Pressure Vessel Design

Pressure Vessel Design

• A pressure vessel is any vessel that
falls under the definition laid down
in the ASME Boiler and Pressure
Vessel Code, Section VIII, Rules for
the Construction of Pressure
Vessels (ASME BPV Code Sec. VIII)
• The definition applies to most
process reactors, distillation
columns, separators (flashes and
decanters), pressurized storage
vessels and heat exchangers
Source: UOP
 Isn’t This Something to Leave to the Mechanical
Engineers?
• Chemical engineers are usually not properly trained or qualified to carry out
detailed mechanical design of vessels. Most mechanical designs are completed
by specialists in later phases of design
But
• The process design engineer needs to understand pressure vessel design in
order to generate good cost estimates (e.g. in Aspen ICARUS)
• Costs can vary discontinuously with vessel design
• A 10C change in temperature could double the vessel cost if it causes a change in code!
• Adding a component could cause a change in metallurgy that would mean moving to a more
expensive code design
• The process engineer will end up specifying the main constraints on the vessel
design: if you don’t know how to do this properly, you can’t really design
anything
 Pressure Vessel Design
• Pressure Vessel Design Codes
• Vessel Geometry & Construction
• Strength of Materials
• Vessel Specifications
• Materials of Construction
• Pressure Vessel Design Rules
• Fabrication, Inspection and Testing
 ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
• ASME BPV Code is the legally required standard
for pressure vessel design, fabrication, inspection
and
Section
testing in North America
I Rules for construction of power boilers
II Materials Allowable stresses are
III Nuclear power plant components given in Sec. II
IV Rules for construction of heating boilers
V Nondestructive examination
VI Recommended rules for the care and operation of heating boilers
VII Recommended guidelines for the care of power boilers
VIIIRules for the construction of pressure vessels
Division 1 Most chemical plant vessels
Division 2 Alternative rules fall under Sec. VIII D.1 or D.2
Division 3 Alternative rules for the construction of high pressure vessels
IX Welding and brazing qualifications
X Fiber-reinforced plastic vessels Often used for bio-reactors
XI Rules for in service inspection of nuclear power plant components
XII Rules for construction and continued service of transport tanks
 Advantages of Designing to Code
• The Code is a consensus best practice
• It is usually required by law
– Local requirements may vary (particularly overseas),
but ASME code is usually recognized as acceptable
– Always check for local regulations that may require
stricter standards
• Code rules are often applied even for vessels that
don’t require construction to code
– Savings of not following code rules are negligible as
vessel shops are set up to do everything to code
 ASME BPV Code Sec. VIII Divisions
Division 1 Division 2
• Rigorous analysis of local thermal • Requires more analysis than Div.1, and
and fatigue stresses not required more inspection, but allows thinner
• Safety factor of 3.5 against tensile walled vessels
failure and 1.25 for 100,000 hour • Safety factor of 3.0 against tensile
creep rupture failure
• Limited to design pressures below • Limited to design temperatures less
3000 psi (but usually costs more than than 900F (outside creep range)
Div.2 above about 1500 psi) • More economical for high pressure
vessels, but fewer fabricators available

• Either Division of the Code is acceptable, but provisions

cannot be mixed and matched
 Vessels Specifically Excluded
by ASME BPV Code Sec. VIII Div 1
• Vessels within the scope of other sections of the BPV code. For example, power boilers (Sec. I), fiber-
reinforced plastic vessels (Sec. X) and transport tanks (Sec. XIII).
• Fired process tubular heaters.
• Pressure containers that are integral parts of rotating or reciprocating devices such as pumps,
compressors, turbines or engines.
• Piping systems (which are covered by ASME B31.3 – see Chapter 5).
• Piping components and accessories such as valves, strainers, in-line mixers and spargers.
• Vessels containing water at less than 300 psi (2 MPa) and less than 210ºF (99ºC).
• Hot water storage tanks heated by steam with heat rate less than 0.2 MMBTU/hr (58.6 kW), water
temperature less than 210ºF (99ºC) and volume less than 120 gal (450 liters).
• Vessels having internal pressure less than 15 psi (100 kPa) or greater than 3000 psi (20 MPa).
• Vessels of internal diameter or height less than 6 inches (152 mm).
• Pressure vessels for human occupancy.
 ASME Code Stamp Name Plate
Name of Manufacturer

