COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN IN NAVAL ARCHITECTURE

DEDIGN OF A PRESSURE VESSEL TANK WITH SOLIDWORKS AND

MODEL PREDICTION WITH MATLAB

BY

ANOSIKE AMFORGOD CHIMERIRI

AK16/ENG/MAE/010

DEPARTMENT OF MARINE ENGINEERING

SUBMITTED TO

ENGR. HOPE IKUE

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction. . . . . . . 1-6

Method of design with solidworks. .. . . . . . 7-10

Analysis of static pressure in tank . . . . . . .11-12

Important requirements for pressure vessel requirement . . . .13

Scope of simulation . . . . . . . . .14-25

Conclusion .. . . . . . . . . 26-27

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 INTRODUCTION

A pressure vessel is a container designed to hold gases or liquids at

a pressure substantially different from the ambient pressure.

Construction methods and materials may be chosen to suit the application, and will
depend on the size of the vessel, the contents, working pressure, mass constraints,
and the number of items required.

Pressure vessels can be dangerous, and fatal accidents have occurred in the history
of their development and operation. Consequently, pressure vessel design,
manufacture, and operation are regulated by engineering authorities backed by
legislation. For these reasons, the definition of a pressure vessel varies from
country to country.

Design involves parameters such as maximum safe operating pressure and

temperature, safety factor, corrosion allowance and minimum design temperature
(for brittle fracture). Construction is tested using nondestructive testing, such
as ultrasonic testing, radiography, and pressure tests. Hydrostatic pressure tests
usually use water, but pneumatic tests use air or another gas. Hydrostatic testing is
preferred, because it is a safer method, as much less energy is released if a fracture
occurs during the test (water does not greatly increase its volume when rapid
depressurization occurs, unlike gases, which expand explosively). Mass or batch
production products will often have a representative sample tested to destruction in
controlled conditions for quality assurance. Pressure relief devices may be fitted if
the overall safety of the system is sufficiently enhanced.
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In most countries, vessels over a certain size and pressure must be built to a formal
code. In the United States that code is the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
(BPVC). In Europe the code is the Pressure Equipment Directive. Information on
this page is mostly valid in ASME only. These vessels also require an authorized
inspector to sign off on every new vessel constructed and each vessel has a
nameplate with pertinent information about the vessel, such as maximum allowable
working pressure, maximum temperature, minimum design metal temperature,
what company manufactured it, the date, its registration number (through the
National Board), and American Society of Mechanical Engineer’s official stamp
for pressure vessels (U-stamp). The nameplate makes the vessel traceable and
officially an ASME Code vessel.

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The earliest documented design of pressure vessels was described in 1495 in the
book by Leonardo da Vinci, the Codex Madrid I, in which containers of
pressurized air were theorized to lift heavy weights underwater. However, vessels
resembling those used today did not come about until the 1800s, when steam was
generated in boilers helping to spur the industrial revolution. However, with poor
material quality and manufacturing techniques along with improper knowledge of
design, operation and maintenance there was a large number of damaging and
often fatal explosions associated with these boilers and pressure vessels, with a
death occurring on a nearly daily basis in the United States. Local provinces and
states in the US began enacting rules for constructing these vessels after some
particularly devastating vessel failures occurred killing dozens of people at a time,

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which made it difficult for manufacturers to keep up with the varied rules from one
location to another. The first pressure vessel code was developed starting in 1911
and released in 1914, starting the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
(BPVC). In an early effort to design a tank capable of withstanding pressures up to
10,000 psi (69 MPa), a 6-inch (150 mm) diameter tank was developed in 1919 that
was spirally-wound with two layers of high tensile strength steel wire to prevent
sidewall rupture, and the end caps longitudinally reinforced with lengthwise high-
tensile rods. The need for high pressure and temperature vessels for petroleum
refineries and chemical plants gave rise to vessels joined with welding instead of
rivets (which were unsuitable for the pressures and temperatures required) and in
the 1920s and 1930s the BPVC included welding as an acceptable means of
construction; welding is the main means of joining metal vessels today.

