CEW Features

Loads resulting from connected piping

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
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