2017 Pressure Vessel Approver Exam Questions – See if You Were Burned?

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A colleague attended the presentation session for pressure vessel design approvers, organized by the Industrial Gases Association. It is said that this session differed from previous ones in that the time allocated for the presentations was extended to 1 hour. When asked how it went, he replied: **They asked dozens of questions; I was completely confused... On the other hand, I heard from other colleagues that some of the examiners were very friendly, asking questions and having conversations with the candidates, and some even exchanged ideas with them. So, no matter what you do, you need to consider the right timing, favorable conditions, and harmonious relationships; luck is essential. No matter how skilled you are, it’s impossible to cover the entire industry, right! Take a look at these questions below – see if the experts have grilled you? Answer them all and you’ll pass! 1. The impact of corrosion before and after on calculations for heat exchangers. Why is it necessary to perform calculations before corrosion? 2. When is it necessary to add expansion joints in the calculation of the fixed tube sheet of a heat exchanger? 3. How are heat exchangers classified? Are the shell side and tube side both designed and manufactured according to the highest category of the vessel? 4. How is the design life of a heat exchanger determined? Do all components of the entire device need to meet the requirements for this design life? 5. What is the difference between the calculation model for the tube sheet of a fixed-tube-sheet heat exchanger and that of a U-shaped heat exchanger? 6. How should seismic loads be considered in heat exchangers? 7. What are the characteristics of the shell of a U-tube heat exchanger? 8. What is the difference in the calculation of the shell and tube flanges of U-tube heat exchangers compared to the calculation of ordinary flanges? 9. Characteristics of various types of heat exchangers and precautions for hydrostatic testing. 10. Briefly describe the pressure testing procedure for heat exchangers, and why ammonia leak detection is performed after testing the shell side and tube side. 11. Which stress should be checked for the skirt of a tower-type vessel, and which operating conditions need to be considered? 12. What are high vibration modes, and when are they need to be considered? How to superimpose high vibration modes. 13. What is the computational model for earthquakes? 14. What other stresses need to be considered in towers in addition to internal pressure stress, and how are they controlled? 15. How is the value 40 (min 39.7) indicated on the end cap determined, and how is the minimum forming thickness calculated? 16. How to install the heat insulation ring of the tower, why it is installed, and its exact location. 17. Where does the damping coefficient of 0.01 for the tower come from, and why is this value chosen? Is it better to have a high damping coefficient or a low one? 18. Why is a conical skirt used? 19. Precautions regarding water pressure during tower maintenance. 20. What issues should be considered in the design of a full-liquid-level tower? 21. How to address the flattening phenomenon of horizontal containers in design. 22. Characteristics of the saddle position setting for horizontal containers, and which end is used for fixation. 23. Definitions and relationships of minimum thickness, nominal thickness, calculated thickness, and effective thickness. 24. Requirements of GB150 for low-temperature impact energy. Why is the impact energy specified on the drawing higher than the requirement specified in GB150? (The impact energy is specified on the drawing according to GB/T713). 25. Difference between welds and welded joints. 26. What is the purpose of a risk assessment report? What contents does it include, and how should it be written? 27. What failure modes are considered in GB150, and what measures does the standard take to prevent them? 28. There are several forms of strength failure. 29. How to classify multi-layer containers. 30. Advantages and disadvantages of multi-layer containers and single-layer containers. 31. Stress distribution in the inner cylinder of the heat-shrinkable container, stress distribution in the outer cylinder. 32. Why must post-weld heat treatment be carried out by removing the material from the furnace at 400°C, and not at 500°C? 33. What are the common material standards for pressure vessels? 34. Explain the steps of Fran’s design process. 35. When to use three-stage forgings. 36. Calculation of safety valves. 37. After the safety valve has undergone a leak test, is it necessary to adjust its set pressure? Coordination standards for 38.30M3 liquid carbon dioxide storage tanks: What are the referenced standards, and which ones are mandatory? 39. Calculation of the diameter of process pipe openings such as safety valves. 40. What are the issues in the chart curve of the compressed gas system coefficient for safety valve calculations that require correction? 41. When should a safety valve be installed on a pipeline and when should it be connected directly to a pipe fitting? On which type of pipe fitting should it be placed? What are the differences between these two installation methods and the causes of overpressure? 42. Why are safety valves installed on pipelines, and not on the equipment? 43. High-pressure sealing types and characteristics; draw the sealing structure of a biconical ring. 44. What are the characteristics of high-pressure bolts? Why are fine-threaded 45 grade bolts used for high-pressure applications? What factors need to be considered in the design of high-temperature, high-pressure hydrogen-containing vessels? 46. Structural characteristics of high-pressure vessels. 47. What are the characteristics of the three-dimensional stress distribution in high-pressure vessels? 48. How many types are there for high-pressure vessel shells, and which one is self-reinforcing? 49. Do welded containers require welding test plates, and if so, how should they be prepared? 50. What is the difference between WRC107 and WRC297? Can perforated fittings on the cylinder use WRC107? 51. What are the principles of hydrogen embrittlement and hydrogen corrosion, and how can they be prevented? 52. What are the four forms of damage caused by hydrogen sulfide corrosion, what are their characteristics, and how can it be prevented? 53. What is MAWP, and how is it calculated? 54. How to determine the minimum design metal temperature? 55. How is the design pressure considered? 56. How is the size of the process pipe fitting determined, and how can one know if the pipe diameter specified by the process is appropriate? 57. Why is the φ25*2 specification chosen for the heat exchange tubes? 58. Why control the PS content? 59. What tests are used for the pickling and passivation of stainless steel, and what are the testing standards for the blue spot method? 60. What are the differences in the calculations for fixed-type connections and plug-in connections? What are the structural advantages of fixed-type connections, and what should be taken into consideration? 61. Stress characteristics of EHA end caps. 62.DN