WEIGHT DETERMINATION OF A PRESSURE VESSEL

Vessel Weights Determination

Dead loads are the forces due to the weight of the vessel and the parts
permanently connected with the vessel. These include the erection weight,
empty weight, operating weight and test weight.
Empty weight
The empty weight of the vessel is given by
Weight of cylindrical shell + weight of the Elliptical Head
Weight of cylindrical shell
Weight of cylindrical shell = Surface area x thickness calculated x Density of
vessel material
DLtδ
Weight = 3.14 x1.828 x9.144 x 0.01928 x 7860
Weight =16473 x.01928 x7860
Weight = 7956.64 kg
WEIGHT DETERMINATION OF A PRESSURE VESSEL

Weight of Elliptical head

Weight of elliptical head = surface area of elliptical head*Head thickness
calculated*material density.
Weight of elliptical head = 1.084D2*t*ə
Weight of elliptical head = 1.084*1.8288*19.12 *7860kg/m3
Weight of elliptical head = 545.02kg
Therefore Empty weight =7956.647kg + 545.02kg
Empty/Dry operating weight of vessel = 8501.67kg

Operating weight

The operating weight of the vessel is given by; empty weight of vessel + Liquid weight
Liquid weight = Density of Liquid* Volume of the vessel
Density of liquid = 500kg/m3 (Where specific gravity of liquid is equal to 0.5)
 WEIGHT DETERMINATION OF A PRESSURE VESSEL
Volume of Vessel = volume of cylindrical shell + volume of elliptical head
Volume of cylindrical shell = 3.14D3/24 = 3.14*1.8283/24

Volume of cylindrical shell = 3.14  6.108

24

= 0.8002341m3
Volume of elliptical Head = 3.14D2L/4 = 3.14*1.8282*9.144
3.14  3.341  9.144
4
Volume of elliptical head = 24.007m3

Therefore the volume of entire vessel = volume of shell + volume of head

= 0.8002341m3 + 24.007m3
Volume of vessel is therefore = 24.80726m3
Weight of Liquid = Density of liquid under operation* volume of vessel
= 500kg/m3 *24.80726m3
= 12,403.63kg
Therefore the operating weight of the vessel = empty weight + Liquid weight

= 8501.67kg + 12,403.63kg

= 20,905.3kg
 WEIGHT DETERMINATION OF A PRESSURE VESSEL

Test weight
Test weight (Full of water) of the vessel = Empty weight + weight of water in the
vessel
Weight of water in the vessel = Density of water * volume of the vessel
= 1000kg/m3 *24.80726m3
= 24,807.26kg
Test weight is therefore = 8501.67kg + 24,807.26kg
= 33,308.93kg
NOZZLES/OPENINGS ON PRESSURE VESSEL
Reinforcement of Openings
Calculation of the required wall thickness of a nozzle is one step in the
design of openings in pressure vessels. This is done in the same manner
as for any other cylindrical shell. There is more to the design of openings
than calculating the nozzle thickness, cutting a hole in the vessel, and
welding the nozzle in. The ASME Code uses simplified rules to ensure
that the membrane stresses are kept within acceptable limits when an
opening is made in a vessel shell or head.

When the opening is made, a volume of material is removed from the

pressure vessel. This metal is no longer available to absorb the applied
loads. The ASME Code simplifies the design calculations by viewing the
nozzle-to-vessel junction area in cross section . This simplification
permits the nozzle reinforcement calculations to be made in terms of
metal cross-sectional area rather than metal volume.
 NOZZLE REINFORCEMENT CALCULATION
The ASME Code requires that the metal area that is
removed for the opening must be replaced by an
equivalent metal area in order for the opening to be
adequately reinforced. The replacement metal must
be located adjacent to the opening within defined
geometric limits. The replacement metal area may
come from two sources:

• Excess metal that is available in the shell or

nozzle neck that is not required for pressure
or to absorb other loads.
• Reinforcement that is added to the shell or nozzle
neck.
NOZZLE REINFORCEMENT CALCULATIONS

