ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES Pressure Vessel Rev1.2web
ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES Pressure Vessel Rev1.2web
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KLM Technology
Group
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Solutions, Standards and Software
Plant Solutions
www.klmtechgroup.com REV 01 – June 2020
Co Authors
KLM Technology Group
P. O. Box 281
Kolmetz Handbook Rev 01 – Apriliana Dwijayanti
Bandar Johor Bahru,
80000 Johor Bahru, Johor,
Of Process Equipment Design
West Malaysia
Author / Editor
PRESSURE VESSEL
Karl Kolmetz
SELECTION, SIZING AND
TROUBLESHOOTING
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINE)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 5
Scope ..................................................................................................................... 5
DEFINITION ............................................................................................................. 17
NOMENCLATURE ................................................................................................... 24
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 25
THEORY .................................................................................................................. 26
EXAMPLES ............................................................................................................. 92
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 3 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
LIST OF TABLE
Figure 1. General configuration and dimensional data for vessel shells and
heads. ...................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 11. Large head openings reverse curve and conical shell reducer
sections................................................................................................................... 65
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 4 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
LIST OF TABLE
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 5 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
INTRODUCTION
Scope
Vessels are a vital part of the operational units in the process industries. A vessel is
a container in which materials are processed, treated, or stored. Without this type of
equipment, the process industries would be unable to create and store large
amounts of Product. Pressure vessels used in industry are leak-tight pressure
containers, usually cylindrical or spherical in shape, with different head
configurations.
The process engineer should have some knowledge of the mechanical design of
vessels. For example, the process engineer may have to make a preliminary design
of vessels for a cost estimate. A vessel consists of a cylindrical shell and end caps,
called heads. For safety, vessel design is governed by codes. An example is the
ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Boiler and Pressure Vessel
Code.
In all the major industrialized countries, the design and fabrication of thin-walled
pressure vessels is covered by national standards and codes of practice. The Code
design criteria consist of basic rules specifying the design method, design load,
allowable stress, acceptable material, and fabrication-inspection certification
requirements for vessel construction.
This guideline covers several things in designing pressure vessel. Starting from the
material, allowable stress, welding, corrosion and sizing equipment
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 6 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
Vessels are a vital part of the operational units in the process industries. A vessel is
a container in which materials are processed, treated, or stored. Without this type of
equipment, the process industries would be unable to create and store large
amounts of Product. Vessels are used to carry out process operations such as
distillation, drying, filtration, stripping, and reaction. These operations usually involve
many different types of vessels, ranging from large towers to small additive and
waste collection drums. Vessels are also used to provide intermediate storage
between processing steps. They can provide residence time for reactions to
complete or for contents to settle.
For handling such liquids and gases, a container or vessel is used. It is called a
pressure vessel, when they are containers for fluids subjected to pressure. They are
leak proof containers. They may be of any shape ranging from types of processing
equipment. Most process equipment units may be considered as vessels with
various modifications necessary to enable the units to perform certain required
functions, e.g. an autoclave may be considered as highpressure vessel equipped
with agitation and heating sources.
In all the major industrialized countries, the design and fabrication of thin-walled
pressure vessels is covered by national standards and codes of practice. In most
countries it is a legal requirement that pressure vessels must be designed,
constructed, and tested in accordance with part or all of the design code. The
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 7 of 98
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KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
primary purpose of the design codes is to establish rules of safety relating to the
pressure integrity of vessels and provide guidance on design, materials of
construction, fabrication, inspection, and testing. The standard used in North
America (and most commonly referenced internationally) is the ASME Boiler and
Pressure Vessel Code (the ASME BPV Code).
The Code design criteria consist of basic rules specifying the design method, design
load, allowable stress, acceptable material, and fabrication-inspection certification
requirements for vessel construction. The design method uses design pressure,
allowable stress, and a design formula compatible with the geometry of the part to
calculate the minimum required thickness of the part. This procedure minimizes the
amount of analysis required to ensure that the vessel will not rupture or undergo
excessive distortion. In conjunction with specifying the vessel thickness,
A. Design Pressure
B. Design Temperature
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 8 of 98
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KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
C. Materials
Pressure vessels are constructed from plain carbon steels, low and high alloy steels,
other alloys, clad plate, and reinforced plastics. Selection of a suitable material must
take into account the suitability of the material for fabrication (particularly welding),
as well as the compatibility of the material with the process environment.
