Abstract

This technical paper presents design, and analysis of pressure vessel. High
pressure rise is developed in the pressure vessel and pressure vessel has to
withstand severe forces. In the design of pressure vessel safety is the primary
consideration, due the potential impact of possible accident. Analyses were carried
out on head, shell, nozzle and saddle. The input parameters are type of material,
pressure, temperature, diameter, and corrosion allowance. Analysis performed the
calculations of internal and external pressure, weight of the element, allowable
stresses, vessel longitudinal stress check, nozzle check and saddle check.

Introduction
Pressure vessels are leak proof containers, as the name implies, their main
purpose is to contain a given medium under pressure and temperature. Pressure
vessels are commonly used in industry to carry both liquid and gases under required
pressure and temperature limit. This pressure and temperature comes from an
external source or by the application of heat from a direct or indirect source or any
combination of them. Pressure vessels; commonly have the cylindrical, spherical,
ellipsoidal, conical or a combination of these shapes. However, some pressure
vessels are named after the type of function they required to perform. For example,
the distillation column is a vessel used in oil and petroleum refining process. The
heat exchanger used in many types of industries to transfer heat from one fluid to
another fluid.Also, reactor is a vessel, which is used for chemical reaction of
contained substance. The material comprising the vessel is subjected to pressure
loading and hence stresses from all direction. The normal stresses resulting from
this pressure are functions of diameter of the elements under consideration, the
shape of the pressure vessel as well as the applied pressure.Pressure vessels are
usually spherical or cylindrical with dome end. The cylindrical vessels are generally
preferred because of they present simple manufacturing problem and make better
use of the available space. Boiler, heat exchanger, chemical reactor and so on, are
generally cylindrical.

Problem Statement
Vessels failure can be grouped into four major categories, which describe why a
vessel failure occurs. Failures also grouped into types of failures, which describe
how the failure occurs mean each failure contains its failure history, why and how it
occurs. There are many reasons of vessels failure such as:
Improper material selection, defected material.
Incorrect design data, incorrect or inaccurate design method or process, inadequate
shop testing.
Improper fabrication process, poor quality control, insufficient fabrication process
including welding, heat treatment and forming methods.
In order to meet a safe design, a designer must be familiar with the above
mentioned failure and its causes. There have a few main factors to design safe
pressure vessel. This study is focusing on analyzing the safety parameters for
allowable working pressure.

Methodology
For design of pressure vessel the selection of Code are important as a reference
guide to achieve the safety pressure vessel. The objectives of the study is to design
pressure vessel according to input data and analyze the safety parameters of each
component for its allowable working pressure
The objectives of the study is to design pressure vessel according to input data and
analyze the safety parameters of each component for its allowable working
pressure.

Chapter

Literature review
NATURE OF DESIGN
Design is a creative activity, and as such can be one of the most rewarding and
satisfying activities undertaken by an engineer. It is the synthesis, the putting
together, of ideas to achieve a desired purpose. The design does not exist at the
commencement of the project. The designer starts with a specific objective in mind,
a need, and by developing and evaluating possible designs, arrives at what he
considers the best way of achieving that objective; be it a better chair, a new
bridge, or for the chemical engineer, a new chemical product or a stage in the
design of a production process.

DESIGN PARAMETER OF PRESSURE VESSEL

The following are design parameters of pressure vessel

Design temperature
Design temperature is the temperature that will be maintained in the metal of the
part of the vessel being considered for the specified operation of the vessel. The
strength of metals decreases with increasing temperature so the maximum
allowable design stress will depend on the material temperature. For most vessels,
it is the temperature that corresponds to the design pressure. However, there is a
maximum design temperature and a minimum design temperature (MDMT) for any
given vessel. The MDMT shall be the lowest temperature expected in service or the
lowest allowable temperature as calculated or the individual parts. Design
temperature for vessels under external pressure shall not exceed the maximum
temperatures.

Design pressure
In the pressure vessels, three terms related to pressure are commonly used

Maximum Working pressure is the maximum pressure to which the

pressure vessel is
subjected.

Design pressure is the pressure for which the pressure vessel

designed.

Hydrostatic test pressure is the pressure at which the vessel is tested.

The pressure vessel is finally tested by the hydrostatic test before it is
put into operation.

