ASME Section VIII, Division 2 "Design-by-Analysis" Pressure Vessel Consulting Services

We just finished two FEA consulting projects under ASME Section VIII, Div. 2 "Design-by-Analysis" code and they couldn't be more different. One was for the transport of electronic equipment within a gas line or a "pipe pig" and the other was a large high-temperature reactor using for the scrubbing of organic laden gases. The only commonality between the projects was that they had to pass the ASME pressure vessel code and our clients wanted their designs to be as efficient as possible. That is the beauty of ASME's design-by-analysis rules is that one only has to show that the structure meets their stress allowable within a broad list of available materials (Part D) or one can base the allowable on the material's ultimate strength. This flexibility allows one to leverage the full power of a finite element analysis to maximize the design of the structure. In the pipe pig analysis, we were able to cut weight out of the head and to allow our client to use a less costly, non-stainless steel material, In the 9.5m diameter reactor we optimized the manufacturing process to join the roof to the shell and performed a buckling analysis. Both projects saved our clients money in materials and construction costs and increased their confidence that they had the best approach going forward.