Carbon steels can be used down to 60 degree C. Notch ductility is controlled in such
as materials through proper composition steel making practice, fabrication practice
and heat treatment. They have an increased manganese carbon ratio. Aluminium is
usually added to promote fine grain size and improve notch ductility. Embrittlement
of carbon and alloy steel may occur due to service at elevated temperature. This
inhibited by addition of molybdenum and also improve tensile and creep properties.
Two main criteria in selecting the steel elevated temperature are metallurgical
strength and stability. Carbon steels are reduced in their strength properties due to
rise in temperature and are liable to creep. Therefore, the use of carbon steel is
generally limited to 500oC.
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 9 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
One of the most widely used steel for general purpose in the construction of
pressure vessel is SA-283, Grade C. This steel has good ductility and forms welds
and machines easily. It is also one of the most economical steel suitable for pressure
vessels. The SA-283 steels cannot be used in applications with temperatures over
340 oC. For vessels having shells of grater thickness. SA-285 Grade C is most widely
used Hi moderate pressure applications. The SA-285 steels cannot be used for
services with temperature over 482 oC. However, both SA-285 and SA-285 SA-212
steels have very low allowable stress, at higher temperature.
Plain carbon and low alloy steels plates are usually and where service condition
permit because of the lesser cost and greater availability of these steels. Such steels
may me fabricated by fusion welding and oxygen cutting if the carbon content does
not exceed 0.35%.vessels may be fabricated.
The important materials generally accepted for construction of pressure vessels are
indicated here. Metals used are generally divided into three groups as.
1 Low cost Cast iron, Cast carbon and low alloy steel, wrought carbon and low
alloy steel.
2 Medium cost - High alloy steel (12%chromium and above), Aluminum, Nickel,
Copper and their alloys, Lead.
3 High cost - platinum, Tantalum, Zirconium, Titanium silver.
Vessels with formed heads are commonly fabricated from low carbon steel wherever
corrosion and temperature considerations will permit its use because of the low cost,
high strength, ease of fabrication and general availability of mild steel. Low and high
alloy steel and non-ferrous metals are used for special service.
Several typical pressure vessel materials for a noncorrosive environment and for
service temperatures between 50 F and 1000 F are shown below
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 10 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
The allowable stress used to determine the minimum vessel wall thickness is based
on the material tensile and yield properties at room and design temperature. For
design purposes, it is necessary to decide a value for the maximum allowable stress
(nominal design strength) that can be accepted in the material of construction. This
is determined by applying a suitable safety factor to the maximum stress that the
material could be expected to withstand without failure under standard test
conditions. The safety factor allows for any uncertainty in the design methods, the
loading, the quality of the materials, and the workmanship.
At temperatures where creep and stress rupture strength do not govern the selection
of stresses, the maximum allowable stress is the lowest of
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 11 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
At temperatures where creep and stress rupture strength govern, the maximum
allowable stress is the lowest of
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 12 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
Typical maximum allowable stress values for some common materials are shown in
below.
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 13 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
The use of a welded joint may result in a reduction in strength of the part at or near
the weld. This may be the result of metallurgical discontinuities and residual
stresses. A joint efficiency depends only on the type of joint and on the extent of
examination of the joint and does not depend on the extent of examination of any
other joint
The strength of a welded joint will depend on the type of joint and the quality of the
welding. Four categories of weld
The possible lower strength of a welded joint compared with the virgin plate is
usually allowed for in design by multiplying the allowable design stress for the
material by a joint efficiency E. The value of the joint efficiency used in design will
depend on the type of joint and amount of radiography required by the design code.
F. Corrosion Allowance
The corrosion allowance is the additional thickness of metal added to allow for
material lost by corrosion and erosion, or scaling. Corrosion is a complex
phenomenon, and it is not possible to give specific rules for the estimation of the
corrosion allowance required for all circumstances. For carbon and low-alloy steels,
where severe corrosion is not expected, a minimum allowance of 2.0mm 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,
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 14 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
Design Loads
A structure must be designed to resist gross plastic deformation and collapse under
all the conditions of loading. The loads can be classified as major loads, which must
always be considered in vessel design, and subsidiary loads
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 (seismic) loads.
