New in Pressure Vessel Industries 4

[nazua91]

Hi everyone,

I need a tips over here. I just got a new job as Design Engineer in Pressure Vessel Industries. Still blank and do not know where to start to learn about design pressure vessel. They give me a Pressure Vessel Handbook and ASME Code. Basically the software that I used to design is PV Elite.

If you are an experience people in this industries,hopefully you can advise me and giving me a tips to build my career.

Thanks and have a nice day!

 

[SnTMan]

nazua91, welcome to an interesting, challenging and, some say, a financially rewarding field

The activity of delivering a pressure vessel consists of three related activities, broadly speaking: contractual, engineering and fabrication. You should learn something of each, with the your main focus on engineering.

Contractual: Generally, pressure vessels are custom-designed, custom-built industrial equipment. You should learn broadly how PV's are bought and sold. Refer to a previous job and study the proposal and sales documents, which usually would consist of a contract including terms and conditions, technical specifications, performance data, estimating data and correspondence.

Through the project documents learn what the customer has specified (wants to buy) and what your organization has proposed to furnish (wants to sell). Study any technical exceptions your organization has taken to the contract and learn why they are taken. Notice the back and forth between the parties that occurs in arriving at an "As Sold" job. Review the performance and estimating data to further understand what your organization is furnishing.

Understand that once a job is sold, and the contract signed, your organization is pretty much obligated to furnish to the contract.

Engineering: You should, of course, become familiar with the Code and your Handbook. Work by hand enough example calculations such as shell and head thicknesses, nozzle reinforcing, weld sizing and some of the structural stuff so that you feel comfortable looking at the software output. Learn what your software will and won't do properly. You should start putting together your own library and reference materials. Ask your supervisor intelligent questions. Learn to read the technical specifications so you can identify what applies to your class of work and how to meet it. Learn what does not apply to your class of work.

Before starting a job in earnest, review the contract documents, keeping your eyes open for conflicting or ambiguous requirements. Find out how your organization resolves such conflicts and do so. It may be useful to make your own notes summarizing important or unusual requirements of the specifications. Refer to the estimating data so that your designs are generally in line with how your organization has priced the vessel. Learn that at times you will need to deviate from the estimates to insure compliance with the contract or because the estimate was not fully detailed. It was an estimate, after all.

Get to know someone in purchasing and learn how they buy stuff, and what information you will need to supply them.

Fabrication: Get out on the floor and find out how the things get built and inspected. Start learning what their problems are and how you can address them in the design stage. Ask more intelligent questions.

You should by now be getting the idea that learning pressure vessel design is not a sprint, it is a marathon.

Last, but certainly not least, do a lot of reading here on Eng-Tips, especially the B&PV and ASME Code Issues fora. It is a great resource with many contributors who are 1) much more knowledgeable than myself, and 2) always willing to try to answer well thought-out and well stated questions.

And have some fun with it.

Regards,

Mike


The problem with sloppy work is that the supply FAR EXCEEDS the demand

 

[marty007]

Great post Mike!

Just to add to the codes aspect, always be careful with local jurisdictional requirements. Pay attention to where the vessel is going, and visit the jurisdictional website. Various US States and Canadian Provinces have taken exception to various parts of the code, and you will need to comply with their rules.

Cheers,
Marty

 

[SnTMan]

marty007, thanks, and YES, by no means complete. nazua91, take note

The problem with sloppy work is that the supply FAR EXCEEDS the demand

 

[NBrink]

Going to echo SnTMan's point on the fabrication. Get out there and talk to the welders, run stuff by them before it gets issued. It's a huge problem for almost all new engineers that they have a really clever idea that doesn't work out the greatest for the next guy in line.



Oh, and a personal vendetta of mine, as an end user of pressure vessels: never design something with studded nozzles (blind threaded holes)[tt][/tt] if you can possibly avoid it. They're the absolute devil...

Nathan Brink

 

[r6155]

nazua91, your organisation must give you an basic course of pressure vessel.
Design engineer of pressure vessel?: this job require a lot of training, 2 years minimum before any calculation.
First you need well understand technical drawings and work as draftman.

Regards
r6155

 

[fs_longhorn]

Hartford Steam Boiler's Technical Data Handbook is a nice thing for pressure vessel engineers and fabricators to have.

https://bookstore.hsbct.com/item.aspx?id=13

 

[shamino]

A good place to start is to READ YOUR QUALITY CONTROL MANUAL. There should be a chapter devoted to Engineering that you should go over.

Next, start digging into the ASME code Sec 8 Div 1 (If your country uses that).

Internal pressure in shells and heads (clauses UG-27 and UG-32).
External pressure on shells (clause UG-28).
Nozzle compensation (mainly figure UG-35.1).
Nozzle weld sizing (mainly figure UW-16).
Material Choice for Impact Properties (UCS-66).
RT Grades (UG-116).
Weld Category and Type (UW-3 and Table UW-12).
Joint efficiency (UW-11 and UW-12).
PWHT (UW-40 and UCS-56).
Pressure Testing (UG-99 and UG-100).
MAWP (UG-98).
Joint Design (UW-1 to UW-5)

Go over what a weld detail is; what is the arrow side and other side, what is the reference line, etc.

My advice, I strongly recommend you get your butt onto the shop floor and actually see how the journeymen build the vessels. Engineers are sometimes the world's stupidest smart people. There are a lot of PV drawings that are inaccurate, confusing and inconsistent - And that confuses people on the shop floor. The earlier you can catch drawing mistakes, and at the same time make things simpler and easy to understand for the person reading the drawing, the better for you and your company.

If you want to really challenge your knowledge of pressure vessels, try taking the API 510 course.