Static Equipment

(Mechanical)
Definition of Static
Equipment
Static equipment are those having no
moving parts but help in many dynamic
processes & operations
Any equipments that stay fix on its
seat/place
Remains static unless influenced by an
earthquake or such natural force
In an oil refinery, common static
equipments used are Heat Exchangers,
Steam Traps, Furnaces, Distilling
Columns, Filters, Tank, Reactors and
Piping Systems
Definition of Rotating
Equipment
Rotating equipment is just what it
sounds like
Rotate radially on its axis and
have their own bearing journal
rotates due to energy input,
either from nearby power lines,
or stored source
Examples of Rotating
Equipment
A pump, a turbine mixer or a
compressor, Steam Turbines, Gear
Boxes, Motors, Blowers, Cooling
tower fans, mixing agitators etc.

So, in a manner, a car can be a

static piece of equipment which
turns into a rotating piece of
equipment due to an
earthquake
 Industry Positions for Engineers
with Expertise in Static Equipment
(Senior) Static Equipment Engineer
Principal/Chief Engineer - Mechanical /
Static Equipment
Lead Static Equipment Engineer
Static Equipment Inspector
Senior buyer/purchase officer( static
equipment)
Procurement Specialist - Static
Equipment
Static Equipment Specialist
(Senior/Lead) Process Engineer - Static
 Typical Role & Responsibility
of Static Equipment Engineer
“Hands on" experience in design,
AutoCAD skills, design code and actual
project execution as in "doing the work
yourself".

Capabilities in designing mechanical

constructions preferably within say,
Petrochemical industry experience
(pressure vessels and/or design of Static
equipment) and interested in designing,
involved in manufacturing, inspection
and installation
Classification of Static
Equipment
There are various classifications
mentioned in the standard
literature/manuals and adopted across
the globe
Americas – ASME, API
Europe – PED/BS
AS/NZS
IS
China
Russia
 Fired Pressure (Static)
Vessels
“Fired" pressure vessels are category of
vessels that include power boilers and
other vessels that are designed to
accept heat
This category of equipments would
include coal and oil/gas fired boilers and
well as boilers that are heated by a
waste heat energy system. Electrically
heated steam generators are also
considered to be "fired”
ASME Section I (Power Boilers) is for
fired pressure vessels design
 Fired Pressure (Static)
Vessels
Recommend to look into the
applicable boiler law at the location
of installation
1- If a vessel is exposed to heat
from the combustion of fuel, it is
fired
2- If a vessel is exposed to
radiation from the combustion of
fuel, it is fired
3- If a vessel is exposed to heat
from a fire, or electric heating, it is
Steel PV
 Unfired Pressure (static)
Vessel
Equipments that are pressurized to 15 psig or
higher
Includes pressurized tanks storing air, nitrogen
ammonia or natural gas
ASME Section VIII is for the unfired PV design
In a petrochemical plant there is need of a
large amount of energy: this usually comes
from power boiler. But at the same time it
is economical to recover waste heat and it
usually obtained by a waste heat steam
generator where process gas heats water
and produces steam: the WHSG is a heat
exchanger were channel is coded by ASME
Sect.VIII and shell may be designed to
ASME Sect.I
ASME Section VIII Pressure
Vessel Division 1
Provides requirements applicable to the
design, fabrication, inspection, testing, and
certification of pressure vessels operating
at either internal or external pressures
exceeding 15 psig.

Pressure vessels may be fired or unfired.

Specific requirements apply to several
classes of material used in pressure vessel
construction, and also to fabrication
methods such as welding, forging and
brazing
Nuclear PV( ASME Vs KTA Germany
Q) Is it right to say that fired
pressure vessel is a boiler and must
be designed to boiler code? Is there
a case where fired pv is designed to
Sec. VIII?

A) Yes, it is a boiler only, if steam is

generated for the use outside of
itself. Otherwise it might also be
considered as a unfired pressure
vessel. Both calculation , design for
boilers or a fired pressure vessels
,are possible however we have to
 Classification according to role of
equipment in the process
Reaction P
ressure Vessel: pressure
vessels are mainly used to
complete the physical
medium, chemical
reaction.
 such as: reactor,
decomposition tower,
polymerization autoclave,
high pressure vessel
reactor.
 Classification according to role of
equipment in the process
Heat exchanger
Pressure Vessel: The
main heat exchange
media used to complete
the pressure vessel.
Such as: waste heat
boiler, heat exchangers,
coolers, condensers,
evaporators, heaters,
dryer, solvent pre- heater,
power station steam
generator.
Classification according to role of
equipment in the process

Separation Pressure
Vessel: The main
media used to
complete the balance
of fluid pressure and
gas separation,
purification of the
pressure vessel.
Such as: separators,
filters, scrubbers,
absorption, drying
tower.
Classification according to role of
equipment in the process

Storage P
ressure Vessel: The
main role is to contain
materials used in
production and daily
life, such as gas,
liquid, liquefied gas
and so on.
Various types of
storage tanks are
available.
Classification based on vessel geometry
Open end vessels/tanks

Closed end vessels –

Cylindrical vessel with flat
bottom and conical or
domed roof

Cylindrical( vertical/horizont
al) vessel with formed ends
Spherical or modified
spherical vessel
Classification based on dimensions – L & D
( D – Outer diameter, L – Length/Height )