There have been many advancements in the field of pressure vessel engineering
such as advanced non-destructive examination, phased array ultrasonic testing and
radiography, new material grades with increased corrosion resistance and stronger
materials, and new ways to join materials such as explosion welding, friction stir
welding, advanced theories and means of more accurately assessing the stresses
encountered in vessels such as with the use of Finite Element Analysis, allowing
the vessels to be built safer and more efficiently. Today, vessels in the USA require
BPVC stamping but the BPVC is not just a domestic code; many other countries
have adopted the BPVC as their official code. There are, however, other official
codes in some countries, such as Japan, Australia, Canada, Britain, and Europe.
Regardless of the country, nearly all recognize the inherent potential hazards of
pressure vessels and the need for standards and codes regulating their design and
construction.

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Pressure vessels can theoretically be almost any shape, but shapes made of sections
of spheres, cylinders, and cones are usually employed. A common design is a
cylinder with end caps called heads Head shapes are frequently either
hemispherical or dished (torispherical). More complicated shapes have historically
been much harder to analyze for safe operation and are usually far more difficult to
construct.

Spherical gas container.

 Cylindrical pressure vessel.

Picture of the bottom of an aerosol spray can.

Fire Extinguisher with rounded rectangle pressure vessel

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Theoretically, a spherical pressure vessel has approximately twice the strength of a
cylindrical pressure vessel with the same wall thickness, and is the ideal shape to
hold internal pressure. However, a spherical shape is difficult to manufacture, and
therefore more expensive, so most pressure vessels are cylindrical with 2:1 semi-
elliptical heads or end caps on each end. Smaller pressure vessels are assembled
from a pipe and two covers. For cylindrical vessels with a diameter up to 600 mm
(NPS of 24 in), it is possible to use seamless pipe for the shell, thus avoiding many
inspection and testing issues, mainly the nondestructive examination of
radiography for the long seam if required. A disadvantage of these vessels is that
greater diameters are more expensive, so that for example the most economic
shape of a 1,000 litters (35 cu ft.), 250 bars (3,600 psi) pressure vessel might be a
diameter of 91.44 centimeters (36 in) and a length of 1.7018 meters (67 in)
including the 2:1 semi-elliptical domed end caps.

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 METHOD OF DESIGN WITH SOLIDWORKS

In my design with soldworks, I made three separate components;

 The vessel itself

 The cover
 The hook

Detailed design for the vessel

The folder contains the engineering drawing of the tank; it can be opened to get a
maximized view of the structure with all the dimensions.

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The cover

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THE HOOK

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EXPLODED VIEW

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 4 Important Requirements for Pressure Vessel Manufacturing

There are several factors that a pressure vessel fabrication services should keep in
mind to ensure the high product quality and safety. Among them, four important
requirements can be easily identified as below:

1. Valid Accreditations: The standards of operation of pressure vessels vary

across various countries. These geographical area require many of the same
specifications and design parameters. If you are operating in the USA most states
require mandatory ASME certification. In Canada, CRN certification is required.
Europe requires PED certification.

The ASME BPVC is an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),

which regulates the construction, as well as the design of industrial pressure
vessels and boilers. ASME BPVC Section VIII Division 1 discusses the
construction of pressure vessels in detail. The section is divided into several
subsections, which discuss general requirements, as well as requirements of
fabrication methods, material classes, etc. Division 2 and Division 3 of ASME
BPVC Section VIII discusses general alternative rules, as well as alternative rules
regarding the pressure vessel fabrication.

2. Qualified Staff: All ASME pressure vessel manufacturers are required to hire

ASME certified and registered staff. As known, welders play a key role in the
manufacturing of industrial pressure vessels. This is why they are required to get
an approval for every weld procedure before actually performing it. It is mandatory
for ASME pressure vessel fabricators to ensure that only experienced and ASME
welders are involved in the job. If not, then it is their responsibility to ensure that
the welders receive appropriate training to perform various welding procedures.

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3. Quality Assurance: A soundproof quality assurance program is one of the
critical requirements for any industrial pressure vessel fabrication facility. The
program must be audited and approved by a certified body. This helps monitor the
manufacturing progress at every step.

4. Advanced Inspection and Testing Capabilities: Owing to the criticality of

pressure vessel fabrication, it becomes important for a pressure vessel
manufacturer to develop an in-house testing and inspection capability. Why? It
helps them conduct a detailed inspection at every stage of manufacturing, and
avoid major and minor manufacturing mistakes, which may endanger the safety of
the vessel in a short or long run. Also, these capabilities will help them ensure
compliance with guidelines mentioned in ASME VIII Division 1.