psi at °F
Max. Allowable Working Pressure

°F at psi
W (if arc or gas welded) Min. Design Metal Temperature
RT (if Radio graphed)
HT (if Postweld heat treated)
Manufacturer’s Serial Number

Year Built

• Can only be used if vessel is designed, inspected and tested under the
supervision of a Certified Individual employed by the manufacturer
• The code stamp must be clearly visible on the vessel
 Other Related Codes
• Storage tanks are usually not designed to BPV Code
– API Standard 620, Large low pressure storage tanks,
Pressure 0.5 to 15 psig
– API Standard 650, Welded storage tanks, Pressures up to
0.5 psig
• Fittings are covered by other ASME codes
– ASME B16.5, Pipe flanges and flanged fittings
– ASME B16.9, Factory-made wrought buttwelding fittings
– ASME B16.11 Forged fittings, socket welding and threaded
– ASME B16.47, Large diameter steel flanges NPS26 Through
NPS60
• Piping is covered by a different ASME code
– ASME B16.3, Process piping
• Heat exchangers have additional codes set by TEMA
 Use of Design Codes & Standards
• The latest version of the design code should
always be consulted as regulations change
– Example: new version of ASME BPV Code Sec. VIII
Div. 2 will allow for thinner walls on high pressure
vessels
• All the information given in this presentation
is from the 2004 edition
 Pressure Vessel Design
• Pressure Vessel Design Codes
• Vessel Geometry & Construction
• Strength of Materials
• Vessel Specifications
• Materials of Construction
• Pressure Vessel Design Rules
• Fabrication, Inspection and Testing
 Pressure Vessel Shape
• What shape of pressure vessel uses the least amount
of metal to contain a given volume, pressure?
A sphere!
• Why is this shape not more widely used?
– Usually need to have an extended section of constant
cross-section to provide support for vessel internals, trays,
distributors, etc.
– It is much easier to obtain and maintain uniform flow in a
cylindrical bed of catalyst or packing than it is in a non-
uniform cross-section
– A cylinder takes up a lot less plot space for the same
volume
– A sphere is more expensive to fabricate
 Pressure Vessel Shape
• Most pressure vessels are at least 2:1 cylinders:
3:1 or 4:1 are most common:

2:1 3:1 4:1

(To scale)

• Distillation columns are obviously an exception:

diameter is set by flooding correlations and
height by number of trays
 Vessel Size Restrictions
• Diameter gets very expensive if > 13.5 ft.
Why?

• Height (length) gets very expensive if > 180 ft.

