Code Case 2286 Applied to the Design of Pressure Vessels

Code Case 2286-1 [1] of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code [2][3] provides alternate rules for determining the allowable external pressure and compressive stresses for cylinders, cones, spheres, and formed heads in lieu of the rules of Section VIII, Divisions 1 and 2. The authors in this paper present a comparison of the longitudinal and circumferential compressive stresses in pressure vessels based on the methods outlined in Paragraph UG-28 of Division 1, Section VIII of the ASME Code and Code Case 2286-1. The D_o/t ratio in this paper is limited to 600 which covers the majority of pressure vessel designs found in the petrochemical industry. A sample vessel shell design is presented applying both the ASME Code, Section VIII, Div. 1 method and that of Code Case 2286-1.