MECHANICAL DESIGN

BASICS OF TALL COLUMNS

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 INTRODUCTION
• Column is a vertical pressure
vessel which physically separates
a mixture into two or more
products. Process consists that
mixture of different boiling point
products is boiled and the more
volatile components comes out of
the mixture.

• The process and operation of a

column depends on “Internals”.
Column Internals are broadly
divided into two parts:

 Part-1: Trays.

 Part-2: Packing.

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 Mostly Used trays are as follows

1.Valve Tray

2. Sieve Tray

3.Bubble cap tray .

4. Dual flow Tray

5.Baffle Tray

6.Chimney Tray

7.Cartridge Tray

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 Different Types of Packings

1.Rasching Ring ( 1st Generation).

2.Pall Ring ( 2nd Generation).

3.Cascade Mini Ring ,Metal Tower Packing (3 rd Gen)

4. Rasching Super Ring.

5.Wire Mesh Packing.

6.Wire Guaze Packing.

7. Grid Packing

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Sr. Description Trays Random Structured
No Packing Packing
1 Pressure Drop High Low Lower

2 Fouling Service Yes No No

3 Feed Point Yes Difficult Difficult

Flexibility
4 Liquid Hold up Considerable Small Small

5 Cleaning Easy Difficult difficult

6 Cost Low Low/Medi High

um

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 Minimum column diameter for trayed
columns is typically 0.75m;otherwise
packed columns are used.

Change in column diameter effect the

vapor velocity for given vapor flow rate.

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Mechanical Design of Tall Columns
Definition
A vertical vessel with height to dia ratio >10

Design basis and criteria

Process column is normally designed as self-supporting type.
The self supporting type of process columns are designed as a
cantilever beam i.e. a fixed support at one end in the form of a
cylindrical or conical shell called “Skirt”, with a base ring resting on
concrete foundation and fixed firmly by anchor bolts embedded onto
the foundation.
Design Loads

 Internal or external design pressure

 Self weight including attached piping, platforms, ladders, nozzles &
manholes, operating fluid, insulation, fireproofing, welded internals,
removable internals and other structural attachments.
 Loading due to external attachment or equipment.
 Wind and seismic loads.
 Other loads like thermal stresses, cyclic loadings etc.

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Design Load conditions

 ERECTION CONDITION: Column (in uncorroded and ambient temperature)

erected on foundation, without insulation, platforms, ladders, trays etc., but
with welded attachments plus full wind or seismic load on column.
 OPERATING CONDITION: Column (corroded) under design pressure and
design temperature including welded items, trays, removable internals,
piping, platforms, ladders, reboilers mounted on columns, insulation, fire-
proofing, operating liquid etc. plus full wind on insulated column or seismic
load.
 HYDROTEST CONDITION: Column (corroded in ambient temperature) in
vertical position under test pressure including welded items, platforms,
ladders, reboilers mounted on column, fire proofing, full of water plus 33%
of full wind load on uninsulated column. Seismic load is not considered.
 EMPTY CONDITION: Column (corroded in ambient temperature) with
welded items, trays, removable internals, piping, platforms, ladders,
reboilers mounted on column, insulation, fire proofing plus wind on
insulated column or seismic load. Internal/external pressure and operating
fluid are not considered.
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Wind Design as per IS 875: 1987
Basic wind speed (Vb) is based on peak gust velocity averaged over a
short time intervals of about 3 sec.time at 10 m height above mean
ground level in open terrain (category 2) and 50 yrs return period.
This can be taken from site data or code.
Design wind speed Vz = K1*K2*K3*Vb
Where, K1: Probability factor/Risk coefficient
K2: Terrain height and structure size factor
K3: Topography factor
Design Wind Pressure Pz= 0.6* Vz^2 N/sq.m
Wind load =Ae*Cf*Pz
Where,
effective area Ae =effective dia.(De) * height (uniform wind)
Cf = shape factor (=0.7 as per EDB)
Computation of Projected Area
Effective Vessel Diameter;
De = ( Vessel OD + twice insulation thickness) X Kd
For Kd
Vessel OD including insulation (mm) Coeff. Kd
less than 914 (36”) 1.5
914-1524(36-60”) 1.4
1524-2134(60-84”) 1.3
2134-2743(84-108”) 1.2
more than 2743(108”) 1.18
The principal parts contributing to the total wind load are;
 Vessel shell OD with twice the insulation thickness, if any.
 Adjusted platform area.
 Caged ladder.
 Piping- largest pipe in top third of column running to ground level
Seismic Design as per IS 1893: 2002
Response spectrum method is used for Columns.
For a project site following parameters are required;
Z = Seismic Zone factor
I = Importance factor
R = Response reduction factor
Sa/g = Average acceleration coefficient (from
acceleration spectra curve-normally 2% damping is
considered)
Horizontal seismic coefficient
Ah =Z I (Sa/g)/ 2R
Seismic Base shear,
Vb = Ah *Wo
Allowable stress for combined Loading
 Shell thickness calculation for combined
Loads:
The tangential stress t due to the pressure is given by;
t = PD/2t  Sa
Where, D = mean corroded shell diameter
P = Design Pressure
t = Corroded thickness of the shell
Sa = Code allowable stress, reduced by joint efficiency

