Pressure Vessel Calculations and UG-22

Many of the pressure vessel calculations needed to properly design a vessel or exchanger are not, by design, contained in the ASME VIII BPVC itself.  To produce a complete set of pressure vessel calculations that comply with both customer’s specifications and ASME VIII, paragraph UG-22, a number of additional engineering references are needed.  To meet this requirement, COMPRESS and INSPECT implement a wide range of related Engineering Methods, Codes and Standards including:

  • A selection of  building codes for determination of site specific wind and seismic loads for ASME VIII-1, paragraph UG-22 compliance.

  • Horizontal vessel support saddle design (Zick Analysis).

  • The 7th, 8th & 9th Editions of the TEMA standard for the mechanical design of shell and tube heat exchangers.

  • Welding Research Council Bulletins WRC-107 and WRC-537 for analysis of local shell stresses on nozzles and attachments due to external loads.

  • Brownell & Young base plate, anchor bolt and foundation design.

  • ASME B16.5 (standard flange pressure ratings).

  • ASME B16.9 (reducers and elbows).

  • ASME B16.11 – Couplings.

  • ASME B16.47 (large flange pressure ratings).

  • ASME B16.20 and B16.21 (standard gasket dimensions).

  • ASME B30.20 for determination of lift lug allowable stresses.

  • ASME PCC-1 Appendix O assembly bolt stress determination (Simple and Joint Component Approaches).

  • API 660 – Standard nozzle loads for shell and tube heat exchangers.

  • API 661 – Air cooled heat exchangers.

  • External (piping) loads on ASME B16.5/B16.47 flanges per Moss to comply with ASME Interpretation BPV VIII-1-16-85.

  • External loads on ASME B16.5/B16.47 weld neck flanges per ASME Code Case 2901 (alternative method for Interpretation BPV VIII-1-16-85) compliance).  Note that Code Case 2901 has been replaced by UG-44 in the 2019 Edition of the ASME Code.

  • Modified Rayleigh (lumped mass) numerical method for accurate period of vibration and wind deflection determination.  The fundamental period of vibration is used when calculating seismic and wind vortex shedding loads.

  • American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Steel Design Manual for structures such as support legs.

  • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Wind Loads and Anchor Bolt Design for Petrochemical Facilities.

  • Select Process Industry Practice (PIP) Standards.

  • Modern Flange Design, Taylor Forge Bulletin 502 used for full face gasketed flanges not covered by ASME VIII-1 Appendix 2.

  • Evaluation of Percent Critical Damping of Process Towers, Karamchandani et al.

  • Discontinuity stresses in cone to cylinder junctures per Bednar for cases not covered by ASME VIII (half apex angle > 30 degrees).

  • INSPECT adds the post construction requirements of API 510, API 570, API 653, API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, API RP 574, API 941 and API 970.  API 570 piping tmin’s are calculated using ASME B31.3 and ASME B31.4 as applicable.