Why? Roughly 50 cranes can lift > 180 ft
Only 14 can lift > 240 ft

• Vessels that can’t be transported have to be fabricated on site

 Vessel Orientation
• Usually vertical
– Easier to distribute fluids across a smaller cross
section
– Smaller plot space
• Reasons for using horizontal vessels
– To promote phase separation
• Increased cross section = lower vertical velocity = less
entrainment
• Decanters, settling tanks, separators, flash vessels
– To allow internals to be pulled for cleaning
• Heat exchangers
Head (Closure) Designs
• Hemispherical
– Good for high pressures
– Higher internal volume
– Most expensive to form & join to shell
– Half the thickness of the shell
• Ellipsoidal
– Cheaper than hemispherical and less internal
volume
– Depth is half diameter
– Same thickness as shell
– Most common type > 15 bar
• Torispherical
– Part torus, part sphere
– Similar to elliptical, but cheaper to fabricate
– Cheapest for pressures less than 15 bar
Tangent and Weld Lines
• Tangent line is
where curvature
begins
• Weld line is where
weld is located
• Usually they are not
the same, as the
head is fabricated to
allow a weld away
from the
geometrical joint
Welded Joints
Butt weld
• Some weld types are not
permitted by ASME BPV Code
Double welded • Many other possible variations,
butt weld including use of backing strips
and joint reinforcement
Single fillet
lap weld • Sec. VIII Div. 1 Part UW has details
of permissible joints, corners, etc.
Double fillet • Welds are usually ground smooth
lap weld and inspected
– Type of inspection depends on
Code Division
Double fillet
corner joint
 Gasketed Joints
• Used when vessel must be opened
(a) Full face gasket frequently for cleaning, inspection, etc.
(b) Gasket within bolt circle
(c) Spigot and socket • Also used for instrument connections
(d) O-ring • Not used at high temperatures or
pressures (gaskets fail)
• Higher fugitive emissions than welded
joints
Nozzles
• Vessel needs nozzles for
– Feeds, Products
– Hot &/or cold utilities
– Manways, bursting disks, relief valves
– Instruments
• Pressure, Level, Thermowells
• Sample points
• More nozzles = more cost
• Nozzles are usually on side of vessel, away from
weld lines, usually perpendicular to shell
• Nozzles may or may not be flanged (as shown)
depending on joint type
• The number & location of nozzles are usually
specified by the process engineer
 Nozzle Reinforcement

• Shell is weakened around nozzles, and must also support eccentric loads from
pipes
• Usually weld reinforcing pads to thicken the shell near the nozzle. Area of
reinforcement = or > area of nozzle: see Code requirements
Swaged Vessels
• Vessel does not have to be
constant diameter
• It is sometimes cheaper to
make a vessel with several
sections of different diameter
• Smaller diameters are usually
at the top, for structural
reasons
• ASME BPV Code gives rules
for tapered sections
Vessel Supports
• Supports must allow for
thermal expansion in
operation
• Smaller vessels are usually
supported on beams – a
support ring or brackets are
welded to the vessel
• Horizontal vessels often rest
on saddles
• Tall vertical vessels are often
supported using a skirt rather
than legs. Can you think why?
Vessel Supports
• Note that if the vessel rests on a
beam then the part of the vessel
below the support ring is hanging
and the wall is in tension from
the weight of material in the
vessel, the dead weight of the
vessel itself and the internal
pressure
• The part of the vessel above the
support ring is supported and the
wall is in compression from the
dead weight (but probably in
tension from internal pressure)
Jacketed Vessels
• Heating or cooling jackets
are often used for smaller
vessels such as stirred tank
reactors
• If the jacket can have higher
pressure than the vessel
then the vessel walls must
be designed for
compressive stresses
– Internal stiffening rings are
often used for vessels subject
to external pressure
– For small vessels the walls
are just made thicker
 Vessel Internals
• Most vessels have at least
some internals
– Distillation trays
– Packing supports
– Distribution grids
– Heating or cooling coils

• These may require support

rings welded to the inside of
the vessel

• The internals & support rings

need to be considered when
calculating vessel weights for
Source: UOP stress analysis
 Pressure Vessel Design
• Pressure Vessel Design Codes
• Vessel Geometry & Construction
• Strength of Materials
• Vessel Specifications
• Materials of Construction
• Pressure Vessel Design Rules
• Fabrication, Inspection and Testing
 Stress and Strain
L0
F F =F/A

ε = (L – L0)/L0

Cross-sectional area A

• Stress  = force divided by area over which it is applied

– Area = original cross section in a tensile test
– Stress can be applied directly or can result from an applied
strain
– Examples: dead weight, internal or external pressure, etc.
• Strain ε = distortion per unit length
– Strain = elongation divided by original length in tensile test
– Strain can be applied directly or can result from an applied
stress
– Example: thermal movement relative to fixed supports
Typical Stress-Strain Curve
for a Mild Steel
 Creep
Low Temp High Temp Fracture
Stress or Strain

Stress or Strain
Stress Stress

Strain Strain

Time Time

• At high temperatures, strain can continue to increase

over time under constant load or displacement
– Creep strain = increase in strain at constant load
– Creep relaxation = reduction in stress at constant
displacement
• Accumulated creep strain can lead to failure: creep
rupture
 Principle Stresses & Maximum Shear Stress
y

τxy • For a two-dimensional system

x
the principal stresses at any
x point are:

τxy 1, 2 = ½(x+ y) ± ½[(y - x)2 + 4τxy2]

y • The maximum shear stress is half

the algebraic difference between
Normal stresses x, y the principal stresses:
Shear stress τxy

Maximum shear stress = ½(1 - 2)

For design purposes, often just use 1 - 2
• Compressive stresses are taken
as negative, tensile as positive
 Failure of Materials
Failure of materials under combined tensile and shear stresses is not simple to predict.
Several theories have been proposed:
• Maximum Principal Stress Theory
– Component fails when one of the principal stresses exceeds the value that causes failure in
simple tension
• Maximum Shear Stress Theory
– Component fails when maximum shear stress exceeds the shear stress that causes failure in
simple tension
• Maximum Strain Energy Theory
– Component fails when strain energy per unit volume exceeds the value that causes failure in
simple tension
• BPV Code gives values for maximum allowable stress for different materials as a
function of temperature, incorporating a safety factor relative to the stress that causes
failure (ASME BPV Code Sec. II)
• Failure in compression is by buckling, which is much harder to predict than tensile
failure. The procedure in the Code is iterative. This should definitely be left to a
specialist
Loads Causing Stresses on Pressure Vessel Walls

• Internal or external pressure • Bending moments due to supports

• Dead weight of vessel • Thermal expansion, differential
• Weight of contents under normal or thermal expansion
upset conditions • Cyclic loads due to pressure or
• Weight of contents during hydraulic temperature changes
testing • Wind & snow loads
• Weight of internals • Seismic loads
• Weight of attached equipment • Residual stresses from manufacture
(piping, decks, ladders, etc) • Loads due to friction (solids flow)
• Stresses at geometric discontinuities

All these must be combined to determine principal stresses

 Example: Wind Load
• Wind exerts a pressure on one
side of the vessel
• Resulting force acts like a
uniform beam load and exerts a
Wind

bending moment on vessel

• Windward wall is placed in
tension, leeward in compression
• Vortex shedding can cause
Bending vibration
moment
– Hence spirals on chimneys
– Usually not needed for columns
due to ladders, pipes, decks, etc.
 Thin Cylinder Subject to Internal Pressure
Inside diameter, D
• Forces due to internal pressure are balanced by shear
stresses in wall
Wall thickness, t
• Horizontal section:

