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Understanding Pressure Vessels: Design & Safety

A pressure vessel is a container designed to hold gases or liquids at a pressure different from ambient pressure. Pressure vessels can be dangerous if not properly designed, manufactured, and operated according to engineering regulations that vary by country. Design considerations include maximum pressure and temperature ratings, safety factors, and minimum design temperatures to prevent brittle fracture. Construction requires nondestructive testing like ultrasonics and pressure testing for safety. In many countries, large pressure vessels must be built to formal codes like the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and require inspection.

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73 views1 page

Understanding Pressure Vessels: Design & Safety

A pressure vessel is a container designed to hold gases or liquids at a pressure different from ambient pressure. Pressure vessels can be dangerous if not properly designed, manufactured, and operated according to engineering regulations that vary by country. Design considerations include maximum pressure and temperature ratings, safety factors, and minimum design temperatures to prevent brittle fracture. Construction requires nondestructive testing like ultrasonics and pressure testing for safety. In many countries, large pressure vessels must be built to formal codes like the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and require inspection.

Uploaded by

Guru Moorthi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Pressure vessel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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A pressure vessel constructed of a horizontal steel cylinder.

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


different from the ambient pressure.
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 tests 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 rapidly increase its volume when rapid depressurization occurs, unlike
gases like air, which fail explosively).
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). 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 ASME's official stamp for
pressure vessels (U-stamp). The nameplate makes the vessel traceable and officially
an ASME Code vessel.

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