Additional reinforcement must be provided if the

vessel shell and nozzle do not have sufficient
excess thickness that is not required for
pressure or other loads. Additional
reinforcement can be in one of the following
forms:
• A reinforcement pad.
• Additional thickness in the vessel shell or
head.
• Additional thickness in the nozzle near its
attachment to the vessel.
NOZZLE REINFORCEMENT CALCULATIONS
The reinforcement must be located within defined
boundaries in order for it to be considered effective. If
a reinforcement pad is used, its material should have
an allowable stress that is at least equal to that of the
pressure vessel shell or head material to which it is
attached. No credit can be taken for the additional
strength of any reinforcement that has a higher
allowable stress. If reinforcement material with a
lower allowable stress is used, the reinforcement area
must be increased to compensate for this. The ASME
Code specifies circumstances under which no nozzle
reinforcement evaluations are needed. It also provides
rules to evaluate the reinforcement of openings that
are located near each other.
 REINFORCEMENT OF OPENINGS AND FAILURE PATH
ANALYSIS
 Vessel Openings (ASME UG 36-UG-42)

 Opening shapes and sizes

 Inspection Openings

 Concept of reinforcing openings

 Calculations for reinforcement of openings

 Nozzle neck thickness

VESSEL OPENINGS UG36
Openings are required to:
 Attach Piping, mechanical equipment and instrumentations
 Permit inspections
A physical boundary between the jurisdiction of the ASME Code and
appropriate piping code is one of the following interfaces:
 Welded Pipe: Between the first circumferential joint of pipe and
the nozzle
 Screwed connections: first threaded joint
 Flanged connections: First face of flange
 Other connections: First sealing surface
OPENINGS SHAPE AND SIZES
Shapes of Opening
Code permits a pressure vessel to be designed with openings of
any shape or size. Circular and elliptical openings are
recommended because vessel manufacturers are familiar with
them.
Size of Opening
Code does not restrict size of a vessel opening, large openings
requires reinforcement, which may cause cost and fabrication
problems. For openings in a cyclindrical shell, the rules given in
UG-36 through UG-42 of ASME VIII-I are limited to the following
sizes:
1, in shell 60” and less in diameter, the opening shall not exceed 0.5D
or 20”.
2. In shell over 60” in diameter, the opening shall not exceed 0.33D or
40”.
When the size of the opening meets these limits, the rules given in
UG 36 through UG 42 shall be used.
INSPECTION OPENINGS
Required by the Code for all pressure vessels containing process
environments that cause corrosion, erosion or mechanical
abrasion.
Vessels that contain internals usually require maintenance of the
internals during the life of the unit.
Vessels should therefore be designed to permit reasonable entry
for personnel, welding equipment and internal components.
Code requires 15” man-way in vessels having an inside diameter
of over 56”.
CONCEPT OF REINFORCING OPENINGS
When an opening is made in a pressure vessel shell or head, the
ability of the nearby wall to retain pressure is significantly
reduced.
Reinforcing pressure vessels openings maintains the pressure
retaining capabilities of the shell/head by the addition of wall
thickness near the opening.
The basic rule of the Code is that the wall section around the
opening of the vessel must be reinforced with an area of metal
equal to the area of metal removed to create the opening. The
replaced area of material is called that opening or nozzle
reinforcement.
The reinforcement may be incorporated into the:
 Vessel Wall
 Nozzle Wall
 Attached pad surrounding the nozzle
CALCULATION FOR REINFORCEMENT OF OPENING
 To determine whether an opening is adequately reinforced, it is
first necessary to determine whether the areas of reinforcement
available will be sufficient without the use of a pad.
 The total cross sectional area of reinforcement required (in
inches) is indicated by the letter A, which is equal to the diameter
(plus corrosion allowance) times the required thickness.

The area of reinforcement available without a pad includes:

 The area of excess thickness in the shell or head, A1 (usual
practice is to use A1 = 0 and allocate it to corrosion allowance)
 The area of excess thickness in the nozzle wall A2
 The area available in the nozzle projecting inward, A3
 The cross sectional area of the welds, A4
CALCULATION OF REINFORCEMENT OF OPENINGS
(UG37)
If A1 + A2+A3+A4 ≥ A, the opening is adequately reinforced.
If A1 + A2+A3+A4 ≤ A, a pad is needed.
If the reinforcement is found to be inadequate, then the
area of pad required, A5 may be calculated as follows:
A5 = A – (A1+ A2+A3+A4)
If a pad is used, the factor (2.5t) in the equation for A2 in
figure UG 37.1, is measured from the top surface of the
pad and therefore becomes
(2.5tn + tp).
The area A2 must be recalculated on this basis and the
smaller value again used. Then
If A5 = A – (A1+ A2+A3+A4 A5 ≥ A; the opening is adequately
reinforced
 AREA OF REINFORCEMENT REQUIRED
Openings in cylindrical shell ( except Non radial hillside)
The total cross sectional area of reinforcement required for any plane through the center
of the opening is determined by ;
A = dtrF
Where
tr = minimum required thickness of the seamless shell, based on the circumferential
stress calculated by the Equation for shell thickness, PR/(SE-0.6P)
F = Correction factor to obtain minimum required thickness of the shell on the plane being
examined.
F = 1.0 except for integrally reinforced openings listed in UW-16.1, where F= 0.5(cos2@ +
1) is permitted.
o+ = angle of the plane being examined from the longitudinal plane.
 AREA OF REINFORCEMENT REQUIRED
Openings on a cylindrical shell (Non radial Nozzle)
The total cross sectional area of reinforcement required for a
plane through the centre of the opening at a non-radial hillside
is determined by;
A = dtr where
d=chord length at the mid surface of the thickness required,
excluding the excess thickness available for reinforcement.
tr=minimum required thickness of a seamless shell on the plane
being examined.
If the longitudinal plane is being examined, the value of tr is
determined by t =PR/(SE-0.6P) . If the circumferential plane is
been examined, tr is determined by 0.5tr or by equation
t=PR/2SE+0.4P
AREA OF REINFORCEMENT REQUIRED
Opening in a spherical shell or formed head
The total cross sectional area of reinforcement required for a
plane through the center of an opening in a formed head is
determined by;
A =dtr where
d=diameter or chord dimension of the opening
tr=minimum required thickness of the spherical or formed
head
1, when the opening and its reinforcement are entirely within
the spherical part of a torispherical head, tr is the
minimum required thickness for a torispherical head using
M=1.
2,when the opening is in a cone or conical shell, tr is the
minimum required thickness of a seamless cone of
diameter D, measured where the nozzle centreline pierces
 AREA OF REINFORCEMENT REQUIRED

The inside wall of the cone.

3, when the opening and its reinforcement are in an elliptical head and are
located within a circle at the centre of the head and the circle has a
diameter equal to 0.8 shell diameter, tr is the minimum required
thickness of a seamless spherical shell of radius K,D where D is the
shell diameter and K is given in table UG-37 of VIII-1.
Limits of Reinforcement;
Limits of reinforcement are determined in both the vertical and horizontal
direction. Excess cross sectional area of material within these limits is
available for reinforcement.
Paralel to shell surface.
When the openings is within the limits in section “reinforcement limit”, the
horizontal limits is the greater of :
1) d Or
2) 0.5d+t+tn
 AREA OF REINFORCEMENT REQUIRED
Perpendicular to shell surface
When the opening is within the limits, the vertical limits, the
vertical limits are the smaller of;
1) 2.5t or
2) 2.5tn + te.
Area of Reinforcement Available;
When the reinforcing limits do not extend outside of an area
where the required thickness and limits are available equally on
each side of the opening centreline, the following equations may
be used to determine the area of reinforcement available .
1) Area available in vessel wall, A1 is the larger of ;
A1 = (2d - d)(Et- Ftr) or
A1=(2(0.5d + t+ tn)-d)(Et – F tr)
 AREA OF REINFORCEMENT AVAILABLE
2) Area Available in Nozzle wall A2 is the smaller of :
A2 = (5t)(tn – tn) or
A2 = (5tn + 2te)(tn - trn)
EXA.MPLE 1.
Using the rules of ASME VIII-1, determine the reinforcement requirements for an 8
in. I.D. nozzle which is centrally located in a 2.1 ellipsoidal head. The nozzle is
inserted through the head and attached by a full penetration weld. The inside
diameter of the head skirt is 41.75in. The head material is SA-106 Gr.C. The design
pressure is 700psi, and the design temperature is 4000F. There is no corrosion
allowance, and the weld joint/quality factor efficiency is 1.0.
SOLUTION
1)The allowable tensile stress for both SA-516 Gr.70 and SA-106 Gr. C. at 4000F is
20ksi. Therefore, fr =1.0.
2) Using UG-32(d), the minimum required thickness of a 2.1 ellipsoidal head without
an opening is;
t = PD(2SE – 0.2P)
= (700 X 41.75)/(2 X 20000 X1.0 – 0.2 X 700) = 0.733in
Nominal thickness used is 0.75 in.
3) According to rule 3 of tr in UG 37(a),when an openingand its reinforcement are in
an ellipsoidal head and are located entirely within a circle, the center of which
coincides with the head and the diameter is equal to 80% of the shell diameter, tr
is the thickness required for a seamless sphere of radius K 1D where D is the shell
I.D and K1 is 0.9 from table UG-37 of VIII-1. for this head, the opening and its
reinforcement shall be within a circle with a diameter of
0.8D = (0.8)(41.75) = 33.4in,
4) The radius is
R = K1D = 0.9(41.75) = 37.575in
This radius is used in UG-32(f) to determine the tr for reinforcement calculations as;
tr = (PR)/(2SE -0.2P)
= (700)(37.575)/(2(20000)(1.0) – 0.2(700) = 0.625in
SOLUTION
5) Using UG-27(C)(1), the minimum required nozzle thickness is:
trn = (PRn)/(SE -0.6P)
= ((700(4))/((20000)(1.0) -0.6(700) = 0.143in
= Norminal thickness used is 1.125in
6) Limit parallel to head surface
X =d or (0.5d + t + tn) whichever is larger
= 8in or (4 + 0.75 + 1. 125 = 5.875in)
Use X = 8in.
7) Limit perpendicular to head surface
Y = 2.5t or 2.5tn whichever is smaller.
= 2.5(.75) = 1.875in or 2.5(1.125) = 2.81in
Use Y = 1.875in
8) Size limit of the opening is 2X = 2(8) = 16 in
This is less than the limit of 33.4 in determined in (3). Therefore, the provision to use
The spherical head rule is valid.
REINFORCEMENT CALCULATION
9) Reinforcement area required by UG 37(C) of VIII-1 is
Ar = dtrF + 2tntrF(1 – fr)
= (8)(.625)(1) + 0 = 5 in
10) Reinforcement area available in the head is
A1= d(Et –Ftr) – 2tn(Et- Ftn)(1 –Fet)
Where fet = 1.0, the second term becomes zero. Therefore,
A1 = d(t – tr)
= (8)(.75) -.625) = 1.00in2(

