CH3349: Fundamentals of Chemical Equipment Design

Tutorial #3
1. Titanium 6Al–4V is to be used to make a spherical pressure vessel having an
outside diameter of 1200 mm. The working pressure in the vessel is to be
4.20 MPa.

a. Determine the required thickness of the pressure vessel wall if a design

factor of 4.0 based on yield strength is desired.
b. If the vessel was made of aluminum 2014-T6 sheet instead of titanium,
compute the required wall thickness. Which design would weigh less?.

2. a. A cylinder has an outside diameter of 50 mm and an inside diameter of

30 mm. Compute,
i. the maximum tangential stress in the wall of the cylinder due to an
internal pressure of 7.0 MPa,
ii. the tangential stress in the wall at increments of 2.0 mm from the
inside to the outside, and
iii. the radial stress in the wall at increments of 2.0 mm from the inside to
the outside. Plot the results for stress versus radius.
b. Compute the tangential stress that would have been predicted if thin-wall
theory were used instead of thick-wall theory. Compare the result with the
stress found in parts (a) (I & ii).

3. A sphere has an outside diameter of 500 mm and an inside diameter of 420 mm.
Using a pressure of 100 MPa, compute

a. the tangential stress in the wall at increments of 5.0 mm from the inside
to the outside, and
b. the radial stress in the wall at increments of 5.0 mm from the inside to the
outside.

Plot the results in both cases.

COs addressed: CO1 + CO2

CH3349: Fundamentals of Chemical Equipment Design

4. A sphere has an outside diameter of 400 mm and an inside diameter of 325 mm.
Using a pressure of 10.0 MPa, compute the variation of the

a. tangential stress from the inside to the outside in increments of 7.5 mm,
and
b. radial stress from the inside to the outside in increments of 7.5 mm.

5. To visualize the importance of using the thick-wall formulas for computing

stresses in the walls of a cylinder,

a. compute the maximum predicted tangential stress in the wall of a cylinder

from both the thin-wall and thick-wall formulas for the following conditions:
the outside diameter for all designs is to be 400 mm. The wall thickness is
to vary from 5.0 to 85.0 mm in 10.0 mm increments. Use a pressure of
10.0 MPa. Then
a. compute the ratio of 𝐷𝑚 /𝑡 and plot percent difference between the stress
from the thick-wall and thin-wall theory versus that ratio. Note the increase
in the percent difference as the value of 𝐷𝑚 /𝑡 decreases, that is, as 𝑡
increases.

COs addressed: CO1 + CO2

CH3349: Fundamentals of Chemical Equipment Design

APPENDIX: Material Properties

COs addressed: CO1 + CO2