Looking for fabricators for LPG storage bullets

[jtseng123]

Dear all,

I have several mounded LPG storage bullets that will be designed per Div. 1 and EEMUA 190.
Does anyone know vessel or storage tank fabricators that are familiar with EEMUA 190 ? Thanks

 

[fegenbush]

What is the destination country?

 

[jtseng123]

fegenbush,
Louisiana, USA.

 

[jtseng123]

size: 20' diameter x 105' T/T, 195 psig/170degF;
14' diameter x 77' T/T, 515 psig/170 degF.

 

[weeeds]

No problem providing the vessels to ASME Code but it has been my understanding that EEMUA 190 is a code for operation and maintenance of these vessels and specifies ASME or other internationally recognized code for design and fabrication.

 

[fegenbush]

ASME Section VIII Div 1 contractors who will perform a field erected contract are rarer in comparison to shop fabricated variety. Still, they can be found. The company I for which I work gets contacted frequently to perform such work, and I would have no problem constructing such vessels.

 

[MJCronin]

The 20 ft. diameter bullet tank will be a transport problem...

Was this vessel sized by a newbie process engineer ?

Why not consider multiple smaller bullet tanks ?

For your 20 ft diameter tank, I get about 1.625 shell wall thickness and a weight in the vicinity of 250 tons.

(Back of an envelope calculation..... mind you)

Are you sure that this will be acceptable for your intended site ? (perhaps excessive foundation loads ???)

MJCronin
Sr. Process Engineer

 

[TGS4]

MJCronin - I would expect that transportation would be via barge, so 20ft dia should be fine. The thing with mounded storage vessels is that they are generally placed on a sand foundation without saddles - and EEUMA190 recommends flexible foam insulation to accommodate the axial thermal expansion.

Don't expect much from fabricators to know about EEUMA190. The owner or EPC will likely have to provide that knowledge.

 

[MJCronin]

Trinity, a major Texas pressure vessel head supplier, makes hemi-heads to 180 inches diameter

https://www.trinityheads.com/pdf_new/Hemispherical.pdf

Elliptical heads are available to 236 inches diameter

https://www.trinityheads.com/pdf_new/Elliptical.pdf

Larger diameters and special constrictions are available.....

With enough money, you can do damn near anything, however,......

IMHO, multiple vessels may be cheaper that this single 20 ft. diameter monster


MJCronin
Sr. Process Engineer

 

[fegenbush]

MJCronin,

To add to your list, I just finished a vessel with 300 inch diameter 2:1 elliptical heads. I agree that with enough money, almost anything is possible. The site may be restricted since there is a minimum spacing between tanks/vessels which contain flammable contents.

 

[ProcessSales]

If you can send me the Mechanical Data Sheet or the original drawing of the item, and any other fabrication considerations I can try to get you a quote.

 

[jtseng123]

Thanks all.

Diameter is not a problem. I have a cold wall FCC regenerator 5 years ago with 41' diameter elliptical top head and its top tangent line is 280' above the ground, quite amazing.

I did find Idesa has much experience in mounded bullets (see attached photos). Since the plant is in Louisiana, I am looking for US fabricators who have the experience in order to save shipping cost, which can be millions as I have total of 5 big bullets. For the size, it will be barged to job site.

 

[JohnGP]

The attached link looks very much like the mounded LPG bullets supplied to a nickel project in New Caledonia I spent some time on. Designed and constructed to ASME VIII Div1, and shipped to site, they were about 8m dia x 40m long with hemispherical heads. They were there when I arrived at site, but I think they were shipped in one piece. It's a matter of tossing up local cost of fabrication versus foreign + shipping (to my mind local is preferred, but clients don't always accept the premium that quite often applies).

http://www.vijaytanks.com/mounded_storage_bullets.php

Cheers,
John

 

[DekDee]

John,
Funny you should mention Goro Nickel - I spent quite some time crawling around in those bloody vessels supervising weld repairs.
I was there when they were installed so obviously a bit before your time.

Pressure vessels from India, pressure vessels from South Korea, S/S tanks from Malaysia, Duplex tanks from the Phillipines - we had major welding issues with all of these items (and I won't even mention the FRP piping and vessels)

Cheers,
DD

 

[JohnGP]

DekDee,
They were quite cavernous inside! Quite a mix of vessels really - titanium lined autoclaves from Belgium, CS pressure vessels from Malaysia, and tantalum lined titanium pipes from the States, just for a few others!) Don't mention FRP, I still occasionally have nightmares about FRP valves in particular.
Cheers,
John

 

[DekDee]

John,
We had a rather interesting repair (it wasn't at the time)on the titanium lined C/S Fleater Vessels.
When they hydrotested the vessels in South Korea they had problems with water getting in under the titanium lining so they ground a small groove into the C/S at the edge of the lining and filled with epoxy for the duration of the hydrotest.
A local contractor then ground out the epoxy on site and inadvertently overground in places so it required rewelding in numerous locations.
Every time a GTAW weld was completed it was full of transverse cracks ? Grind it out, weld again - more cracks.
It was the same Korean welders using exactly the same equipment, same welding machines, same filler metal they had used in fabrication so everyone was pretty lost for answers - this went on for days.
Tried SMAW, same result.
We eventually cut a "boat" sample out of the vessel wall and sent it away for analysis.

Cause of the cracking - high levels of titanium in the C/S weld !!

When the local contractor had originally ground out the groove they apparently turned the grinder 45 degrees to direction of travel (to enable a U shaped groove free of epoxy) and in doing so just "nicked" the edge of the titanium plate with the grinding disc.
The grinding disc then "smeared" titanium metal onto the C/S surface and the welders were then attempting to weld onto this surface.
A very expensive lesson for all involved,
Cheers,
DD