 D2
P L  D t
4
Height, h

• Vertical section: PD
L L 
4t

H
Ph D H 2h t
PD
Longitudinal stress, L H 
2t
Hoop stress, H
• Similar equations can be derived for other geometries
such as heads
 Pressure Vessel Design
• Pressure Vessel Design Codes
• Vessel Geometry & Construction
• Strength of Materials
• Vessel Specifications
• Materials of Construction
• Pressure Vessel Design Rules
• Fabrication, Inspection and Testing
 Vessel Specifications Set By the Process
Engineer
• The process engineer will usually specify the following
parameters based on process requirements:
– Vessel size and shape (volume, L and D)
– Vessel orientation and elevation
– Maximum and minimum design pressure
– Maximum and minimum design temperature
– Number of nozzles needed (& location)
– Vessel internals
And often also:
– Material of construction
– Corrosion allowance
• There is often a lot of dialogue with the mechanical
engineer to set the final specifications
 Design Pressure
• Normal operating pressure
• The pressure at which you expect the process to usually be operated
• Maximum operating pressure
• The highest pressure expected including upset conditions such as
startup, shutdown, emergency shutdown
• Design pressure
• Maximum operating pressure plus a safety margin
• Margin is typically 10% of maximum operating pressure or 25 psi,
whichever is greater
• Usually specify pressure at top of vessel, where relief valve is located
• The BPV Code Sec. VIII Div. 1 doesn’t say much on how to
set the design pressure
• “..a pressure vessel shall be designed for at least the most severe
condition of coincident pressure and temperature expected in
normal operation.”
 Design for Vacuum
• The minimum internal pressure a vessel can
experience is full vacuum (-14.7 psig)
• Vacuum can be caused by:
– Intentional process operation under vacuum (including
start-up and shutdown)
– Cooling down a vessel that contains a condensable
vapor
– Pumping out or draining contents without allowing
enough vapor to enter
– Operator error
• Vacuum puts vessel walls into compressive stress
• What happens if vessel is not designed for vacuum
conditions?
 Vessel Subjected to Excess Vacuum

• Normal practice is to design for vacuum if it can be

expected to occur
 Design Temperatures
• Maximum:
– Highest mean metal temperature expected in operation,
including transient conditions, plus a margin
– Margin is typically plus 50F
• Minimum
– Lowest mean metal temperature expected in operation,
including transient conditions, upsets, auto-refrigeration,
climatic conditions, anything else that could cause cooling,
minus a margin
– Margin is typically -25F
– MDMT: minimum design metal temperature is important as
metals can become brittle at low temperatures
• Designer should allow for possible failure of upstream
equipment (e.g., loss of coolant on upstream cooler)
 Design Temperature Considerations
• Due to creep, maximum allowable stress drops
off rapidly at higher temperatures
– Forces designer to use more expensive alloys
• BPV Code Sec. VIII Div.2 cannot be applied for
design temperatures > 900F (no creep safety
factor in Div.2)
• The Code allows design of vessels with different
temperature zones
– Very useful for high temperature vessels
– Not usually applied to medium temperature vessels
such as heat exchangers, distillation columns
Design Temperature & Pressure Exercise 1

100 psig • What is the design

180 F
pressure?
120 + 25 = 145 psig
• What is the design
temperature?
340 + 50 = 390F

120 psig
340 F
 Design Temperature & Pressure Exercise 2

Oil Steam
400 psig
120 F
40 barg
482 F
• What is the shell-
side design
pressure?
588 + 58 = 646 psig
• What is the tube-
side design
390 psig
450 F temperature?
482 + 50 = 532F
 Pressure Vessel Design
• Pressure Vessel Design Codes
• Vessel Geometry & Construction
• Strength of Materials
• Vessel Specifications
• Materials of Construction
• Pressure Vessel Design Rules
• Fabrication, Inspection and Testing
 Materials Selection Criteria
• Safety
– Material must have sufficient strength at design conditions
– Material must be able to withstand variation (or cycling) in
process conditions
– Material must have sufficient corrosion resistance to
survive in service between inspection intervals
• Ease of fabrication
• Availability in standard sizes (plates, sections, tubes)
• Cost
– Includes initial cost and cost of periodic replacement
 Commonly Used Materials
• Steels
– Carbon steel, Killed carbon steel – cheap, widely available
– Low chrome alloys (<9% Cr) – better corrosion resistance than CS, KCS
– Stainless steels:
• 304 – cheapest austenitic stainless steel
• 316 – better corrosion resistance than 304, more expensive
• 410
• Nickel Alloys
– Inconel, Incolloy – high temperature oxidizing environments
– Monel, Hastelloy – expensive, but high corrosion resistance, used for strong
acids
• Other metals such as aluminum and titanium are used for special
applications. Fiber reinforced plastics are used for some low temperature &
pressure applications. See Ch 7 for more details
 Relative Cost of Metals
Metal Type or grade Price Max allowable stress Relative cost rating