Diameter range is :
Small Pressure Vessels
Ø3 - 75mm (Ø 0.1” – 3”)
Medium Pressure Vessels
Ø75 -200mm ( Ø 3” – 8” )
Large Pressure Vessels
Ø200 to 1000+mm (Ø 8" to
40"+)
Classification based on
dimensions – L & D
Lengths/Heights are :
Small Pressure Vessels
20 inches
Medium Pressure Vessels
36 inches
Large/Tall Pressure Vessels
105 inches
The pressure vessels classified according to dimensions ( internal diameter &
thickness )

Thin and Thick shells

The ratio of internal diameter and wall
thickness is the factor which differentiate
between thin and thick shells
If the ratio d/t is more than 10, then it is
called thin shell
 If this ratio is less than 10, it is said to be
thick shell
The example of the thin shells are pipes,
boilers and storage tanks
The thick shells are used in pressure
cylinders, gun barrels etc.
Types of Criteria in Vessel Design
Selection of type of vessel is based upon
functional service
Functional service requirements impose
operating constrains like temp., press.,
dimensional limitations
If the vessel is not designed properly to
accommodate these requirements, failure
will occur
Plastic deformation, elastic instability,
rupture, corrosion, wear or fatigue are
types of failures
MDMT of Static pressure vessels
The minimum design metal temperature (MDMT)
of a vessel is the minimum metal temperature at
which the vessel can sustain its full design
pressure without having to be impact tested.
When the vessel operates at pressures less than
its full design pressure, concessions on MDMT are
allowed based on ASME Section VIII, Div. 2.
MDMT is a temperature selected by the user of the
vessel according to the type of fluid and the
temperature range the vessel is going to handle.
MDMT must be lower than or equal to the Critical
Exposure Temperature (CET)
(CET is an environmental or "process" property,
MDMT is a material property).
 Minimum Allowable
Temperature (MAT)
Defined in API 579, as the lowest
(coldest) permissible metal temperature
for a given material and thickness
based on its resistance to brittle
fracture.
It may be a single temperature or an
envelope of allowable operating
temperatures as a function of pressure.
The MAT is derived from mechanical
design information and material
specification.
MAT at design pressure is MDMT.
 Lowest metal temperature
(LMT)
Defined and used as the lowest metal
temperature due to the operating
condition and minimum ambient
temperature.
The LMT may be a single temperature
at an operating pressure or an envelope
of temperatures and coincident
pressures.
LMT is calculated from inner wall
temperature due to the contained
process fluid temperature and also the
minimum ambient temperature
Case of Depressurizing a Static PV
 Low temperature

A metal depending on its toughness property has a

transition temperature range within which it is in a
semi-brittle condition (ductile to brittle transition).
Within this range, a notch or crack may cause brittle
fracture (notch brittleness).
Above the transition range (warmer), brittle fracture
will not happen even if a notch exists. Below the
transition range (colder), brittle fracture can happen
even though no notches or cracks may exist.
Although the transition from ductile to brittle fracture
actually occurs over a temperature range, a point
within this range is selected as the “transition
temperature” to delineate the boundaries of ductile
and brittle zones.
One of the ways to determine this temperature is by
performing many impact tests on the construction
material.
 Loading
The type and level of mechanical/thermal
loading will affect the vessel’s susceptibility to
brittle fracture. Dynamic loading associated
with cyclic mechanical/thermal or impact
loading is a brittle-fracture contributing factor.
Furthermore, shock-chilling effects, defined as
rapid decreases in equipment temperatures,
can be a cause for brittle fracture.
Based on the stress levels applied, component
material, effective thickness and minimum
metal temperature, ASME Section VIII, Divisions
1 and 2 present criteria for vessel-component
material-impact test requirements and/or
exemptions
 Susceptible steel

Steel composition - Steels with lower carbon content

(C) are proven to have higher toughness at lower
temperatures. Also, phosphorous (P) present in steels
decreases the transition temperature of steel and
improves weldability. In general, steel-transition
temperature is a function of carbon content
percent plus 20 times the percentage of
phosphorous.
Furthermore, adding nickel to steel can increase steel
toughness and decrease its transition temperature.
Stainless steel 304 with 8% nickel can resist impact
loads at –320°F.
Sufficiently low carbon equivalents contribute to the
weldability of the material (reducing hardness and cold-
cracking susceptibility) and, thus, making metal crack-
free girth welds. Selecting the appropriate welding
material also is a determining factor to ensure a crack-
free weld.
Steel structure - A correlation was
developed between steel structure
(microstructure and grain size) and
fracture-toughness by numerous fracture
toughness tests at different low
temperatures.
Based on this correlation, steels with
coarse-grained microstructures have
lower toughness at low temperatures as
compared to steels with the fine-grained
microstructure.
During an 1999 incidence with a high-
density polyethylene (HDPE) reactor, a
brittle fracture occurred at a
temperature of –12°C in a 24-in. flange
Environmental stress fracture
- Steels exposed to corrosive
fluids such as wet H2S, moist air or
sea water are prone to premature
fracture under tensile stresses,
considerably below their “fracture
toughness” threshold.
 Suitable steel materials should be
used when exposure to corrosive
fluids is possible.
Pressure Testing – Proof Test
Strain guage measurement