6 Loads supported by, or reacting on, the vessel.
Subsidiary Loads
1 Local stresses caused by supports, internal structures, and connecting pipes.
2 Shock loads caused by water hammer or by surging of the vessel contents.
3 Bending moments caused by eccentricity of the center of the working
pressure relative to the neutral axis of the vessel.
4 Stresses due to temperature differences and differences in the coefficient of
expansion of materials.
5 Loads caused by fluctuations in temperature and pressure.
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. As a general
guide the wall thickness of any vessel should not be less than the following values ;
the values include a corrosion allowance of 2 mm:
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 15 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 16 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
Figure 1. General configuration and dimensional data for vessel shells and heads.
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 17 of 98
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Group Of Process Equipment Design
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Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
DEFINITION
Collapse - a general failure of the entire cross section by flattening due to external
pressure
Corrosion - The wasting away of metals as a result of chemical action usually cause
by the presence of O2, CO2, or an acid.
Corrosion allowance - Any additional thickness specified for corrosion during the
vessel service life.
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 18 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
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Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
Coupling - A fitting welded into the vessel to which the piping is connected either by
screwing or welding. This type of fitting is generally used for pipe sizes 1% in. and
smaller.
Density - The density of a homogeneous substance is the ratio of its mass to its
volume. The density varies as the temperature changes and it is usually expressed
as the mass per unit volume at a specified temperature.
Relative Density - The ratio of the mass of a given volume of fluid to the
mass of an equal volume of pure water at the same temperature and
pressure. Relative density replaces the term “specific gravity”.
Relative Density At 60- Fluid relative density measured against water with
both materials at 60 degrees F and reference pressure of 14.696 psia (or
equilibrium pressure). Equivalent to “RD 60/60”
Design Pressure - The pressure used in the design of a vessel component for the
most severe condition of coincident pressure and temperature expected in normal
operation.
Expansion joint - The joint to permit movement due to expansion without undue
stress. A type of joint used in piping. It usually contains a telescoping section or a
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 19 of 98
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(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
Flange A circular metal plate threaded or otherwise fastened to an end of a pipe for
connection with a companion flange on an adjoining pipe. Also that part of a boiler
head (dished or flat) which is fabricated to a shape suitable for riveted or welded
attachment to a drum or shell
Flanged and Dished (Torispherical) Head - Head formed using two radii, one
radius called crown radius, and another called knuckle radius, which is tangent to
both the crown radius and the shell.
Flat Head (or Cover Plate) - Flat plate welded or bolted to the end of a shell.
Guaranteed tensile strength - the minimum tensile strength for the base material,
deposited weld metal and weldments, as guaranteed by the vessel fabricator.
Guaranteed yield strength - the minimum yield strength (0.2% offset) for the base
material, deposited weld metal and weldments, as guaranteed by the vessel
fabricator.
High strength materials - those materials having a minimum yield strength at room
temperature greater than 70,000 psi (485 MPa).
Insulation Rings - Rings made of flat bar or angle attached around the girth
(circumference) of vertical vessels. Used to support the weight of the vessel
insulation.
Lining - An internal coating that consists of an applied liquid material which dries
and adheres to the substrate, or a sheet material that is bonded to the substrate. It is
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 20 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
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Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
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Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
Longitudinal stress - The average stress acting on a cross section of the vessel.
Manhole - As access opening to the interior of a boiler, elliptical and 11 in. by 15 in.
or larger or circular 15-in. diameter or larger. An opening in a vessel that permits
entry for inspection and repair
Manhole Hinges or Davits - Hinges or davits attached to manhole flange and cover
plate which allow cover plate to swing aside from the manhole opening
Nominal thickness -f The ordered thickness of the material. This thickness includes
any corrosion allowance. and is used for determination of P\NHT requirements, weld
spacing, minimum and maximum thickness limitations
Nozzle - A short flanged or welded neck connection on a drum or shell for the outlet
or inlet of fluids; also a projecting spout for the outlet or inlet of fluids; also a
projecting spout through which is fluid flows.
Operating Pressure - The pressure at the top of the vessel at which it normally
operates. It shall be lower than the MAWP, design pressure, or the set pressure of
any pressure relieving device.