($/lb) (ksi = 1000 psi)

Carbon steel A-285 0.27 12.9 1

Austenitic stainless steel 304 0.90 20 2.2
316 1.64 20 4
Aluminum alloy A03560 1.27 8.6 2.4
Copper C10400 3.34 6.7 27
Nickel 99%Ni 8.75 10 48
Incoloy N08800 3.05 20 7.5
Monel N04400 6.76 18.7 20
Titanium R50250 9.62 10 27

• The maximum allowable stress values are at 40ºC (100ºF) and are taken from ASME
BPV Code Sec. II Part D. The code should be consulted for values at other
temperatures. Several other grades exist for most of the materials listed.
• Finished vessel relative costs are not the same as materials relative costs as vessel cost
also includes manufacturing costs, labor and fabricator’s profit
 Corrosion Allowance
• Wall thicknesses calculated using BPV Code
equations are for the fully corroded state
• Usually add a corrosion allowance of 1/16” to
3/16” (1.5 to 5 mm)
• Smaller corrosion allowances are used for
heat transfer equipment, where wall thickness
can affect heat transfer
 Pressure Vessel Design
• Pressure Vessel Design Codes
• Vessel Geometry & Construction
• Strength of Materials
• Vessel Specifications
• Materials of Construction
• Pressure Vessel Design Rules
• Fabrication, Inspection and Testing
 Determining Wall Thickness
• Under ASME BPV Code Sec. VIII D.1, minimum wall
thickness is 1/16” (1.5mm) with no corrosion
allowance
• Most pressure vessels require much thicker walls to
withstand governing load
– High pressure vessels: internal pressure usually governs
– Thickness required to resist vacuum usually governs for
lower pressure vessels
– For vessels designed for low pressure, no vacuum, then
analysis of principal stresses may be needed
– Usual procedure is to design for internal pressure (or
vacuum), round up to nearest available standard size and
then check for other loads
 Design for Internal Pressure
• ASME BPV Code Sec. VIII D.1 specifies using the
larger of the shell thicknesses calculated
– For hoop stress
Pi Di
t
2SE  1.2 Pi
– or for longitudinal stress
Pi Di
t
4 SE  0.8 Pi
S is the maximum allowable stress
E is the welded joint efficiency
• Values of S are tabulated in ASME BPV Code Sec.II
for different materials as function of temperature
 Some Maximum Allowable Stresses
Under ASME BPV Code Sec. VIII D.1, Taken From Sec. II Part D
Material Grade Min Tensile Min Yield Maximum Maximum allowable stress at temperature F
strength strength temperature (ksi = 1000 psi)
(ksi) (ksi) (ºF) 100 300 500 700 900

Carbon steel A285 45 24 900 12.9 12.9 12.9 11.5 5.9

Gr A
Killed carbon A515 60 32 1000 17.1 17.1 17.1 14.3 5.9
Steel Gr 60
Low alloy steel A387 60 30 1200 17.1 16.6 16.6 16.6 13.6
1 ¼ Cr, ½ Mo, Si Gr 22
Stainless steel 410 65 30 1200 18.6 17.8 17.2 16.2 12.3
13 Cr
Stainless steel 304 75 30 1500 20.0 15.0 12.9 11.7 10.8
18 Cr, 8 Ni
Stainless steel 347 75 30 1500 20.0 17.1 15.0 13.8 13.4
18 Cr, 10 Ni, Cb
Stainless steel 321 75 30 1500 20.0 16.5 14.3 13.0 12.3
18 Cr, 10 Ni, Ti
Stainless steel 316 75 30 1500 20.0 15.6 13.3 12.1 11.5
16 Cr, 12 Ni, 2 Mo
 Welded Joint Categories
ASME BPV Code has four categories of welds:
A. Longitudinal or spiral welds in the main shell, necks or nozzles, or
circumferential welds connecting hemispherical heads to the main shell,
necks or nozzles.
B. Circumferential welds in the main shell, necks or nozzles or connecting a
formed head other than hemispherical.
C. Welds connecting flanges, tubesheets or flat heads to the main shell, a
formed head, neck or nozzle.
D. Welds connecting communicating chambers or nozzles to the main shell,
to heads or to necks.
 Welded Joint Efficiencies Allowed Under ASME
BPV Code Sec. VIII D.1
Joint Description Joint Category Degree of Radiographic Examination

