1.

2 Mechanical Design

1.2.1 Material selection based on corrosion resistance

Process conditions of the distillation column

Operating temperature : 145⁰C

Operating pressure : 132 kPa

Based on the process conditions above, the materials chosen is stainless steel due
its many advantages. A study was done by Arteaga (2012). A comparison of
corrosion resistance of carbon Steel and some stainless steels exposed to LiBr-H2O
solution at low temperatures was done. From the study, (EN), polarization curves
(PC) and conventional weight loss method (WL) to determine the corrosion
performance of a carbon steel exposed to LiBr-H2O (50% wt.) solution at 25, 60, and
80°C. From the noise measurements, the resistance noise (Rn) was determined, and
then the Stern-Geary equation and Faraday’s Law were applied to determine the
mass loss. The mass loss obtained from EN after 15 days of exposure was
compared to that obtained from WL, observing the same behavior with temperature.
The electrochemical noise time series and the spectral noise impedance were used
to analyze the changes in corrosion activity of carbon steel under the experimental
conditions. SEM observations of the corroded samples indicated that the carbon
steel suffered localized corrosion in a generalized way; these results were according
to the pattern of noise signals. To support the corrosion behavior obtained from EN,
EDS analysis of the corrosion products together with atomic absorption analysis of
the corrosive solution containing the corrosion products were also made. A
comparison of corrosion kinetics of several stainless steel together with that of
carbon steel showed that carbon steel has some features that make it corrosion
resistant compared to some stainless steel.
The austenitic stainless steels cannot be hardened by heat treatment but can be
strengthened by cold work, and thus they exhibit a wide range of mechanical
properties. At room temperature, austenitic stainless steels exhibit yield strengths
between 30 and 200 Ksi (207-1379 MPa) depending on compositions and nominal
mechanical properties. At room temperature austenitic stainless exhibit yield
strengths between 30 and 200 Ksi (207 – 1379 MPa) depending on composition and
amount of cold work. They also exhibit good ductility and toughness even at high
strengths, and this good ductility and toughness is retained at cryogenic
temperature.

Types of material selected

The type of material selected is stainless steel.

Types Of Stainless Steel

Austenitic Stainless Steels. Austenitic stainless steels offer excellent resistance to

corrosion. These high chromium steels are ductile and strong. They are non-
magnetic and can be readily formed and welded. Higher strengths can be obtained
by cold working, although this makes the metal slightly magnetic and may reduce its
corrosion resistance. Austenitic stainless steels are widely used in the construction,
pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

Martensitic Stainless Steels The high carbon content of martensitic steels means
they can be hardened by heat treatment; ultimate tensile strengths in excess of
2000N/mm2 can be obtained. They are magnetic and cannot easily be welded.
Although they are cheaper than austenitic steels, their low corrosion resistance limits
the range of suitable applications to components such as valves, dies and knife
blades.

Ferritic Stainless Steels Ferritic steels are weaker and less ductile than austenitic
steels. They are magnetic and their strength can be increased to a certain extent by
cold working. Generally, common ferritic steels are comparatively cheap but they
cannot be welded in thick sections. They have poorer resistance to pitting, but
superior resistance to stress corrosion cracking than austenitics. If appearance is
important, their use should be restricted to indoor applications. They are used for
internal shop-fitting.
Duplex and Super Duplex Stainless Steels These steels have a mixed
austenitic/ferritic microstructure. They are stronger than austenitic steels but are not
as easily formed. They are magnetic and can be welded; their corrosion resistance is
better than that of austenitic steels, particularly their resistance to stress corrosion
cracking. Duplex steels are used in the paper, chemical, oil and construction
industries.

Properties And Working Stresses

The behaviour of constructional stainless steels differs from mild steels in that these
stainless steels do not exhibit a well defined yield point when representative test
pieces are submitted to tensile load. A true yield point is obtained in mild steel when
plastic deformation starts to occur without any increase in loading. The stress in the
test piece at the yield point is known as the yield strength of the material.
Constructional grades of stainless steel show early plastic deformation in test, but
continue to sustain increasing load with increasing strain. In order to characterise the
useful design strength of such materials, proof strengths are used and are
determined as the stress (Rp) at which plastic extension equals a specified strain.
For stainless steels this is commonly at 0.2% strain and the proof strength for a
particular grade of steel is based on the (Rp) 0.2% proof stress.

The maximum design stresses are derived from the 0.2% proof stress which is
factored to ensure that the material stresses remain within the elastic region of the
stress/strain curve.
 Figure above shows Typical Stress/Strain Curve for Stainless Steel

Effect Of Cold Working

The working of austenitic stainless steel significantly increases the proof strength.
Localised cold working arises during the forming of angle and channel sections. The
benefits of this cold working are not taken into account in Ancon’s designs, but
provide additional reserves of strength.

