What Are Pressure Vessels?
process vessels are sealed containers that are used to store liquids, vapors, as well as gases at a pressure that is significantly more or less than pressure of the surrounding air. They are used extensively in a variety of industries, including petroleum oil and gas, food processing, and chemical industries. Equipment like reactors, separators, flash drums and heat exchangers can be some examples of pressure vessels.
Every pressure vessel has to be operated within the limits of its design temperatures and the pressure that are the safety limit of the pressure vessel. The construction, design as well as testing procedures for pressure vessels is extensively performed by experienced staff and are controlled by rules because the leakage and release of their contents poses an immediate threat to the surrounding surroundings. The most popular standards are that of American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME BPVC) Section VIII, and the American Petroleum Industry (API) 510 Pressure Vessel Inspection Code.
Chapter 2: Types of Pressure Vessels
Pressure vessels are classified based on their function or their geometry.
Types of Pressure Vessels According to its Purpose
Storage vessels. Storage vessels are utilized to store gases and liquids for industrial use. The vessel can be used to store fluids during the process later on or to store the final products like compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquid nitrogen. The most frequently utilized material for storage tanks.
Heating Exchangers. Heat exchangers are utilized in order to exchange heat among two fluids or even more. They are typically utilized in the pharmaceutical, food energy, bioprocessing, and energy industries. The performance of the equipment used to heat exchange depends on the flow and thermal properties of the fluids used in the process of heat exchange, as well as on the properties of the electrically conductive part (for indirect heat exchangers). The materials in heat exchangers experience stress due to the temperature differences of the cold and hot fluids, as well as the pressure inside the fluids.
Boilers. Boilers are heat transfer devices that use electricity, nuclear or fuel energy sources for heat. They typically consist of a sealed vessel that allows heat to transfer through the liquid. They are used to warm liquids. In most cases, the transformation of the liquid from liquid phase to vapor takes place within the boiler. The vapor created by the boiler is utilized in a variety of heating processes and for the power generation. Steam boilers produce steam at high pressure that causes the turbine to speed up. that drive the turbine. This is why the boiler vessel needs to have strong enough to withstand such high temperatures and pressures. In the majority of materials, the strength decreases with temperature.
Process Vessels. Process vessels fall under the broad category of vessels for pressure. They are vessels in which industrial processes take place including mixing, distillation, agitation, decantation or mass segregation, as well as chemical reactions. The changes in the internal pressure of a vessel is based on its nature, the procedure that is being carried out as well as the change in the ingredients involved. Some of the most special kinds of vessels for processing are:
Columns for distillation permit an easy separation liquid mixture according to the difference in their vaporization. This process involves heating the mixture is heated up to a point that the component with the highest volatile transforms into the vapor. The size of the vessel is determined by the internals of the column (packings or tray).
Decanters permit the separation of solids and liquids in a liquid-liquid mix. The denser part settles at in the lower part of the vessel. This kind of vessel is small cross-sectional areas or is inclined horizontally.
Industrial mixers are pressure vessels equipped with motor-powered cutting blades to homogenize and emulsify one or a number of substances. The mixture of substances could be liquids or solids or even a mixture of both. Agitating equipment runs at different speed based on the degree of homogeneity.