Full Spot None

Double-welded butt joint A, B, C, D 1.0 0.85 0.70

or equivalent

Single-welded butt joint A, B, C, D 0.9 0.8 0.65

with backing strip

Single-welded butt joint A, B, C NA NA 0.60

without backing strip

Double full fillet lap A, B, C NA NA 0.55

joint

Single full fillet lap B, C NA NA 0.50

joint with plug welds

Single full fillet lap A, B NA NA 0.45

joint without plug welds
 Closures Subject to Internal Pressure

• Hemispherical heads t
Pi Di
4 SE  0.4 Pi

• Ellipsoidal heads Pi Di
t
2 SE  0.2 Pi

• Torispherical heads
0.885 Pi Rc
t
SE  0.1Pi
Rc is the crown radius: see Ch 13
 Example
• What is the wall thickness required for a 10ft diameter
304 stainless steel vessel with design pressure 500 psi and
design temperature 700F?
• From the table, S = 11700 psi
• Assume double-welded butt joint with spot radiography, E = 0.85
• For hoop stress

• For longitudinal stress

Pi Di 500 10 12

t   3.11 inches
2 SE  1.2 Pi 2 11700  0.85  1.2  500

Pi Di 500 10 12

t   1.49 inches
4SE  0.8 Pi 4 11700  0.85  0.8  500

• So hoop stress governs, choose t = 3.25 or 3.5 inches,

depending on what’s readily available as plate stock
 Software for Pressure Vessel Design
• Rules for external pressure, combined loads are more
complex
• Design methods and maximum allowable stresses are
coded into software used by specialist designers, such as:
• COMPRESS (Codeware Inc.) has free demo version
http://www.codeware.com/support/tutorials/compress_video_tutorial.
html
• Pressure Vessel Suite (Computer Engineering Inc.)
• PVElite and CodeCalc (COADE Inc.)
• Simple ASME BPV Code Sec. VIII D.1 methods are available
in Aspen ICARUS
• Good enough for an initial cost estimate if the process engineer puts in
realistic vessel specifications
• Useful for checking to see if changes to specifications give cost
discontinuities
• Not good enough for detailed vessel design
 Pressure Vessel Design
• Pressure Vessel Design Codes
• Vessel Geometry & Construction
• Strength of Materials
• Vessel Specifications
• Materials of Construction
• Pressure Vessel Design Rules
• Fabrication, Inspection and Testing
 Vessel Manufacture
• Shell is usually made by rolling plate and then
welding along a seam:

– Difficult to form small diameters or thick shells by this

method
– Long vessels are usually made in 8’ sections and butt
welded
• Thicker vessels are made by more expensive drum
forging – direct from ingots
• Closures are usually forged
– Hence restricted to increments of 6” in diameter
• Nozzles, support rings etc. are welded on to shell
and heads
 Post Weld Heat Treating (PWHT)
• Forming and joining (welding) can leave residual
stresses in the metal
• Post-weld heat treatment is used to relax these
stresses
• Guidelines for PWHT are given in the ASME BPV
Code Sec. VIII D.1 Part UW-40
• PWHT requirements depend on material and
thickness at weld:
- Over 38mm for carbon steel
- Over 16mm for low alloy