Figure above shows Effect of Cold Working in Grade 304 Stainless Steel
 Figure above shows Commonly used Grades for Flat Products and their
Applications, Properties and Design Stresses

Stainless steel type 304

Corrosion Resistance

These steels exhibit excellent resistance to a wide range of atmospheric, chemical,

textile, petroleum and food industry exposures.

OXIDATION RESISTANCE

The maximum temperature to which Types 304 and 304L can be exposed
continuously without appreciable scaling is about 1650°F (899°C). For intermittent
exposure, the maximum exposure temperature is about 1500°F (816°C).
HEAT TREATMENTS

Type 304 is non-hardenable by heat treatment. Annealing: Heat to 1900 - 2050°F

(1038 - 1121°C), then cool rapidly. Thin strip sections may be air cooled, but heavy
sections should be water quenched to minimize exposure in the carbide precipitation
region. Stress Relief Annealing: Cold worked parts should be stress relieved at
750°F (399°C) for 1/2 to 2 hours. FORMABILITY Types 304 and 304L have very
good drawability. Their combination of low yield strength and high elongation permits
successful forming of complex shapes. However, these grades work harden rapidly.
To relieve stresses produced in severe forming or spinning, parts should be full
annealed or stressrelief annealed as soon as possible after forming.

WELDABILITY

The austenitic class of stainless steels is generally considered to be weldable by the

common fusion and resistance techniques. Special consideration is required to avoid
weld ”hot cracking“ by assuring formation of ferrite in the weld deposit. Types 304
and 304L are generally considered to be the most common alloys of this stainless
class. When a weld filler is needed, AWS E/ER 308, 308L or 347 are most often
specified. Types 304 and 304L Stainless Steels are well known in reference
literature and more information can be obtained in this way.

The corrosion allowance of stainless steel type 3-4 is assumed to be 1 mm.

1.2.2 Determination of thickness of the vessel and head design based on

stress calculation

The design temperature is 145˚C (418K), therefore according to the figure below,
design stress is obtained by extrapolating the values between 145 N/mm² and 130
N/mm² which is equivalent to 138 N/mm². The material chosen is stainless steel type
304, hence in the figure it shows the value of tensile strength is 510 N/mm². When
considering the factor of safety, carbon steel is ductile material and therefore it uses
yield strength.
 Figure above shows The material data

The design pressure for this column is 2.5 atm. It is economical closure and cost-
effective to construct a column since it pressure is less than 15 atm. It is also
considered safer operating condition for a column since it has lower design pressure.
Figure below showed to determine the joining efficiency of the vessel. As the column
required higher strength and therefore double-welded butt with joint efficiency of 0.85
is chosen.
 Table above shows the joint description

The vessel shape chosen subject to internal pressure is the cylindrical shell. The
major benefits of cylindrical separators are it has no moving parts, low maintenance,
compact in terms of space and weight, insensitive to motion and low cost when
compared to spherical separator.it is also more safer.

Wall thickness (longitudinal stress),

Where,

S is the design stress;

E is the tensile strength;

Rc is the crown radius of separator;

 ( ) ( )

= 0.0208 mm

The corrosion allowance is assumed to be 2mm. For construction, the minimum

thickness of the reactor wall, E1 is taken as

= 2.0208 mm

Therefore, the new diameter of the column including thickness, D

( )

= 3.004042 m

The maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) for separator wall thickness is
calculated by the formula shown below:

= 0.584 N/mm²
Type of head chosen is the torispherical head as it is economical closure to use for
the vessel which is less than 15 bar. It is also cheap to construct and similar to
elliptical head.

The torishperical head is calculated by using the formula:

( ) ( )

= 0.00736 mm

Therefore, head thickness, Th with corrosion allowance of 1mm is:

= 1.00736 mm

The maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) for torispherical head thickness:

= 0.291 N/mm²
1.2.4 Equipment Drawing
1.2.5 Equipment Specification Sheet

Equipment Specification Sheet

Equipment Distillation column
when the vapor-liquid mixture is
fed through the inlet, the liquid is
Function separated by gravity, falls to the
bottom, where as vapor is
vaporised upward

Operation End Point

Operating pressure 2.5 atm

Operation temperature 418 K
Design Data
Material of construction Stainless Steel
Diameter 3m
Total height 5.6 m
Minimum thickness of
0.004042 m
separator
Head
Head type Torispherical Head
Head thickness 0.0011 m
MAWP of torispherical head 291 kPa
Column
Joint efficiency 0.85
Design stress 138000 kPa
MAWP of separator 5840 kPa
Minimum thickness of
0.004042 m
column
New diameter with
3.004042 m
thickness
Corrosion allowance 1 mm