Pressure vessels

S Sindhu
 Pressure Vessel
• It is generally accepted that any closed vessel
over 150 mm diameter subject to a pressure
difference of more than 0.5 bar should be
designed as a pressure vessel.
 Pressure Vessels
Role of Chemical Engineers:
• To check the feasibility of a proposed
equipment design;
• To estimate the vessel cost for an economic
analysis; and
• To determine the vessel’s general proportions
and weight for plant layout purposes.
 PRESSURE VESSELS
• Pressure vessels are the containers for fluids under high
pressure.

• They are used in a variety of industries like

• Petroleum refining
• Chemical
• Power
• Food & beverage
• Pharmaceutical
 TYPES OF PRESSURE VESSELS

There are three main types of pressure vessels

in general

• Horizontal Pressure Vessels

• Vertical Pressure Vessels
• Spherical Pressure vessels

However there are some special types of Vessels like

Regeneration Tower, Reactors but these names are given
according to their use only.
HORIZONTAL PRESSURE VESSEL
 VERTICAL PRESSURE VESSEL

• The max. Shell length to

diameter ratio for a small
vertical drum is about 5 : 1
 MAIN COMPONENTS OF
PRESSURE VESSEL

Following are the main components of pressure

Vessels in general

• Shell
• Head
• Nozzle
• Support
 HEAD

• All the pressure vessels must be closed at the ends by heads

(or another shell section).
• Heads are typically curved rather than flat.
• The reason is that curved configurations are stronger and
allow the heads to be thinner, lighter and less expensive than
flat heads.
• Heads can also be used inside a vessel and are known as
intermediate heads.
• These intermediate heads are separate sections of the
pressure vessels to permit different design conditions.
 NOZZLE

• A nozzle is a cylindrical component that penetrates into the

shell or head of pressure vessel.
• They are used for the following applications.

• Attach piping for flow into or out of the vessel.

• Attach instrument connection (level gauges, Thermowells,
pressure gauges).
• Provide access to the vessel interior at MANWAY.
• Provide for direct attachment of other equipment items (e.g. heat
exchangers).
 SUPPORT

• Support is used to bear

all the load of pressure
vessel, earthquake and
wind loads.

• There are different

types of supports which
are used depending
upon the size and
orientation of the
pressure vessel.

• It is considered to be
the non-pressurized
part of the vessel.
 Types of support
• Horizontal drums are typically supported at two locations by saddle
support.
• Small vertical drums are typically supported on legs that are welded to
the lower portion of the shell. Support legs are also used for Spherical
pressurized storage vessels.
 Vertical pressure vessels may also be supported by lugs(bolted to
horizontal structural members in order to provide stability against
overturning loads).The use of lugs is typically limited to pressure vessels
of small and medium diameter (1 to 10 ft).
 Tall vertical cylindrical pressure vessels are typically supported by skirts. A
support skirt is a cylindrical shell section that is welded either to the
lower portion of the vessel shell or to the bottom head (for cylindrical
vessels).
 Classification of pressure vessels
Based on the ratio of the wall thickness to vessel
diameter:
• thin-walled vessels, with a thickness ratio of
less than 1 : 10; and
• thick-walled above this ratio.
Principal stresses in pressure
vessel walls:

Radial stress – σ3
Longitudinal stress- σ1
Circumferential stress- σ2
 Classification of pressure vessels
• If the wall is thin, the radial stress will be small and can
be neglected in comparison with the other stresses,
and the longitudinal and circumferential stresses can
be taken as constant over the wall thickness.
• In a thick wall, the magnitude of the radial stress will
be significant, and the circumferential stress will vary
across the wall.
• The majority of the vessels used in the chemical and
allied industries are classified as thin-walled vessels.
Thick-walled vessels are used for high pressures.
 PRESSURE VESSEL CODES AND STANDARDS