The unit force ; lt = PD/2  Sa*t (Kg per linear cm)

The combined stress in longitudinal direction L
On the windward side;
L = (PD/4t) + (4M/ D2 t) – (W/ D t) Kg/cm2
l = (PD/4) + (4M/ D2) – (W/ D) Kg/linear cm.
and the shell thickness is

t = [(PD/4) + (4M/ D2)-( W/ D)] / Code allowable stress

On the leeward side;
L = (PD/4t) - (4M/ D2 t) – (W/ D t) Kg/cm2
l = (PD/4) - (4M/ D2) – (W/ D) Kg/cm
The maximum compressive stress in the shell is induced at the
bottom tangent line on the leeward side when the internal pressure
is equal to the atmospheric pressure;

L = - (4M/ D2 t) – (W/ D t)  Code allowable

stress

Or for the vacuum vessels;

L = -(PD/4t) - (4M/ D2 t) – (W/ D t)  Code allowable
stress

Maximum axial buckling can occur locally at section when L

reaches critical buckling stress.(Refer UG23 (b) and (d)) Code
allowable stress (tensile or compressive) for wind/ seismic loading)
are increased by 1.2 times.
Support Skirt Design :
Maximum longitudinal stress due to the external moment M and
weight W at the base is;
L = – (W/ Dsk tsk) +/ - (4M/ Dsk2 tsk)
If vessel is tested in vertical position, the longitudinal compressive
stress at the base
L = – (WT/ Dsk tsk)
Support skirt thickness; based on maximum stress in the skirt-to-
head weld.
tsk = [(W/ Dsk) + (4M/ Dsk2 )] / E * Code allowable
stress
Where; E = weld efficiency (consider 0.55 for skirt butted to knuckle
portion)

Skirt thickness tsk should be satisfactory for the allowable column

deflection (H/200); usually tsk for tall towers is chosen not less than
the corroded bottom shell section plate thickness.
Support skirts for large diameter vessels, which have to be stress
relieved in the field in a vertical position, must be checked to
Flared skirts are used for very tall columns for high moments.

If a large access or pipe opening is located in the skirt shell

L = +/- M/tsk[(/ Dsk2/4) – (Ydsk/2)] – W/(Dsk-Y)tsk
Where, Y is opening.
If L is too high then the opening has to be reinforced.
Skirt thickness required to withstand reaction due to bolting is also
checked.
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Anchor Bolt Design :
Ab = Bolt tensile stress area
M = Overturning moment at base due to wind or
earthquake
W = weight of the vessel
d = Bolt circle diameter
do = Outside diameter of the base ring
di = inside diameter of the base ring
N = total no. of anchor bolts in multiple of 4
ZL= d2/4, linear section modulus of the bolt circle
C = d, circumference of the bolt circle
x = distance of an anchor bolt from the neutral axis
Sa= allowable design stress for the anchor bolts
F = Uplift force per bolt due to the outside moment M
The maximum tension on the bolt circumference per linear cm. is;

T = (M/ ZL)-(W/C)
= (4M/d2)-(W/d)

If 4M/d2 is larger than W/d there is a positive uplift force inducing

tension stress, with magnitude depending on the distance x
spanned by half the anchor bolts. The max. force F on the bolt at
distance x=d/2 from the neutral axis;

F=Td/N=(4M/dN)-(W/N) per bolt

And the required bolt area is;

Ab = [(4M/d)-W]/NSa
 Calculation of static deflection of column

Deflection at top of the column is restricted to 6”/100feet.

This is required for proper functioning of trayed column

Deflection at the top of the column is calculated by adding

the individual deflections of various sections due to wind
load, shear load & moment at the end of each section as
explained;

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 Vibration Analysis :
Period of vibration is calculated by;

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Vibration Analysis :
Criterion , as recommended by Zorrila :
W/LDr2  20 Vibration analysis MUST be performed
20 < W/LDr2  25 Vibration analysis SHOULD be performed
25< W/LDr2 Vibration analysis NEED NOT be performed.

Where,
W Total corroded weight of Column, lb.
L Total length of column, ft.
Dr Average internal diameter of top half of column, ft.
Ws Corroded weight of column excluding weight of parts
which don't contribute to stiffness. lb.
The natural frequency of vibration for a bare structure (W/Ws=1)
based on actual value of (D/L2) (10)4 is;

f=(f1) (D/L2) (10)4. Refer table 1

(tb = uncorroded thickness at the base of the structure)

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When insulation, ladders, piping, platforms, internal trays, operating
fluid etc. are considered to contribute to stiffness of structure
(W/WS>1),
Now frequency
f=(f1) (D/L2) (10)4(Cf) Refer table 2

Logarithmic decrement  is the log of the ratio of successive

amplitudes of a damped, freely vibrating column and is a measure of
the structural ability of the column to dissipate energy during
vibration.
For a particular  depends on the type of construction and
the insulation used. The value of  can be selected from table 3
based on the reported average values.
 THANK YOU!

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