5 replies to this topic

[Art Montemayor]

Cara:

Please refer to the following thread: http://www.cheresour...?showtopic=1557

I don’t know why you are interested in dealing with the mechanical design of distillation vessels. Is it required of you? Normally ChE students are only required to produce a Process Design, not a Mechanical Design. However, I will grant you that it is probably expected that you specify the size of the nozzles that go on the distillation vessels. I will also state that it would be practical of you to specify a standard vessel diameter in order to have a more realistic design. To do this you will require to know the type and size of standard heads available to use on the vessels. I can help you a little with designing the liquid capacity of process vessels and their calibration if you contact me through the personal messaging of this Forum and furnish your email address. I can send you an Excel workbook that shows you how to calculate the effective partial volumes of all the popular types of vessels and heads.

However, when you get into the real meat of the mechanical design you will find that you require in-depth Mechanical Engineering training through the ME courses at university level. I’m referring to the wall thickness, anchor lug requirements, nozzle and flange design/specifications, structural steel, platforms, ladders, skirts and saddles, etc., etc. As you state, you don’t even have an introductory course to familiarize you with what is needed. So why are you interested? What is “C&R 6”?

As you can tell by the above referenced thread, I’m a firm advocate of ChEs learning and absorbing as much ME knowledge in the field of Pressure Vessels as they possibly can. However, you must have a reason or purpose. Taking extra ME courses in university is certainly a plus for any engineer. It can only make you stronger and equip you with more tools for problems solving in the future. But it still is a matter of defining your interested area of expertise because you just have so much time and money to spend on a well-rounded education. Certainly you can take it to the extreme where you obtain a double degree: one in ChE and the other in ME. I took a double degree. However, mine are in ChE and English.

I hope I’ve been of help.

[aliadnan]

Hi Art
C&R 6 is Coulson & Richardson "Chemical Engineering" Vol 6.

This book is very famous in students because it provides many Equipment Design examples in one place and easy to read also. And many of the heat exchanger design and Distillation column design is done by the students using this book (In my univeristy this is considered to be a standard book for designing Exchanger and Columns, to be very frank).
This book also give some information about Mechanical Design of Vessels, head types etc etc.
Well I really donot know why the universities ask the students to do the Mechanical Design of the Equipments when they don't teach even a single word about it. We chemical Engineering students never touch the Mechanical Design Course during 4 years of study and still at the end our teachers expect that we will be presenting an Excellent Mechanical Desgin along with Process design. Well if the university really wants us to be a good Engineers having background Meachincal Design, then they should teach us some courses on it, because it is not a smiple thing which we will understand by reading overselves.
I don't know when the univeristies will notice the importance of Mechanical Designing Courses, so that we ChE's can better understand it & present a better Project.

[hong]

Hi, i am also final year Chemical engineering student. My final design project is distillation column, like you all!!!
Actually i am also struggling with the mechanical design.
Some more i am doing thermally coupled distilation column, so i need to do triple work compare to others conventional distillation column.
If anybody know how to do the mechanical eng. design (other than C&R 6), can you please give some advised. thanks