Software Evaluation Information

Vessel Design
The Vessel Design software is a comprehensive, industry leading application that has the ability to automatically design 99% of the world's pressure vessels. It's goal is to provide you with a rock-solid design in a short amount of time with no waste. Here are just a few features available in the program:

  • Design of complete vessel at one time, taking into account the entire vessel's effect on each of its components. This results in total and complete integrated calculations.
  • Automatic break up of  long shell sections into shorter cans for design calculations.
  • Automatic selection of all thickness for each vessel component including, stiffeners, supports /etc.
  • Selection of vacuum stiffener location and sizes.
  • Selection of cone reinforcing stiffener requirements and sizes.
  • Selection of material properties from a large database.
  • Selection of  anchor bolting including number required, size and bolt circle.
  • Sizing of baseplate and chair requirements.
  • Sizing of legs and required attachment to shell, such as pads or ring girders.
  • Sizing of lugs and required attachment to shell, such as pads or ring girders.
  • Sizing of saddle including contact angle, web, ribs, base, etc...
  • Selection of nozzle neck (pipe or plate).
  • Selection of nozzle reinforcing pad.
  • Selection of vessel Maximum Working Pressure(s).

In addition, these features are available:

  • Push button CAD-type printer plots directly on your printer.
  • Design type outline drawings in "DXF" format.
  • Detailed estimates.
  • 3-D virtual reality models for interference modeling.
  • Full "check" of existing design with compliance verification.
  • Full analysis and re-rating of existing vessels.

EQUIPMENT TYPES 

  • Large or small fractionation towers.
  • Reactors and other heavy wall/high temperature vessels.
  • Multi-chambered vessels with internal heads.
  • Mixing of different materials, diameters, corrosion allowances, temperatures, insulation, refractory, etc.
  • Guided vessels/stacks/etc.
  • Bottom Skirt supported vessels and ballerina type skirts.
  • Lug or leg type supported vessels.
  • Large or small horizontal vessel on two saddles.
  • Flue gas stacks.
  • Bins and Silos

DESIGN CODES (All codes maintained to latest additions) 

  • ASME Section 8 Division 1
  • ASME Section 8 Division 2
  • ASME Section 1 Power Boiler Code
  • STS-1 Steel Stacks
  • API650 Appendix for Shop Built Vessels
  • BS5500 Pressure Vessel Code
  • A.D. Merkblatt and DIN 4149

WIND AND SEISMIC 

  • IBC 2000 for Wind and Seismic
  • Uniform Building Codes 1973, 76, 79, 82, 85, 88, 91, 94, and 1997 for both wind and seismic loading.
  • ASCE 7-98 Code for static wind, seismic, and dynamic wind loads
  • ASCE 7-95 Code for static wind, seismic, and dynamic wind loads.
  • ASCE 7-93 Code for static wind, seismic and dynamic wind loads.
  • ASCE 7-88 Code for static wind, seismic and dynamic wind loads.
  • ANSI A58.1 1982 Code for static wind, seismic and dynamic wind loadings.
  • National Building Code of Canada 1991 and 1997 for static wind, seismic and dynamic wind loadings.
  • British Structural Loading Code CP-3 for static wind, seismic and dynamic loadings.
  • Brazil's ABNT-88 Code for wind loadings (uses 3 second gust with modal shape factor).
  • NEHR-94 National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program 1994.

COMPONENTS DESIGNED or ANALYZED 

   Head Types:

  • 2-1 Elliptical Head (ASME type or non-standard w/ "K" factor)
  • Flanged and Dished heads(User may input dish/knuckle radius)Div 2 requires a minimum straight flange length)
  • Hemispherical heads(User may input head radius or program will match head/shell centerlines). Cut-back length determined.
  • Conical Head (with or without knuckles)
  • Flat Head (user may control the "c" factor)
  • FLANGED w/ BLIND Flange
  • Body Flanges
  • Shallow Cone Roof w/Compression Ring
  • Shallow Dome Roof w/Compression RinG

   Cylindrical Shell

  • Hoop Condition:
  • Internal pressure w/static head of liquid (may vary the specific gravity)
  • External pressure between line of support.
  • Longitudinal effects:
  • Wind/Seismic/Dynamics/Deflection/Weight/Internal-External Pressure/etc.

    Conical Transition

  • Concentric or Eccentric
  • With or Without Knuckles
  • Cones are evaluated at both large and small ends for both internal and external pressure. Code rules per paragraph 1-5 and 1-8 are completely followed. (Report is Suitable to give directly to code inspector)
  • Timishenko Beam on elastic foundation

    Vacuum/Saddle/Cone Stiffeners

  • User database of shapes
  • User may supply a set of stiffeners to use along with fabrication methods such as "roll or fabricate"
  • Stiffener materials may be different from shell.