The pressure use in the design of a vessel is called design pressure. It is

recommended to design a vessel and its parts for a higher pressure than the
operating pressure. A design pressure higher than the operating pressure with 10
percent, whichever is the greater, will satisfy the requirement. The pressure of the
fluid will also be considering. The maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) for
a vessel is the permissible pressure at the top of the vessel in its normal operating
position at a specific temperature. This pressure is based on calculations for every
element of the vessel using nominal thicknesses exclusive of corrosion allowance. It
is the basis for establishing the set pressures of any pressure relieving devices
protecting the vessel.

Corrosion Allowance
The corrosion allowance is the additional thickness of metal added to allow
for material lost by corrosion and erosion, or scaling. The allowance to be
used should be agreed between the customer and manufacturer. The walls of
the pressure vessel are subjected to thinning due to corrosion which reduces
the life of the pressure vessel. The corrosion in pressure vessel is due to the
following reasons:

Chemical attack by reagents on the inner wall surface of the vessel.

Rusting due to atmospheric air and moisture.

High temperature oxidation.
Erosion due to flow of reagent over the wall surface at high velocities.
Every attempt should be made avoid the corrosion. However, this may not be
always possible. An allowance is, therefore, required to be made by suitable
increase in wall thickness to compensate for the thinning due to corrosion.
Corrosion allowance is an additional thickness of the pressure vessel wall over and
above that required to withstand the internal pressure.

Materials
Pressure vessels are constructed from plain carbon steels, low and high alloy steels,
other alloys, clad plate, and reinforced plastics. Selection of a suitable material must
take into account the suitability of the material for fabrication (particularly welding)
as well as the compatibility of the material with the process environment. The
pressure vessel design codes and standards include lists of acceptable materials;in
accordance with the appropriate material standards.

Design stress (nominal design strength)

For design purposes it is necessary to decide a value for the maximum allowable
stress (nominal design strength) that can be accepted in the material of
construction. This is determined by applying a suitable design stress factor (factor
of safety) to the maximum stress that the material could be expected to withstand
without failure under standard test conditions. The design stress factor allows for
any uncertainty in the design methods, the loading, the quality of the materials, and
the workmanship. For materials not subject to high temperatures the design stress
is based on the yield stress (or proof stress), or the tensile strength (ultimate tensile
stress) of the material at the design temperature.

Welded joint efficiency, and construction categories

The strength of a welded joint will depend on the type of joint and the quality of the
welding. The soundness of welds is checked by visual inspection and by nondestructive testing(radiography). The possible lower strength of a welded joint
compared with the virgin plate is usually allowed for in design by multiplying the
allowable design stress for the material by a welded joint factor J. 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. The use of lower joint factors in design, though saving costs
on radiography, will result in a thicker, heavier, vessel, and the designer must
balance any cost savings on inspection and fabrication against the increased cost of
materials.

Design loads
A structure must be designed to resist gross plastic deformation and collapse under
all the conditions of loading. The loads to which a process vessel will be subject in
service are listed below. They can be classified as major loads, that must always be
considered in vessel design, and subsidiary loads. Formal stress analysis to
determine the effect of the subsidiary loads is only required in the codes and

standards where it is not possible to demonstrate the adequacy of the proposed

design by other means; such as by comparison with the known behaviour of
existing vessels.

Major loads
1. Design pressure: including any significant static head of liquid.
2. Maximum weight of the vessel and contents, under operating conditions.
3. Maximum weight of the vessel and contents under the hydraulic test conditions.
4. Wind loads.
5. Earthquake (seismic) loads.
6. Loads supported by, or reacting on, the vessel.

Subsidiary loads

1. Local stresses caused by supports, internal structures and connecting pipes.

2. Shock loads caused by water hammer, or by surging of the vessel contents.
3. Bending moments caused by eccentricity of the centre of the working pressure
relative to the neutral axis of the vessel.
4. Stresses due to temperature differences and differences in the coefficient
expansion of materials.
5. Loads caused by fluctuations in temperature and pressure. A vessel will not be
subject to all these loads simultaneously. The designer must determine what
combination of possible loads gives the worst situation, and design for that loading
condition.

