Quick Pressure Vessel Design With Design Mode

Save Time With Design Mode

The COMPRESS Design Mode feature saves time by eliminating the manual iterations that would otherwise be required when designing pressure vessels. Design Mode takes your input data and selects component sizes, thicknesses and ratings based on ASME® Code requirements. It is usually used when designing new equipment as it is typically more efficient than Rating (Analysis) Mode. For post construction calculations on existing equipment, COMPRESS also features a Rating Mode. You can switch between Design and Rating Modes in COMPRESS at any time.

Consider what adding or changing the liquid level does to a pressure vessel’s design. It alters the supported weight, changes the static head acting on components below the liquid level and affects the equipment’s natural frequency i.e. how it responds to seismic and wind loads. Design Mode automatically tracks these interactions throughout the vessel’s design and enforces ASME Code compliance.

In Design Mode component required and nominal thicknesses are re-evaluated during the modeling process and updated as necessary to reflect all ASME Code dependencies. This is done because most components including heads, shells, nozzles, vacuum stiffeners and supports are dependent on each other and generally cannot be sized in isolation.
Guidance is provided while creating or editing pressure vessel components. For example, design mode includes interactive nozzle detailing that meets UG-37 reinforcement, UG-45 minimum thickness and UW-16 weld sizing requirements.
Optimum shell thicknesses are automatically selected along the height of the tower\vertical vessel based on combined loads and deflection limits.
Design mode automatically limits tower deflection per end user’s design specifications.
The vessel’s minimum design metal temperature (MDMT) is determined per the rules of UCS-66 or UHA-51 as appropriate.
Warnings and good engineering practice reminders are presented as appropriate.

Request More Information

COMPRESS Pressure Vessel Design Highlights

Nozzles

Simplify the detailing of nozzle attachments with flexible and intuitive nozzle design capabilities.

Quick Design

Speed up the process of pressure vessel modeling.

Productivity

Software packages like COMPRESS exist to increase productivity and save Engineering hours.

Heat Exchanger

Perform ASME UHX and TEMA calculations and transfer these designs to your estimating and drafting departments.

Division II

Many companies use the alternative rules of Division 2 because of the cost savings, versus Division 1.

MDMT Rules of UCS-66

The rules of UCS-66 guard against vessel failure by brittle fracture, a low probability high consequence event.

Minimum Design Metal Temperature (MDMT) in INSPECT

External Pressure Design

Simplify the complexity of
UG-28 rules for external pressure of 15psig and greater.

Jacketed Vessels

Design both conventional and half pipe jacketed vessels as a standard feature in COMPRESS.

Vessel Wizard

The Vessel Wizard speeds pressure vessel design by creating complete pressure vessel models with minimal input.

COSTER

Import files from COMPRESS and create user customizable pressure vessel cost estimates in spreadsheet format.

Generate pressure vessel cost estimates in Excel spreadhseets

Flange Design

Create optimized Appendix 2/ASME B16.5/16.47 flange designs with minimal time and effort.

Weld Seams

Designers can visually confirm good practices such as staggered longitudinal seams.

Lifting & Rigging

Use an accurate weight, the correct center of gravity, and apply the actual section properties.

Modeling + Drawings

The Codeware Interface includes Drafter 3D, a feature that auto-generates 2D pressure vessel drawings.

Export pressure vessels into 3D CAD applications such as SOLIDWORKS and Autodesk Inventor

True SOLIDWORKS Models

Sketches, operations and drawings can be manipulated as if the model had been created manually in SOLIDWORKS.

Related Codes

COMPRESS implements a wide range of related engineering methods, codes and standards.

COMPRESS and INSPECT implement a wide range of related engineering methods, codes, and standards

Design Mode

Save time by reducing the trial and error iterations that would otherwise be required when designing pressure vessels.

Rating (Analysis) Mode

The COMPRESS Rating Mode takes your design and determines the vessel’s MAWP, MAEP and MDMT.

Calculate MAWP and minimum thickness in rating input mode

Hydrotest

Performing hydrotest stress calculations in the design stage prevents equipment damage during hydrotesting.

Hillside Nozzle

COMPRESS saves time by calculating chord openings and governing planes of reinforcement automatically.

ASME Editions

Older ASME Codes are retained in all COMPRESS releases so you can always use the latest software.

2021 ASME Code Edition and older in COMPRESS

Automatic Liquid Levels

COMPRESS eliminates the need to manually calculate each vessel component’s liquid static head.

COMPRESS automatic liquid level feature saves time and reduces errors

Global External Loads

The Loads Menu allows designers to easily consider global external loads when sizing pressure vessel supports.

Clips and Lugs

Designers can quickly include the mechanical effects of pressure vessel internals and attachments in their designs.

Stacked Vessels

Certain industrial processes require pressure vessels with multiple chambers operating under different design conditions.

Multiple pressure chamber stacked vessel design in COMPRESS

Appendix 46

Produce more economical Div 1 pressure vessel designs with increased accuracy from the Div 2 design by rule equations.

Manufacturer's Data Reports

Simplify the creation, submission and management of ASME Manufacturer’s Data Reports and NBIC Repair and Alteration Forms.

Support Skirt Openings

Specify piping connections to vertical vessels that require additional piping and openings cut out of the support skirt.

Foundation Loads Summary

Break down the loads for the specified vessel operating conditions including weight, wind, seismic, and vortex shedding.

Help pressure vessel designers provide loadings to their civil and structural engineering team members using Pressure Vessel Foundation Loads Summaries in COMPRESS

Shipping Saddles

COMPRESS provides a shipping saddle option based on the industry standard Zick Analysis.

UG-80 and UG-81

COMPRESS automatically provides out-of-roundness tolerances that must be maintained during pressure vessel fabrication.

Nameplate Design

Every pressure vessel is required by Code to have a nameplate. COMPRESS handles this by including a convenient nameplate option.

Fatigue Screening

Quickly enter fatigue data and make performing VIII-2 or Appendix 46 Fatigue Assessments simple.

API 579 Part 14 Fatigue - Pressure Fluctuation Cycle

WRC 537 Nozzle Loads

Check stresses on nozzles using WRC 107 and WRC 537 stress analysis for spherical and cylindrical shells.

WRC 537 and WRC 107 Stress Analysis in COMPRESS

View All COMPRESS Highlights