Pressure Vessel Partition Wall with Variable Thickness

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional pressure vessels with partition walls experience stress concentration and weight issues due to uneven tensile load distribution and difficulty in reducing material thickness while maintaining structural integrity.

Innovation Solution

The pressure vessel design incorporates reinforced ribs on the cylindrical walls and a non-uniform thickness distribution in the partition wall, with thicker sections where high tensile loads are applied and thinner sections where lower loads are present, along with strategically placed ribs to manage stress concentration and deformation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the partition wall thickness is increased to withstand tensile load, then the pressure resistant breaking strength is improved, but the weight of the pressure vessel increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepressure resistant breaking strengthVSAvoidweight of the pressure vessel

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The partition wall employs varying thickness across different regions: thicker at the center where tensile loads are highest, and thinner at the edges where loads are lower. This local quality variation allows the structure to withstand required loads while minimizing material usage and weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The partition wall is divided into multiple sections with different thicknesses (first wall, second wall, third wall) based on the distribution of tensile loads. Each section is optimized independently to balance strength requirements and weight reduction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Weight of stationary object

If the partition wall is made thinner to reduce weight, then the weight of the pressure vessel is reduced, but stress concentration occurs at the boundaries of thickness-direction ends

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweight of the pressure vesselVSAvoidstress concentration resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

Weight of stationary objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The partition wall employs varying thickness across different regions: thicker at the center where tensile loads are highest, and thinner at the edges where loads are lower. This local quality variation allows the structure to withstand required loads while minimizing material usage and weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The partition wall is divided into multiple sections with different thicknesses (first wall, second wall, third wall) based on the distribution of tensile loads. Each section is optimized independently to balance strength requirements and weight reduction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS9476545B2Pressure vessel

Publication Date: 2016.10.25 KOBELCO COMPRESSORS CORP

AI summary

Provided is a pressure vessel having a vessel main body and a partition wall. The vessel main body is provided with a top wall, a bottom wall, and a peripheral wall. The top wall is provided with: a top-wall main body; a top-wall protruded part having a shape which protrudes externally from an outer surface of the top-wall main body; top-wall first-chamber-side ribs; and top-wall second-chamber-side ribs. The bottom wall is provided with: a bottom-wall main body; a bottom-wall protruded part having a shape which protrudes externally from an outer surface of the bottom-wall main body; bottom-wall first-chamber-side ribs; and bottom-wall second-chamber-side ribs. The top-wall first-chamber-side ribs and the top-wall second-chamber-side ribs each have a shape which connects with the top-wall protruded part. The bottom-wall first-chamber-side ribs and the bottom-wall second-chamber-side ribs each have a shape which connects with the bottom-wall protruded part.