The Chemical Engineer's Book Corner

Process Equipment Design

Author(s): Lloyd E. Brownell and Edwin H. Young
Publisher: Wiley Publishing

Summary:  "Process Equipment Design" focuses on the mechanical design of vessels used in the chemical processing industry.   By addressing an area where chemical engineers are typically weak, this book will be an extremely useful reference for engineers with a "less than structured" mechanical support team and for those you do have good mechanical support at work, this book will help you understand the mechanical limitations of the equipment that you specify.

     The book is divided into the following main sections: 
Factors Influencing the Design of Vessels
Criteria in Vessel Design
Design of Shells for Flat-Bottomed Cylindrical Vessels
Design of Bottoms and Roofs for Flat-Bottomed Cylindrical Vessels
Proportioning and Head Selection for Cylindrical Vessels with Formed Closures
Stress Considerations in the Selection of Flat-Plate and Conical Closures for Cylindrical Vessels
Stress Considerations in the Selection of Elliptical, Torispherical, and Hemispherical Dished Closure for Cylindrical Vessels
Design of Cylindrical Vessels with Formed Closures Operating under External Pressure
Design of Tall Vertical Vessels
Design of Supports for Vertical Vessels
Design of Horizontal Vessels with Saddle Supports
Design of Flanges
Design of Pressure Vessels to Code Specifications
High-Pressure Monobloc Vessels
Multilayer Vessels
References
Appendix A: Design Conventions
Appendix B: Welding Conventions
Appendix C: Pricing of Steel Plates
Appendix D: Allowable Stresses
Appendix E: Typical Tank Sizes and Capacities
Appendix F: Shell Accessories
Appendix G: Properties of Selected Rolled Structural Members
Appendix H: Values of Constant C of Eq. 13.27
Appendix I: Charts for Determining Shell Thickness of Cylindrical and Spherical Vessels under External Pressure
Appendix J: Properties of Various Sections and Beam Formulas
Appendix K: Properties of Pipe
Appendix L: Strength of Materials

Layout:    The book is organized is way that takes the reader through the learning process step by step.  We particularily liked how the authors sectioned the book based on the type of vessel being designed.   The use of equations followed by easy-to-use charts was very nice to see.

From the Book:

Highs:     The basics of mechanical design of process vessels is covered and covered quite well.  The authors have covered the material many time, so they've learned the best way to present the material.   Illustrated well and enhance understanding.

Lows:     There were two things that we didn't like about the book.  First, it was last published in 1959 so the pricing data is not very useful and there have been many ASME code changes.  Second, the book is a bit pricey at $260.

Overall:     If you're a chemical engineer looking for a better understanding of the mechanical design of process equipment, this is a great book to get your hands on!  If you're responsible for making sure that a vessel you're designing complies with a local pressure vessel code, you can start with this book, but you'll need others.  We liked the book for what it is, a great way to learn more about the basics of mechanically designing process equipment.

Rating:       (out of four stars)

Star Guide: