EP 420 Process Equipment Design

Chapter 4 Storage Vessels

CLO3: Design the storage vessel, heat exchanger and
distillation column including the vessel components.
(C5, PLO3)

Classes of pressure vessel, Principal

stresses, Theories of failure, Combined
stresses, Shell of revolution, Dilation of
vessels
Pressure vessel: general design
consideration
Design of vessel closures Flat plates,
Formed heads, Elliptical &
Hemispherical heads.
Tall Vertical Vessels: Vessels subjected
to various loads, Determination of shell
thickness. .
Mohd Fadhil Majnis
 Pressure Vessel
There is no strict definition of what constitutes a pressure vessel,
but generally accepted that any closed vessel over 150mm
diameter subject to a pressure difference of more than 1 bar
should be designed as a pressure vessel.

**Taijune Enterprise Co., Ltd.

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 Classes of Pressure Vessel

Pressure vessels are sub- radial stress

divided into two classes
depending on the ratio of
the wall thickness to
vessel diameter:

1. Thin-walled vessels (<1:10) circumferential

2. Thick-walled vessels (>1:10) stress
longitudinal stress

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 Classes of Pressure Vessel
If the wall is thin, the radial stress will be small and can be
neglected in comparison with the other stresses. The
longitudinal and circumferential stresses can be taken as
constant over the wall thickness.

In a thick wall, the magnitude of the radial stress will be

significant, and the circumferential stress will vary across
the wall.

The principle stresses are the maximum values of the

normal stresses at the point; which act on planes which
shear stress is zero.

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 Principal Stresses

In a two-dimensional stress system, the principal stresses at

any point are related to the normal stresses in the x and y
direction x and y and the shear stress xy at the point by the
following equation:

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Principal Stresses
The maximum shear stress at
the point is equal to half the
algebraic difference between
the principal stresses:

Compressive stresses are

conventionally taken as
negative; tensile as positive

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 Theories of Failure
Theories of failure

Maximum principal stress theory: which postulates that a

member will fail when one of the principal stresses reaches the
failure value in simple tension, 'e . The failure point in a simple
tension is taken as the yield-point stress, or the tensile strength
of the material, divided by a suitable factor of safety.

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 Theories of Failure
Theories of failure

Maximum shear stress theory: which postulates that failure

will occur in a complex stress system when the maximum shear
stress reaches the value of the shear stress at failure in simple
tension.

Maximum strain energy theory: which postulates that

failure will occur in a complex stress system when the total
strain energy per unit volume reaches the value at which
failure occurs in simple tension.

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 Combined Stresses
For a system of combined stresses there are three shear
stresses maxima:

In the tensile test,

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 Walls of Thin Vessel
The walls of thin vessels can
be considered to be
membrane; supporting loads
without significant bending of
shear stresses, e.g. balloon.

membrane stress

internal pressure

minimum wall thickness

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 Shell of Revolution
Let P = pressure
t = thickness
'1 = meridional (longitudinal) stress
'2 = the circumference or tangential stress
r1 = the meridional radius of curvature
r2 = the circumferential radius of curvature

Note: the vessel has a double curvature, the value of r1 and

r2 are determined by the shape.

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 Shell of Revolution
A cylinder is swept out by the
rotation of a line parallel to the
axis of revolution, so:

( D = cylinder diameter)

Therefore,

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 Dilation of Vessels
Dilation of vessel
The principal strains in a two-dimensional system are related to the
principal stresses by:

Meridional strain

Poissons ratio

Circumferential strain

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Dilation of Vessels

A cube with sides of length L

of an isotropic linearly elastic
material subject to tension
along the x axis, with a
Poisson's ratio of 0.5. The
green cube is unstrained, the
red is expanded in the x
direction by L due to
tension, and contracted in
the y and z directions by L'.

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 Dilation of Vessels

When a material is compressed in one direction, it

usually tends to expand in the other two directions
perpendicular to the direction of compression. This
phenomenon is called the Poisson effect. Poisson's
ratio is a measure of the Poisson effect. The
Poisson ratio is the ratio of the fraction (or percent) of
expansion divided by the fraction (or percent) of
compression, for small values of these changes.

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 Dilation of Vessels
For cylinder

For a sphere (or hemisphere)

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 Dilation of Vessels

For a cylinder closed by a hemisphere head of the

same thickness the difference in dilation of the two
sections, if they were free to expand separately,
would be:

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 General Design Considerations
Design pressure
A vessel must designed to withstand the maximum pressure.
Its normally 5 to 10% above the normal working pressure.
the hydrostatic pressure in the base of the column should be
added to the operating pressure, if significant.
vessel subjected to vacuum should be designed for a full
negative pressure of 1 bar, unless fitted with an effective and
reliable vacuum breaker.

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 General Design Considerations
Design temperature
The strength of metals decrease with increasing temperature.

The design temperature should be taken as the maxium

working temperature of the material, with due allowance for
any uncertainty involved in predicting vessel wall temperature.

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 General Design Considerations
Design stress
Its necessary to decide a value for the maximum allowable
stress that can be accepted in the material of construction.
For material not subjected to high temperature the design
stress is based on the yield stress, or tensile strength of the
material at the design temperature.
For material subject to conditions at which the creep is likely
to be a consideration, the design stress is based on the creep
characteristics of the materials: the average stress to produce
rupture after 105 hours, or the average stress to produce 1%
strain after 105 hours.