11) Reinforcement area available in Nozzle is

A2 = 2Y(tn – trn)
= (2)(1,875)(1.125 -.143) = 3.68in2
12) Reinforcement area available in fillet weld
A4 = 2 (.5) tw 2
(2)(.5)( 0.752) = 0.56in2
REINFORCEMENT CALCULATION
13) Total reinforcement area available in head, nozzle and welds is:
A r = A1 + A2 + A4
= 1.00 + 3.68 + 0.56
= 5.24in 2
Area available of 5.24in 2 is larger than the area required of 5.00in 2
REINFORCEMEENT CALCULATIONS
Example 2
Nozzle Reinforcement calculations
In this, work, an NPS 8 nozzle was selected into the shell and it is required to provide a
reinforcement area for this nozzle and also to determine if the selected nozzle requires
additional reinforcement. Using fig 2.7 and 4.1 as a point of reference.
To determine the required reinforcement area, A of the nozzle,
A = dtrF
Where:
d = Finished diameter of circular opening, or finished dimension (chord length at
mid surface of thickness excluding excess thickness available for reinforcement) of
nonradial opening in the plane under consideration, in.
tr = Minimum required thickness of the shell using appropriate ASME Code formula and
a weld joint efficiency of 1.0, in.
REINFORCEMEENT CALCULATIONS
F = Correction factor normally equal to 1.0.
The diameter, d is given as,
d = Diameter of Opening – 2 (Thickness with respect to Nozzle + Corrosion Allowance)
d = 219.075 – 28.575 + 38.557 =151.9mm
The required thickness of the shell, tr is given as 19.28mm (See thickness
calculation above). A value of 1.0 is assumed for F.
The required reinforcement area, A is therefore given as
A = dtrF
A = (219.075 – 28.575 + 38.557) (19.28) ( 1) = 2929.2mm2 required area
To determine the available reinforcement area in the vessel shell, A1, as the larger of
A11 or A12
A11 = (Elt - Ftr)d
A12 = 2 (Elt - Ftr)(t + tn)
REINFORCEMEENT CALCULATIONS
Where:
El = 1.0 when the opening is in the base plate away from the welds, or when the opening
passes through a circumferential joint in the shell (excluding head to shell joints).
El = The ASME Code joint efficiency when any part of the opening passes through any
other welded joint.
F = 1 for all cases except integrally reinforced nozzles that are inserted into a shell or cone
at an angle to the vessel longitudinal axis. See paragraph UG-37 of ASME code (2004)
for this special case.
tn = Nominal thickness of the nozzle in the corroded condition, in.
A11 = (Elt - Ftr)d = (0.897 - 0.125 - 0.759) x 7.75 = 64.5mm2
A12 = 2(Elt - Ftr) (t + tn)
= 2(22.78 - 3 – 19.28) (22.78 - 3 + 0.5 - 3)
=19.23mm2)
Therefore, A1= 64.5mm2 available reinforcement Area in shell
To calculate the reinforcement area that is available in the nozzle wall, A2, as the smaller of
A21 or A22.
A21 = (tn - trn) 5t
A22 = 2(tn-trn)(2.5 tn + te)
REINFORCEMEENT CALCULATIONS
Where:
•trn = Required thickness of the nozzle wall, in.
•r = radius of the nozzle, in.
•te = 0 if there is no reinforcing pad.
•te = Reinforcing pad thickness if one is installed, in.
•te = As defined in Figure UG-40 of the ASME Code for self-reinforced nozzles, in.
The required thickness of the nozzle, trn using ASME code or Table 2.2 is given by;
tm = Pr
SE1  0.6P