• The pressure vessel design codes and standards include

lists of acceptable materials; in accordance with the
appropriate material standards.
• In the United Kingdom all conventional pressure vessels
for use in the chemical and allied industries will
invariably be designed and fabricated according to the
British Standard PD 5500 or the European Standard EN
13445; or
• an equivalent code such as the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers code Section VIII (the ASME code).
 PRESSURE VESSEL CODES AND STANDARDS
• PD 5500 covers vessels fabricated in carbon and alloy steels,
and aluminium.
• The design of vessels constructed from reinforced plastics is
covered by BS 4994.
• The ASME code covers steels, non-ferrous metals, and fibre
reinforced plastics.
• www.bsi-global.com.
• IS:4072/1967 [For material].
• IS:2825/1969[unfired pressure vessels].
• IS:4049(Part-I) – 1988[formed ends for tanks and pressure
vessels].
• IS:4179/1967[Sizes of process vessel and leading dimensions)
• IS:4503/1967[Shell and Tube type Heat Exchangers]
 Unfired Pressure Vessel
• An unfired pressure vessel is any type of
pressure vessel that is not fired. This means
that they are not exposed to combustion or
burner fire. Since it is an unfired vessel, there
is a lesser risk of overheating.
• Unfired pressure vessels are very helpful in
preventing corrosion by being an instrument
of heat exchange.
 GENERAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

• Design pressure will normally be 5 to 10 per cent

above the normal working pressure, to avoid
spurious operation during minor process upsets.
• Vessels subject to external pressure should be
designed to resist the maximum differential
pressure that is likely to occur in service.
• Vessels likely to be subjected to vacuum should be
designed for a full negative pressure of 1 bar, unless
fitted with an effective and reliable vacuum breaker.
 GENERAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

• Maximum allowable design stress will depend

on the material temperature.
• The design temperature at which the design
stress is evaluated should be taken as the
maximum working temperature of the
material, with due allowance for any
uncertainty involved in predicting vessel wall
temperatures.
THE DESIGN OF THIN-WALLED VESSELS UNDER
INTERNAL PRESSURE
• Cylinders and spherical shells
t = PiDi/2f-Pi 1
f- design stress in N/mm2
Pi internal pressure in N/mm2 e 
t= minimum thickness in mm
t = PiDi/4f-1.2Pi(Sphere) 2
If a welded joint factor is used, the equation 1 and 2 are
written as t = PiDi/2fJ-Pi (Cylinder)
t= PiDi/4fJ-1.2Pi(Sphere)
where J – welded joint efficiency
• Welded joint efficiency is a numerical value, which represents a
percentage, expressed as the ratio of the strength of a riveted, welded, or
brazed joint to the strength of the base material.
• The value of the joint factor used in design will depend on the type of joint
and amount of radiography required by the design code. Typical values are
shown in Table 13.3.
• Taking the factor as 1.0 implies that the joint is equally as strong as the
virgin plate; this is achieved by radiographing the complete weld length, and
cutting out and remaking any defects.
 Heads and closures
• The ends of a cylindrical vessel are closed by
heads of various shapes.
• The principal types used are:
1. Flat plates and formed flat heads; Figure 13.9.
2. Hemispherical heads; Figure 13.10a.
3. Ellipsoidal heads; Figure 13.10b.
4. Torispherical heads; Figure 13.10c.
 Heads and closures
• Hemispherical, ellipsoidal and torispherical
heads are collectively referred to as domed
heads.
• They are formed by pressing or spinning; large
diameters are fabricated from formed
sections.
• Torispherical heads are often referred to as
dished ends.
 • Standard torispherical heads (dished ends) are the most
commonly used end closure for vessels up to operating
pressures of 15 bar. They can be used for higher pressures, but
above 10 bar their cost should be compared with that of an
equivalent ellipsoidal head.
• Above 15 bar an ellipsoidal head will usually prove to be the
most economical closure to use.
•A hemispherical head is the strongest shape; capable of
resisting about twice the pressure of a torispherical head of the
same thickness. The cost of forming a hemispherical head will,
however, be higher than that for a shallow torispherical head.
Hemispherical heads are used for high pressures.
The minimum thickness required by the flat ends is given by

where Cp= a design constant, dependent on the edge constraint,

D- nominal plate diameter,
f - design stress.
 Heads and closures
• Elliptical heads
• Most standard ellipsoidal heads are manufactured with a major and minor
axis ratio of 2 : 1. For this ratio, the following equation can be used to
calculate the minimum thickness required:

Torispherical heads

Cs - Stress concentration factor for torispherical heads = 1 Rc 

 3  
4 Rk 
 Heads and closures
• Hemispherical heads

PD
t i i
4 fJ  0.4 Pi

• Estimate the thickness required for the component parts of the

vessel shown in the diagram. The vessel is to operate at a pressure
of 14 bar (absolute) and temperature of 300oC. The material of
construction will be plain carbon steel. Welds will be fully
radiographed. A corrosion allowance of 2 mm should be used.
Thank you