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 21 of 98
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Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
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Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) - The vapor pressure of a fluid at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit as determined by test method ASTM D 323-58. RVP is one of the
important specifications for gasoline and solvents. It is a measure of the vapor
pressure of a sample at 100°F (38°C), in the presence of air. A test is made in
a bomb, and the results are reported in pounds per square inch absolute.
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 22 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
Static Pressure - The pressure in a fluid that is exerted normal to the surface.
In a moving fluid, the static pressure is measured at right angles to the direction
of flow.
Reinforcing Pad - Plate formed to the contour of shell or head, welded to nozzle
and shell or head.
Skirt - Cylinder similar to shell, which is used for supporting vertical vessels.
Skirt Access Opening - Circular holes in the skirt to allow workers to clean, inspect,
etc., inside of skirt.
Skirt Fireproofing - Brick or concrete applied inside and outside of slart to prevent
damage to skirt in case of fire.
Skirt Vents - Small circular holes in the skirt to prevent collection of dangerous
gases within the skirt.
Sludge - The material that settles to the bottom of crude tanks and which cannot be
removed by normal pumping means.
Spherical tank—a type of pressurized storage tank that is used to store volatile or
highly pressurized material; also referred to as “round” tanks
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 23 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
Support Legs - Legs made of pipe or structural shapes that are used to support
vertical vessels.
Toriconical Head - Head formed in the shape of a cone and with a knuckle radius
tangent to the cone and shell.
2:l Semielliptical Head - Head formed in the shape of a half ellipse with major to
minor axis ratio of 21.
Vessel thickness - the thickness required for strength of the pressure vessel shell,
including corrosion allowance, but excluding weld overlay, lining, integral cladding or
non-integral parts.
Weld efficiency factor - A factor which reduces the allowable stress. The factor
depends on the degree of weld examination performed during construction of the
vessel.
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 24 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
NOMENCLATURE
An Area of nozzle wall (mm2)
Ar Area of nozzle hole (mm2)
As Area of connecting region (mm2)
ca Corrosion Permeability (mm)
Di Internal Shell Diameter (mm)
Dn External Nozzle Diameter (mm)
dn Internal nozzle diameter (mm)
Do External Shell Diameter (mm)
ds Diameter of nozzle on tank wall (mm)
E Joint Efficiency
h Head High (mm)
Ln Nozzle Length (mm)
Lsehll Shell Length (mm)
M mass (kg)
p Internal Pressure (Mpa)
ph Maximum Pressure at the Head (MPa)
Ps Maximum Pressure on Vessel Shell (MPa)
r1 Knuckle Radius (mm)
Rc Internal Spherical Radius (mm)
S Permissible Material Stress (MPa)
th Required Head Thickness (mm)
tknuckle knuckle thickness (mm)
Tn Actual nozzle thickness (mm)
tn Required Nozzle Thickness (mm)
Ts Actual body thickness (mm)
ts Required thickness of tank (mm)
ts Vessel Shell Thickness (mm)
Vhead Volume head (cm3)
Vliquid head Volume liquid in head (cm3)
Vliquid shel Volume liquid in Shell (cm3)
Vnozzle Volume of nozzle (cm3)
Vshell Volume Shell (cm3)
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.
Page 25 of 98
Kolmetz Handbook
KLM Technology
Group Of Process Equipment Design
Rev: 01
Practical Engineering
Guidelines for Processing Plant Pressure Vessel Selection,
Solutions Sizing and Troubleshooting
www.klmtechgroup.com June 2020
(ENGINEERING DESIGN GUIDELINES)
REFERENCES
2 2017 ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code. Rules For Construction Of Pressure
Vessels Division 1. 2017
These design guideline are believed to be as accurate as possible, but are very general and not for specific design cases.
They were designed for engineers to do preliminary designs and process specification sheets. The final design must
always be guaranteed for the service selected by the manufacturing vendor, but these guidelines will greatly reduce the
amount of up front engineering hours that are required to develop the final design. The guidelines are a training tool for
young engineers or a resource for engineers with experience.
This document is entrusted to the recipient personally, but the copyright remains with us. It must not be copied,
reproduced or in any way communicated or made accessible to third parties without our written consent.