Selection of Appropriate Division of ASME Section VIII for Welded Pressure Vessels

The ASME Boiler&Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII o'fers the choice of design and construction of pressure vessels as per Div.1 and Div.2. The Div.1 is more commonly used due to its familiarity with the vessel manufacturers but savings in cost of pressure vessels in many cases can be achieved by using Division 2 for design and construction. [Div.2 calls for detailed design analysis and certain fabrication and inspection procedures to be followed]. With reduced factor of safety on ultimate tensile strength and thus providing higher allowable stress depending on material grade and design temperature, a vessel can be built to Div.2 using thin shells and heads. This results in savings in material cost, fabrication cost and weight This paper deals with the studies made on the comparative cost of pressure vessels designed as per Div.1 and 2 which reveal that Div. 2 rules can be applied economically for a wide range of vessel sizes and pressures.