Best Solution has assisted customers with the design of pressure vessels using parametric finite element models.
This process is particularly well suited to irregularly shaped vessels where design codes or other analytical methods cannot be easily applied.
Such features may include, for example, tapered wall thicknesses, blend radii, inlet or exhaust ports or flanges. With parametric modelling methods, it is possible to optimise pressure vessel geometry for minimum peak stress and ease of manufacture.
Static models can determine the stress and displacement distribution for vessels subjected to steady state, time invariant loading. However, some applications involve pressure vessels rated for extreme short term pressure, as in the case of the containment of pressures resulting from explosion. Food industry applications for hoppers containing finely divided sugar, flour, or other hydrocarbon powders fall into this category. The interaction between the transient internal pressure profile and the mass of the pressure vessel walls can be modelled using transient finite element methods. In these cases, if the transient pressure peak is short enough the vessel wall deflections and the consequent stresses may be lower than the values found from static analysis.
For assessments of customer designs, Best Solution can accept solid model data in a wide variety of formats, and deliver cost-effective finite element model solutions.
The stress contour plot on the right shows a bulk sugar hopper with internal pressure loading representative of an explosion. The modifications advised by us enabled the hopper manufacturers to conform to the required explosion containment industry standard for this kind of vessel, as determined by substance and particle size.
