Mechanical design
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
You are working as an independent consulting design engineer and have been contracted by the Ohmstead Heat Exchanger Company to design a Prototype Pressurized, Variable Temperature Leakage Test Chamber. The product development team at Ohmstead has received a contract from ExxonMobil Chemical Company. The chemical to be processed is Toluene. Toluene is a dangerous volatile organic compound (VOC) and it is desired to see how much leakage occurs from a bolted connection with a gasket in it for different combinations of temperature and pressure. The product design team at Ohmstead will conduct the experiments using a Leakage Test Chamber that you will design.
Due to research that you’ve previously conducted (I did, but on your behalf), the general construction of the reaction chamber consists of a pipe with identical flange arrangements on both ends. The sketch below (not to scale) represents the idea:
You are to specify the design for this layout. Figure 1A shows that there is a straight pipe that is manufactured using the rolling process of a flat plate and then seam welded along its axial length. Once the straight pipe is manufactured, A slip-on flange is attached to each end using the external and internal welds. Finally, Figure 1B shows that a blind flange is bolted on to each of the slip-on flanges. There is a gasket that is much more flexible than the steel flanges used to seal between the slip-on and blind flanges. For background on how to roll and seam weld the pipe, on the flanges and their welding processes, please watch the videos posted on the “Semester Design Project” module.
Due to the experimental nature of this prototype, assume that it will be used many, many times to collect data over many years. The processing parameters and other design data are:
Max. Pressure 1200 psi Required Reliability: 90%
Min. Pressure 0 psi Environment: Must handle food, so very clean
Max. Temp. 880 degF (must not corrode over time)
Required Minimum Static Safety Factor: >=5.0
Required Minimum Fatigue Safety Factor: >=3.0
L=20 inches from one edge of the Slip on Flange to the other
D=12 inches – Nominal Outer diameter of the Pipe > the actual diameter should match the slip on flange ID
Due to research that you’ve previously conducted (I did, but on your behalf), the general construction of the reaction chamber consists of a pipe with identical flange arrangements on both ends. The sketch below (not to scale) represents the idea:
You are to specify the design for this layout. Figure 1A shows that there is a straight pipe that is manufactured using the rolling process of a flat plate and then seam welded along its axial length. Once the straight pipe is manufactured, A slip-on flange is attached to each end using the external and internal welds. Finally, Figure 1B shows that a blind flange is bolted on to each of the slip-on flanges. There is a gasket that is much more flexible than the steel flanges used to seal between the slip-on and blind flanges. For background on how to roll and seam weld the pipe, on the flanges and their welding processes, please watch the videos posted on the “Semester Design Project” module.
Due to the experimental nature of this prototype, assume that it will be used many, many times to collect data over many years. The processing parameters and other design data are:
Max. Pressure 1200 psi Required Reliability: 90%
Min. Pressure 0 psi Environment: Must handle food, so very clean
Max. Temp. 880 degF (must not corrode over time)
Required Minimum Static Safety Factor: >=5.0
Required Minimum Fatigue Safety Factor: >=3.0
L=20 inches from one edge of the Slip on Flange to the other
D=12 inches – Nominal Outer diameter of the Pipe > the actual diameter should match the slip on flange ID