upsets, auto-refrigeration, climatic conditions,
anything else that could cause cooling, minus a margin
Margin is typically -25F
MDMT: minimum design metal temperature is important as metals
can become brittle at low temperatures
340 + 50 = 390F
120 psig
340 F
Strength of Materials
Vessel Specifications
Materials of Construction
Safety
Material must have sufficient strength at design conditions
Material must be able to withstand variation (or cycling) in
process conditions
Material must have sufficient corrosion resistance to survive in
service between inspection intervals
Ease of fabrication
Cost
Includes initial cost and cost of periodic replacement
Nickel Alloys
Inconel, Incolloy high temperature oxidizing environments
Monel, Hastelloy expensive, but high corrosion resistance, used for
strong acids
Other metals such as aluminum and titanium are used for special
applications. Fiber reinforced plastics are used for some low
temperature & pressure applications. See Ch 7 for more details
The maximum allowable stress values are at 40C (100F) and are taken from
ASME BPV Code Sec. II Part D. The code should be consulted for values at
other temperatures. Several other grades exist for most of the materials listed.
Finished vessel relative costs are not the same as materials relative costs as
vessel cost also includes manufacturing costs, labor and fabricators profit
Strength of Materials
Vessel Specifications
Materials of Construction
Hemispherical heads Pi Di
t
4 SE 0.4 Pi
Ellipsoidal heads Pi Di
t
2 SE 0.2 Pi
Torispherical heads
0.885 Pi Rc
t
SE 0.1Pi
Rc is the crown radius: see Ch 13
Results are good enough for preliminary costing, but not for
mechanical design
2012 G.P. Towler / UOP. For educational use in conjunction with
Towler & Sinnott Chemical Engineering Design only. Do not copy
Chemical Engineering Design
Pressure Vessel Design
Strength of Materials
Vessel Specifications
Materials of Construction