Design Software for Vessels and Heat Exchangers

[Bmiller0987]

My boss wanted me to see about finding the best design software for Section VIII U-1A Tanks/Vessels and Heat Exchangers. If anybody has any suggestions please let me know, any help would be much appreciated??

 

[SnTMan]

Well there is no "One Best". You will need to further identify the class of work, and what you expect the software to do. For example, what type heat exchangers? What works well for air coolers will not likely work well for shell & tube. What works well for heat exchangers will not likely work well for process columns, etc.

What do you expect from your software? Just calculations? Solid models? Shop drawings?

Try to narrow down these things, Google it and also search this site, it gets discussed periodically.

Regards,

Mike

 

[Bmiller0987]

We would be looking for calculations, models and shop drawings. This would be for engineering and fabrication purposes.

 

[rmw]

I'll give some suggestions, but leave "best" for others to determine.

For PV's, check out Compress. For Hx's check out HTRI (Heat Transfer Research Institute).

rmw

 

[seamantgn]

In my job we use microprotol for PV and shell and tubes heat exchangers.

We use to make the mechanical calculations. If you want to make termic calculations (design previous to mechanical) HTRI is like a standard.
I work in the Mechanical dept. I only use this program. Usually it have problems: stop tu run with no cause and the report its less easy to read than others; Ej: PV Lite. I don´t know too much how run this program but your material data base it´s better than protol. Sometimes microprotol give bad values for allowance tension for an edition of asme II.
Microprotol can use various codes: ASME AD BS EN CODAP and in various editions.

A colleague with experience say me are three bigs: PV lite (Itentergraph), Compress , Microprotol (Bentley).

 

[Stressfree1]

The Intergraph product was mispelled, it is spelled PVElite. It is very easy to use and it also can calculate tube design for heat exchangers. PV Fabricator is the fabrication detailing package that reads the PVElite models.

 

[SnTMan]

Won't get you a tubefield though. Poor for so-called heat exchanger software.

Regards,

Mike