FATIGUE ANALYSIS OF PROCESS EQUIPMENT USING FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

A significant supplier of process equipment and pressure vessels requested CADE’s services to perform design validation for fatigue of a process reactor, aimed to be installed in a petrochemical plant.

Validation of mechanical design, previously conducted by the manufacturer, was carried out according to ASME VIII Div.2 (“Fatigue Assessment – Elastic Stress Analysis and Equivalent Stresses”), and based on final user and licensor’s design specifications. Design conditions with respect to the cyclic service conditions (T+P) were considered. Fatigue analysis was conducted by using finite elements method simulation software (ANSYS).