    Nozzles

  • Common flanges w/pipe or rolled plate necks:
  •   Slip on
  •   Weld Neck
  •   Lap Joint or Van Stone
  •   Note! Normal input is "NOMINAL" diameter. Pipe schedule or neck thickness may also be  entered. The software will automatically select the "Inside" diameter and pipe thickness.  User  may override if desired. Easy to use!
  • Long welding necks:
  • Heavy reinforced necks:
  • "HB" "F" "V1" "V2" V3" - All dimensions pre-programmed or user may specify
  • Bottom head outlet w/ heavy neck attaching to pipe or rolled plate
  • Studding Outlets:
  • Large nozzles in small shells
  • Flange Ratings
  • ANSI B16.5 for flange ratings (includes current code release).
  • ANSI B16.47 for Large Diameter flange ratings (includes current code release).
  • User may enter the desired flange ratings
  • All nozzles may be radial / eccentric / skewed relative to major planes
  • of heads/shells/cones.
  • Reinforcing Pads:
  • User has many options for area replacement and restrictions on areas.
  • Code required for hoop conditions for internal and external pressure.
  • Pads sized for Longitudinal loadings when required.
  • Weld sizing and Path of failure:
  • Weld size verification based on code minimum requirements as well as
  • the weld strength path of failure.
  • Insert plate design
  • Special properties for all parts including flanges/necks and reinforcement.
  • Options on printout-
  • Summary of parts, limits of reinforcement, areas etc.
  • Detailed formulas printout w/values inserted for ease of verification.

    Supports

  • Bottom Skirts supported at grade or in a structure.
  • Intermediate Skirts- supporting one vessel on top of another vessel
  • Skirt Support in middle of vessel (i.e. ballerina type skirts)
  • All skirts may have one or more Materials
  • All skirts may have one or more Diameters
  • Baseplate/Chair arrangements- Many to choose from

    Saddle Supports

  • Two saddle supports with user controls of all design parameters
  • Vectorization of vertical loads w/ lateral or axial loads
  • Wind effects
  • Seismic effects
  • Friction effects

    LEG Support

  • Three(3) or more LEGS may be used.
  • AUTOMATIC transfer of vertical and lateral loads to LEG design routine.
  • AUTOMATIC selection of LEG size for all design conditions.
  • L/r values determined
  • Weight and bending stress determined
  • Baseplate and anchor bolts determined.
  • User may supply a table of up to 90 leg sizes
  • Leg Attachment to shell
  • Reinforcing Pads
  • Girder design for large thin shells.

    LUG Supports

  • Two(2) or more LUGS may be used.
  • AUTOMATIC transfer of vertical and lateral loads to LUG design routine.
  • Automatic sizing of LUG for all design conditions.
  • LUG Attachment types
  • Directly to shell
  • LUG w/ Reinforcing Pad
  • LUG w/ Girder
  • Girder design for large thin shells.

LIMITED Deflection Design 

  •  The Limited deflection design permits the user to specify maximum permitted deflection at top .
  • The Program will loop and set required thicknesses.

FIELD Hydrotest: 

  •  "FIELD" Hydrotest design for either the New or future corroded condition. User may input pressure, percentage of wind load and allowable stress during test.

CENTER of GRAVITY 

  •  "CENTER of GRAVITY" calculations are performed for both  bare and dressed condition.

VIRBATION Analysis: 

  •  Vortex shedding effects or "VIBRATION" analysis of tall columns for erected, empty and operating conditions.
  • The analysis is performed at both the first and second critical wind speed.

RIGGING Analysis: 

  •  "RIGGING" analysis for lifting the vessel from the horizontal to the vertical position.

SHOP Hydrotest: 

  •  "SHOP" Hydrotest test report showing the stresses generated in the shell while the vessel is in the horizontal position, under pressure and full of water with the static head of liquid being added.

LOW Temperature Effects 

  • Impact test requirements are automatically selected to meet the specified low temperature. Credit maybe taken for voluntary stress relief along with stress reduction factor.  Exempt status permitted by code may be overridden to require all components to pass UCS-66.(i.e. no UG-20)

 Material Library:

  • The Pre-Programmed Material Library for Plate/Forging/Pipe/Bolt/etc.
  • contains many commonly used materials.
  • Common Carbon Steels (113 base materials)
  •       Including A-516s Normalized/Impact tested/etc.
  • Low Alloys
  •        Including A-387s / A-537s / A-203s etc.
  • High Alloys
  •       Including all common grades of 3XX grade stainless steels
  •       Including all stainless "L"/"H" grades
  •       Including Monel/Hastalloys/Inconels/Incoloys
  •       Including "Avesta 254SMO" "AL6XN" "2205"
  •       Including Ferallium/Titanium/Zirconium etc.
  •       Non-Ferrous
  • Stress table as a function of temperature. Allowable stresses
  • are selected for Internal and external design temperature
  • Material density
  • Vacuum chart for longitudinal stress and External pressure
  • (The vacuum chart CS-2 is set for temperatures to 1250 deg).
  • (The vacuum chart HA-1 is set for temperatures to 1500 deg).
  • Yield stress
  • Modulus of elasticity (Hot and cold) (Internal/External temps)
  • (User may manually override all material properties)         
  • Material are specified w/shortened names for input(i.e. A51670).
  • Output material names are ASME designations ( i.e. SA-516-70)