From the pre-engineering / bid phase and final design engineering to delivery, every step of the process must be executed with utmost efficiency and great attention to detail to ensure proper equipment placement and operation. Poorly organized pressure vessel fabricators tend to take shortcuts or use off-the-shelf parts that may not be suitable for every project. This kind of behavior leads to delays and compromised safety and operation of the equipment.
Before starting the work / design activities one should verify:
- Process parameters
- Thermal design
- Nozzle loads
- Material of construction
- Additional external loads
A pressure vessel operates under a variety of conditions and loads, and any equipment failure can have adverse effects on your overall operation, increasing the liability of your company. Poorly fabricated vessel can lead to downtime and additional maintenance costs. Put simply, an inefficient pressure vessel fabricator jeopardizes worker and process safety, which in turn puts pressure on your company to spend more addressing the problems. For this reason, local stress analysis should be conducted not only for equipment with cyclic loadings such as pressure, temperature and vibration, but for all equipment fabricated in your shop.
Steps for successful design process:
- Build a 3D model of each equipment
- Make sure that the design satisfy all the requirements from the applicable pressure vessel code of the construction. For this reason the design should be verified with at least two different market recognized design software packages.
- Produce clear fabrication drawings with all necessary details, material and examination notes
It’s rational to select a certified design office that can answer to all of your equipment design requirements, using in house resources to deliver a full package, from thermal design to FEA analysis. A quality design supplier is equipped to work with your company during the full length of the project, to ensure you end up with the exact and precise output you require.