Pressure Vessel Layout With External Header Space Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pressure vessels, such as reactors and heat exchangers, are large due to the need for separate headers for fluid inlet and outlet, which occupies space and increases the size of the vessel.
Innovation Solution
The pressure vessel design incorporates paired, openable and closable lids forming a closed space between the vessel body and flange, eliminating the need for internal headers, allowing the fluid to flow in and out through the vessel body, thereby reducing the overall size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate headers are provided inside the pressure vessel body for fluid inlet and outlet, then the pressure vessel can perform heat exchange and fluid flow functions, but the pressure vessel body size increases due to the space occupied by internal headers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the inlet-outlet header function from the pressure vessel body by providing headers between the body and flange instead of inside the body. This separation removes the space occupation from the vessel body while maintaining the fluid flow and heat exchange functions through the extracted header components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial arrangement by moving headers from the internal dimension (inside the vessel body) to an external dimension (between body and flange). This dimensional shift allows the vessel body to be compact while headers handle fluid flow externally, resolving the contradiction between functional reliability and compact size.
2Ease of operation
If internal headers are mounted in the pressure vessel body, then fluid can flow in and out through the vessel, but the configuration requires additional mounting regions increasing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the header mounting complexity from the vessel body by positioning headers between the body and flange. This extraction simplifies the vessel body configuration while maintaining fluid flow capability through the separated header structure, reducing the complexity of internal mounting regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the pressure vessel into distinct functional components: the vessel body for heat exchange and the separate headers for fluid inlet-outlet. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, simplifying the overall configuration while maintaining operational capability.
3Volume of moving object
If the pressure vessel is made smaller to compact plants, then space efficiency improves, but conventional designs require internal headers that prevent size reduction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the header system from the vessel body interior to the exterior space between body and flange, enabling the vessel body to be made smaller for compact plant installation. This extraction removes the manufacturing constraint of internal header mounting while preserving the necessary fluid flow functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent relocates headers from the internal dimension to an external dimension, allowing the vessel body volume to be minimized for compactness while headers handle fluid flow in the external space, thus achieving both small size and ease of manufacture.
Data Source
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AI summary
A pressure vessel (10) includes a pressure vessel body (12) provided with a flow channel through which a fluid is caused to flow, having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, and formed in an elongated shape, and a circular body flange (16) provided on at least one longitudinal end side of the pressure vessel body (12), the pressure vessel body (12) has a fluid inlet-outlet port (22) which is provided on the one longitudinal end side and the body flange side of the pressure vessel body (12) and connects with the flow channel and through which the fluid is caused to flow in or out, and the pressure vessel further includes an inlet-outlet header (32) which is formed between the pressure vessel body (12) and the body flange (16) as a closed space connecting with the fluid inlet-outlet port (22) and which the fluid is caused to flow into and out of.