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General Design Considerations

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3. Vessel Component Design

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 General Design Considerations
Welded joint efficiency
Its depend on the type of the joint and the quality of the
welding.
The soundness of welds is checked by visual inspection and
by non-destructive testing (radiography).
The value of welded joint factor depends on the type of joint
and amount of radiography required by the design code.
Taking the factor as 1.0 implies that the joint is equally as
strong as the virgin plate.

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General Design Considerations

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 General Design Considerations
The standards should be consulted to determine the
limitations and requirements of the construction categories.
The standards specifies three construction categories:
Category 1: the highest class, requires 100% non-
destructive testing (NDT) of the welds; and allow the use of
all materials covered by the standard, with no restriction on
the plate thickness.
Category 2: requires less non-destructive testing but
places some limitations on the materials which can be
used and the maximum plate thickness.
Category 3: the lowest class, requires only the visual
inspection of the weld, but is restricted to carbon and
carbon-manganese steels, and austenitic stainless steel.

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 General Design Considerations
Corrosion allowance
It the additional thickness of metal added to allow for
materials lost by corrosion and erosion.
For carbon and low-alloy steels, where severe corrosion is
not expected, a minimum allowance of 2.0 mm should be
used, where more severe conditions are anticipated this
should be increased to 4.0 mm.
Most design codes and standards specify a minimum
allowance of 1.0 mm.

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 General Design Considerations
Design loads
A structure must be designed to resist gross plastic
deformation and collapse under all the conditions of loading.
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 loads
6. Loads supported by, or reacting on, the vessel.
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 General Design Considerations
Subsdiary loads
1. Local stresses caused by supports, internal structures and
connecting pipes.
2. Shock loads caused by water hammer, or by surging of
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.

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 General Design Considerations
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. The value below include a corrosion
allowance of 2.0 mm.

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 Design of Thin-Walled Vessels
Under Internal Pressure
Cylinders and spherical shells
For a cylindrical shell the minimum thickness required to resist internal
pressure can be determined from a previous equation.

Therefore,

Rearranging,

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 Design of Thin-Walled Vessels
Under Internal Pressure
An equation for the minimum thickness of a sphere can be obtained,

(Or in BS 5500)

If a welded joint factor is used, the equation will be,

(For cylinder) (For sphere)

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 Design of Thin-Walled Vessels
Under Internal Pressure
Heads and closures
The ends of a cylindrical vessel are closed by heads of various
shapes. The principal types are:

1. Flat plates and formed flat heads

2. Hemispherical heads,
3. Ellipsoidal heads,
4. Torispherical heads

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34
 Design of Thin-Walled Vessels
Under Internal Pressure
The flange-only heads are the cheapest type of formed
head, but limited to low-pressure and small diameter vessels.

Torispherical heads are the most commonly used end

closure for vessels up to operating pressures of 15 bar.

Above 15 bar an ellipsoidal head will usually prove to be the

most economical closure to use.

A hemispherical head is the strongest shape, capable to

resist twice of a torispherical head of the same thickness.

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 Design of Thin-Walled Vessels
Under Internal Pressure
Design of flat ends
Though the fabrication is low cost, flat ends are not a
structurally efficient form, and very thick plates would be
required for high pressures or large diameter.

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 Design of Thin-Walled Vessels
Under Internal Pressure
Design of Ellipsoidal heads

Design of Torispherical heads

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 Vessel Design Example
Example:
Estimate the thickness required for the component parts of the
vessel shown in the diagram. The vessel is to operate at a
pressure of 14 bar and temperature of 300C. The material of
construction will be plain carbon steel. Welds will be fully
radiographed. A corrosion allowance of 2.0 mm should be
used.

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Vessel Design Example

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 Vessel Design Example
solution:
Design pressure, 10% above operating pressure,

Design Temperature 300C.

From table, typical design stress = 85 N/mm2.

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3. Vessel Component Design

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 Vessel Design Example
Cylindrical section
Design Pressure = 1.43 N/mm2
Diameter = 1.5m = 1500mm

J = 1.0
Design Stress ( f ) = 85 N/mm2

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 Vessel Design Example
Cylindrical section

Add corrosion allowance 12.7 + 2 = 14.7

let say, 15 mm plate.

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 Vessel Design Example
Doomed head

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 Vessel Design Example
Doomed head (Torispherical )

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 Vessel Design Example
Crown radius should not be
greater than the diameter of the
cylindrical section. Rc = Vessel diameter

Rk = 1.5 x 0.06 = 0.09

The ratio of knuckle to crown
radii should not be less than 6%.

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 Vessel Design Example
Doomed head (Torispherical )

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 Vessel Design Example
Or Doomed head (Ellipsoidal)

This only applied when the

ellipsoidal head, ratio major
: minor axis = 2:1

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 Vessel Design Example
Flat head

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Vessel Design Example

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51
Vessel Design Example
Cylinder diameter = 1.5m
So bolt circle diameter approx 1.7m

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 Vessel Design Example
Flat head

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