Protective Jacket for Pressure Vessel Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for lightweight pressure vessels that are impermeable, corrosion-resistant, and capable of handling increased capacity and pressure demands, while also being cost-effective and easy to manufacture, as traditional methods often result in heavier, more expensive vessels due to increased material usage for structural support.
Innovation Solution
A pressure vessel design featuring a hybrid tank with a tank liner and an outer reinforcing layer, along with a protective jacket that includes an upper and lower support rim and a cylindrical wall for convective heat transfer, allowing airflow to facilitate heat exchange and minimize pressure loss, while being separable for ease of handling and stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the amount of materials used for structural support is increased to achieve greater capacity and strength, then the capacity and strength of the pressure vessel are improved, but the size and weight of the pressure vessel increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure vessel employs a composite structure consisting of a metallic liner (for strength and pressure containment) combined with a foam insulation layer (for thermal protection and additional structural support). This composite approach allows the vessel to achieve high strength-to-weight ratio, maintaining structural integrity while minimizing overall weight compared to solid metal construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam insulation is strategically positioned in the annular space between the liner and the protective jacket, providing localized thermal and structural enhancement where needed most, while the liner concentrates material only where pressure containment is critical. This distributed material placement optimizes strength without unnecessary weight addition.
2Strength
If the amount of materials used for structural support is increased to achieve greater capacity and strength, then the capacity and strength of the pressure vessel are improved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to increased material costs and transportation costs
Solution Approach 1:
The composite construction allows use of lighter, less expensive materials in non-critical areas (foam insulation) while concentrating expensive, high-strength materials (metal liner) only where structurally necessary. This reduces overall material costs and transportation expenses compared to using solid metal throughout the vessel construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure vessel is divided into separable components (liner, foam insulation layer, protective jacket) that can be manufactured independently and assembled. This segmentation allows for optimized manufacturing of each component using appropriate processes and materials, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining structural integrity.
3Reliability
If a protective jacket is added to the pressure vessel for protection, then the corrosion resistance and durability are improved, but the device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective jacket serves as a thin-film outer shell that provides corrosion protection and mechanical protection to the underlying liner and insulation. This thin-film approach offers adequate protection without adding significant weight or complexity, as the jacket acts as a simple protective envelope rather than a complex structural system.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective jacket is designed as a separable component that can be independently removed and reattached, simplifying maintenance and manufacturing. This modular approach reduces overall system complexity by allowing the protective function to be decoupled from the pressure-containing function, enabling independent optimization of each subsystem.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves a lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and high-capacity pressure vessel with enhanced heat transfer capabilities, reducing material costs and improving handling and stacking efficiency, while maintaining structural integrity and impermeability.
Implementation Method 1
the openings and flow channel are adapted to permit a convective flow to pass therethrough to facilitate heat transfer between the hybrid tank and an environment in which the pressure vessel is situated
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A protective jacket for a pressure vessel, the protective jacket comprises a substantially flat, circular upper support rim for engaging an upper portion of a pressure vessel; a substantially flat, circular lower support rim (50) for engaging a lower portion of the pressure vessel; a substantially cylindrical wall connecting the upper support rim and the lower support rim; a pair of opposed, arcuate handles (60) formed integral with the substantially cylindrical wall and extending above the upper support rim, wherein the substantially cylindrical wall tapers inward along a curve beginning substantially in a medial region of the wall and extending beyond the upper support rim and into the handles, the handles being configured at their upper most extent for nesting engagement with a handle receiving base feature defined in the lower support rim so that when multiple protective jackets are stacked one on top of the other, the handles can be engaged with the handle receiving base of another protective jacket; and an annular radially extending rib disposed about a periphery of the substantially cylindrical wall.