and attachments Combination of Various Design Loads Cl. no. 4.1.4 of EEUMA-190 can be used as guidance in this regard. However, EEUMA-190 does not specifically mention about the buoyancy force and the combination of buoyancy with seismic load needs to be reviewed. Since for sand filled pit the buoyancy load calculation is anyway conservative, the possibility of simultaneous occurrence of seismic with buoyancy may not be a possibility. However, for open pit the simultaneous occurrence cannot be ruled out. Hence, it was suggested to consider the simultaneous occurrence of buoyancy and seismic in case of vessel in open pit and separately in case of vessel in sand filled pit. Type of Saddle Buried vessel can be supported either on steel or on concrete saddle and each one has got its inherent advantages and disadvantages. A careful review of the following parameters may help in selection of correct type of saddle. As rule of thumb, vessels in sand filled pit are supported on concrete saddle while steel saddle is preferred to support vessel in an open pit.
Following three options are available for
supporting the vessel on concrete saddle 1. Equipment placed directly on the concrete saddle with steel straps to hold the equipment against buoyancy 2. Equipment placed on concrete saddle with normal bracket support with anchor bolts (as shown in Fig 1 below) to hold the equipment against buoyancy 3. Equipment placed on concrete saddle with inverted bracket support with anchor bolts to hold the equipment against buoyancy. Location and Projection of Inlet Nozzle Since buried vessel is mainly used for blowdown service, the location of centerline of the vessel inlet nozzle is dependent on the final plant layout and piping slope required for effective drainage. The location of inlet nozzle cannot be finalised till the blowdown system layout, in terms of distance of the vessel from the further point of release of the blowdown, is finalised. Till the nozzle location is finalised, the nozzle cannot be ordered (especially when it is of SR type as the length of the nozzle will depend on the location of the nozzle) and till that is not finalised, the vessel fabrication cannot be completed and vessel cannot be dispatched. Hence, the model review for the buried vessel needs to be planned
Table 1: Merits and Demerits of Concrete and Steel Saddles
Parameter
Concrete saddle
Steel saddle
Accessibility
Provides better accessibility in sand
filled pits since entire pit need not be emptied to access the anchor bolts for vessel removal, only removal of sand from the top half of the pit will suffice. However complete removal of the sand is required for reinstallation of vessel due to the presence of boot(s).
Finds wider in cases in open pits or
where sufficient clearance between the vessel periphery and the walls of the pit are maintained.
Handling
It is a challenge to handle vessels,
which are on concrete saddle, during transportation since separate transportation saddle to be fabricated and properly bolted to the vessel, as may be noted from Fig 1 below.
Easier to handle during transportation since same saddle can be used
during transportation with suitable temporary extension to take care of boots.
Interface with other disciplines
Supporting and anchoring is more
difficult than vessels supported on steel saddles, as may be noted from Fig 1 below.
Supporting and anchoring similar
to those of conventional horizontal vessels.
30 July 2015
to meet the vessel RAS (required at site)
date of the vessel. The projection of the inlet nozzle is dependent on the project philosophy regarding the connection of the inlet nozzle with the connected piping under the following scenarios Vessel in sand filled pit: Since no leakage of hydrocarbon vapour inside sand filled pit is acceptable, either of the following two options shall be exercised
1. If golden joint inside the sand filled pit is acceptable then the projection can be minimum to meet the code requirement and shall be provided with bevel end without and flange, as shown in Fig 1 below.
2. If golden joint is not acceptable, then nozzle should be provided with flanged end with sufficient projection to clear the vessel pit into the adjacent valve pit. This should be advised by piping. Since the projection will be substantial (~2 to 2.5m) suitable bracing needs to be provided to avoid damage during transportation and erection. Vessel in open pit: Since leakage of hydrocarbon in an open pit is not as critical as it is in a sand filled pit, standard nozzle projection with flanged end will be adequate. Centre-To-Centre Distance of Nozzles on Top of Vessel Unlike other horizontal vessels all the nozzles in a buried horizontal vessel are located on the top of the vessel (refer Fig 1 on the next page). This calls for a careful assessment of the vessel tan-totan length due to the following reasons which are typical to buried vessels 1. Code required clearance between nozzle reinforcement pads of adjacent nozzles 2. Minimum clearance required between outside diameters between flanges of adjacent nozzles. 3. Requirement of stiffeners for slender nozzles to protect them against damage during transportation, uplift during flooding, sand filling of the pit Chemical Engineering World