r = 96.83 + 3 =100mm

tm = Pr =
17.23  100 = 1.75mm
SE1  0.6P 992.84  1  0.6  17.23
REINFORCEMEENT CALCULATIONS
The available reinforcement in the nozzle neck, A2, as the smaller of A21 or A22.
A21 = (tn - trn) 5t = (0.5 - 3 – 1.755) x 5(22.78 - 3)
A21 = 761.8mm2
A22 = 2(tn - trn) (2.5 tn + te)
= 2(0.5 - 3 – 1.755) [2.5 x (0.5 - 3) + 0]
= 370mm2
Therefore, A2 = 370mm2 available reinforcement in nozzle.
Therefore, the total available reinforcement area, AT, and it is compared with the required area.
AT = A1 + A2 = 64.5 + 370 = 434.8mm2
Since AT < A, the nozzle is not adequately reinforced, and a reinforcement pad is required.
The required reinforcement pad area, A5, and pad diameter, Dp is determined thus;
Since the required reinforcement area is 2929.2mm2 and the available reinforcement area is
434.83mm2, the required area for the reinforcement pad need to be calculated.
A5 = A - AT
A5 = (2929.2 – 434.83) = 2494.1mm2 required area in reinforcement pad.
Therefore, Dp is equal
te = 22.78mm (reinforcement pad thickness)
A5 = [Dp - (d + 2 tn)] te
2494.1 = [Dp - (151.94 + 2(0.5 - 3)] 22.78
109.22 = [Dp – 170.99]
REINFORCEMEENT CALCULATIONS
Dp = 280mm.

Therefore, the minimum required reinforcement pad diameter is 280mm

NPS 8 Nozzle(8.625’’OD)
0.5’’Thick

0.897’’Thick
shell,
6ft inside
Diameter NPS 8 Nozzle
CALCULATION OF REINFORCEMENT OF OPENINGS
(UG37)
TEAM EXERCISE
Determine the reinforcement requirements for an 8-
inch SA 516 Grade 70 seamless schedule 80 and radial
SA 53B seamless pipe nozzle projecting 1.25inches into
the vessel I.D., in a 0.500-inch thick cylindrical
pressure vessel shell of inside radius of 24 inches with
a design pressure of 300 psig at 200oF.
The vessel is fully radiographed and E = 1.00 for all
joint efficiencies. There is no corrosion allowance and
the nozzle does not intersect any main seams. It has
0.375-inch fillet welds.
 NOZZLE THICKNESS CALCULATION
 The Wall thickness of a nozzle neck or other connection should not be
less than the thickness computed for the applicable loadings plus the
thickness added for corrosion allowance on the connection.
 Except for access openings and openings for inspections only: it should
not be less than the smaller of the following:
 The minimum thickness of standard wall pipe plus corrosion allowance
on the connection.
 The required thickness (assuming E = 1) of the shell (or head) to which
the connection is attached plus the corrosion allowance provided in the
shell (or head) adjacent to the connection; but for a welded vessel, in no
case less than 1.16”.

 Lets surf through UG 43-45 / EVOLUTION!!!!