Are there any regulations regarding the service life of pressure vessels?
Thread Content
Gentlemen, does anyone know the regulations regarding the service life of pressure vessels? What is the maximum service life of the pressure vessels you use? Is it in the instructions? If not, how can we be sure? Is there anything that can be determined?
Everyone, how long are the static equipment in the gas handling system used for? Under normal circumstances!
HG/T20580-2011 (Volume P22) specifies the \"design life\" of containers as well as recommended design lifespans. The rules inside are very detailed.
Page 22 of HG/T20580-2011 provides detailed instructions; the recommended service life for container designs is as follows: 1. Ordinary containers and heat exchangers: 10 years； 2. Fractionating towers, reactors, high-pressure heat exchangers: 20 years; 3. Spherical vessels: 25 years ； 4. Important reaction vessels (such as thick-walled hydrogenation reactors, ammonia synthesis towers, etc.): 30 years.
On page 22 of the HG/T20580-2011 standard, there are detailed regulations regarding the design service life of containers.
Personally, I think it’s possible to follow the approach from Floor 4, but some of the regulations in those five criteria are quite strict, and generally they aren’t followed. Here, the design lifespan is generally 7 to 10 years. If some customers have specific requests, we will follow those requirements as well, in the absence of any special regulations.
First, it is necessary to take into comprehensive consideration the user’s requirements along with the provisions of the standards.
Page 22 of HG/T20580-2011 provides detailed instructions; the recommended service life for container designs is as follows: 1. Ordinary containers and heat exchangers: 10 years； 2. Fractionating towers, reactors, high-pressure heat exchangers: 20 years; 3. Spherical vessels: 25 years ； 4. Important reaction vessels (such as thick-walled hydrogenation reactors, ammonia synthesis towers, etc.): 30 years. Is this a mandatory requirement, or can the service life be extended depending on actual usage? If the design unit does not specify the service life, can we use the standard mentioned above?
The value in HG/T20580 represents a recommended service life; generally, the more expensive the equipment, the longer its lifespan. When manufacturing such equipment, practicality and cost-efficiency must be taken into account. Stainless steel equipment usually has a slightly longer designed service life, which is determined by considering factors such as the owner’s investment recovery costs, process requirements, and manufacturing expenses. The investment cost has not yet been recovered, and it definitely won’t work once the equipment’s lifespan is up.
The recommended lifespan is also determined arbitrarily; who thinks about this during the design process?
If a corrosion allowance of 1 mm is adopted for LPG storage tanks, can the design service life be specified as 20 years?