Minimum practical wall thickness

There will be a minimum wall thickness required to ensure that any vessel is
sufficiently rigid to withstand its own weight, and any incidental loads. As a general
guide the wall thickness of any vessel should not be less than the values given
below; the values include a corrosion allowance of 2 mm:

3.1

Material Selection

Several of materials have been use in pressure vessel fabrication. The selection of
material is base on the appropriateness of the design requirement. AU the materials
used in the manufacture of the receivers shall comply with the requirements of the
relevant design code, and be identifiable with mill sheets. The selection of materials
of the shell shalltake into account the suitability of the materials with the maximum
working pressure and fabrication process.
Materials that used to design this project are;

3.2

Stainless steel vessel, unsterilised (304).

Stainless steel nozzle, unstabilised (304).
Carbon Steel skirt support, silicon killed.
50 sieve plate
Access ladder with plat form.
Insulation mineral wool.

Assumptions

In order to develop a preliminary design, some assumptions are made and listed
below.

No significant loading from piping and external equipment.

Plates and plate supports design is negligible.

 Material is double welded butt or equivalent and fully

radiographed.
Assume flanges are standard flanges.
Earth quake loading need not be considered.

METHODOLOGY
Sieve Plate Column Design Specifications
The design specifications and requirements for column, nozzle, material of
construction and other specification are specified in Table

Required Specifications
The specification to calculate the column wall thickness are tabulated in Table 3.3.1
below :

Table 3.3.1 Column Specification

Properties

Specifications

Length of cylindrical section, L

Internal diameter, Di
Heads
Number of sieve plates, n
Design temperature, T
Design pressure, Pi
Corrosion allowance, C

37 m
1.5 m
Standard ellipsoidal
50
150 0C
1200 KN/m2
2 mm

Table 3.3.2 Nozzles Specification

Properties
Feed

Specifications
At mid-point

Vapour out

At 0.7 m below top of

200 mm inside
diameter

Bottom
Product

cylindrical
Section
At Centre of vessel head

250 mm inside
diameter
200 mm inside
diameter
At 1.0 m below top of
200 mm inside
cylindrical section
diameter
Table 3.3.3 other sieve plate column specification

Properties

Specifications

Diameter of Access ports

(manhole)

0.6 m

Height of support skirt

Thickness of insulation

2.5 m
50 mm thick

At 1.0 m above the

bottom
At 1.5 m below the
top of the
Column

MECHANICAL DESIGN OF THE SIEVE PLATE COLUMN

GIVEN
Inner diameter of the column, Di = 1.5 m = 1500 mm
Design temperature = 150
Design stress of the material at 150

= 130 N/mm2

Material of construction = stainless steel 18Cr/8Ni unstabalized (304).

2

Design stress of the material = 130 N/ mm

2

Youngs modulus = 200000 N/ mm

Design pressure = 1.2 N/ mm

Corrosion allowance = 2 mm
Inner diameter of the column = 1500 mm
Height of the column between the two tangent lines = 37000 mm
Skirt height = 2500 mm
No of plates = 50
Insulation = 50 mm thick
Mineral wool density = 130 kg/m3
Maximum wind velocity = 160 KM/h
Access ladder with platforms = 1.7 k N/ m

area,

CALCULATION OF THE MINIMUM THICKNESS

With the specifications and requirement provided previously, the column wall
thickness is then
calculated using Equation (2.3.2) (Sinott 2005):

t=

PiDi
2 fjPi

1.2 1500
= 6.955mm
2 130 11.2

rounding off to 7 mm Take into consideration of 2 mm of corrosion allowance.

Therefore the final thickness is,

t 7mm +2 mm=9mm

Domed head
CALCULATION OF THE MINIMUM THICKNESS OF THE ELLIPSOIDAL HEAD
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:

1.2 1500

t 2 130 10.2 1.2

PiDi
2 fj0.2 Pi

= 6.93mm

t=

PiRcCs
2 fj+ Pi(Cs0.2)

Where, Cs stress concentration factor for torispherical heads Cs

4

(3+ RkRc )

Rc =crown radius,
Rk = knuckle radius.
The ratio of the knuckle to crown radii should not be less than 0.06, to avoid
buckling;and the crown radius should not be greater than the diameter of the
cylindrical section.

crown radius Rc
knuckle radius

Di

1.5 m

6 per cent Rc

0.09 m

A head of this size would be formed by pressing: no joints, so J

( 1.5 )

Cs 4 3+ 0.09 = 1.77m

1.

1.2 1500 1.77

=
12.146mm
2 130 1+1.2(1.770.2)

So an ellipsoidal head would probably be the most economical. Take as same

thickness
as wall 15 mm.