Packed Bed Support Design

[ConstantEffort]

Is anyone aware of a pencil-and-paper method for evaluating the strength of a circular packed bed support?

My application is for a bed which can generate a significant pressure drop across it (couple hundred psi). Our usual design (designed decades ago by engineers long gone who left no documentation, but passes the eyeball test for the minimal static loading) is not going to work for this significant "live" loading. I'm now trying to evaluate how much dP the bed can take.

The bed support is grating with the strong axis of the grating resting perpendicular across a support beam bisecting the cylindrical tower. There is a support ring along the vessel ID that holds the other end of the grating panels.

While I have a formula for an un-reinforced circular plate under uniform pressure, it doesn't account for the support beam in the middle.

The best idea I've got cooking now is to figure capacities for the beam and grating separately, then using the lower of the two.

 

[ConstantEffort]

Found an answer over the weekend that I'll post here for benefit of anyone else who stumbles across this thread.

Pressure Vessel Design Manual, 4th Edition, Moss. Procedure 5-1. Covers single and multiple beam applications.

 

[r6155]

Excellent Design Manual

Regards
r6155

 

[EmmanuelTop]

Probably not directly related to your original question, but worth reading: Section 8.1 (Packing Supports) and 8.2 (Support Structure) in "Distillation Operation" by Henry Kister.
It discusses key features and requirements of packing supports, from both Process and Mechanical perspective. I have always found the guidelines in this book very useful in practice.

An excerpt attached to this post.

Dejan IVANOVIC
Process Engineer, MSChE

 

[r6155]

When design the internals think about access for inspection during fabrication and in service, specially NDE on welds between supports and shell.

Regards
r6155