All the above-mentioned points will help a pressure vessel manufacturer to

fabricate safe, and performance-driven pressure vessels and storage tanks. BE
Peterson is one of the leading ASME pressure vessel fabricators in the USA with
over eighty years of manufacturing experience. The company has been
successfully delivering customized stainless steel pressure vessels and storage
tanks, since 1935.

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ANALYSIS OF STATIC PRESSURE IN TANK

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 SCOPE OF SIMULATION

1. To observe stress developed in the vessel due to pressure the vessel is

subjected to.
2. To develop a model to prediction for the point of failure of the pressure
vessel.
3. Develop a graph of stress distribution along the surface of the vessel under
an applied load.
4. Plot the stress increment due to applied load against the load increment.

1.0STRESS DVELOPED: In the design of pressure vessel tanks, there are so

many factors to consider but I will be limited to my simulation scope. My case
of study is the tank.

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First I will run a simulation to estimate the maximum stress on this body under
some assumed applied load. The first assumed pressure is 1000N/m^2.

This is the fixed end of the tank.

Apply material next

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What I am considered about is the yield strength and the tensile strength of the
material. I won’t be considering the thermal expansion coefficient because I will
not simulate the effect of temperature or kinetic energy on the tank.

Next I run the simulation.

Effect of maximum stress when subjected to a load of 1000N/m^2.

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Form the legend on the figure; it is observed that the maximum stress is far below
the yield strength. This means at this applied pressure, the material is safe to hold
the gas.

Because I want to predict when the material will fail. I need to generate relevant
data that means, I will run this simulation four more times to generate relevant data
which I will use to develop my model prediction. The step size for the increment in
pressure is 500N/m^2.

Effect of maximum stress when subjected to a load of 1500N/m^2.

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Effect of maximum stress when subjected to a load of 2000N/m^2.

Effect of maximum stress when subjected to a load of 2500N/m^2.

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Effect of maximum stress when subjected to a load of 3000N/m^2.

2. MODEL PREDICTION:

With the generated data, my aim is to develop a model prediction with matlab
cftool. The predicted model contains a model equation that relates the stress
developed with the pressure generating the stress.

Pressure (N/m^2) x-axis Stress (N/m^2) y-axis

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 1000 6.003e+5
1500 9.004e+5

2000 1.201e+6
2500 1.501e+6
3000 1.801e+6

Next open matlab and run the cftool

On the command window, input the values of x and y as vectors.

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Now the values are on in the workspace.

Next generate the codes and save the file.

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I have been able to generate the model equation

f(x) = a*x^b.

X is the pressure the vessel is subjected to while f(x) is the stress on the vessel.

Because I cannot run the simulation continuously I will write a matlab code to
generate all the stress values depending on my pressure input to the system.

The code is meant to generate the stress values below the yield strength because, if
the stress goes beyond the yield point, the material will fail.

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Also a list of the pressure values with the corresponding stress values have been
generated. All we need to do is to plot the values. 806 values have been generated
which cannot be easily printed on the screen so i need to plot it.

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3. STRESS DISTRIBUTION ALONG THE INTERNAL SURFACE OF THE
PRESSURE VESSEL WHEN SUBJECTED TO A PRESSURE OF
40500N/m^2

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The designed table is saved as a txt file

CONCLUSION

I designed a pressure vessel which is to be used to hold gases under pressure with
mass properties of 153857grams, volume property of 15385787.32m^3, and
surface area of 32253649.32mm^2.

Applied material is 201 annealed stainless steel (ss) with yield strength of
2.92*10^8N/m^2.

With knowledge about the yield point, I don’t have to apply pressure beyond it so
it will not fail.

The maximum pressure the vessel tank can be subjected to according to my design
is [yield_ point-(5e+7)] N/mm^2.

I simulated the effect of the increasing pressure on the material to generate the
maximum stress based on the pressure. I needed to know the maximum pressure
that will satisfy my condition and I cannot continue to run the simulation with
solidworks. I generated data from solidworks by running the simulation with five
different pressure values. The generated data is input to matlab and is used to
generate a model equation.

With the aid of the modeled equation and the restrictions I placed, I was able to
numerically calculate the maximum pressure the tank can be subjected to under
normal conditions. In my design of pressure vessel tank, only the effect of pressure
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on the tank was considered and every other parameter which could cause changes
or affect the properties of the tank were kept constant.

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