international journal of refrigeration 33 (2010) 868–876

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Computing the partial volume of pressure vessels

Bent Wiencke*
Nestle USA, Corporate Engineering, 800 N. Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203, United States

article info abstract

Article history: The computation of the partial and total volume of pressure vessels with various type of
Received 14 July 2009 head profiles requires detailed knowledge of the head profile geometry. Depending on the
Received in revised form type of head profile the derivation of the equations can become very complex and the
14 November 2009 calculation process cumbersome. Certain head profiles require numerical methods to
Accepted 17 November 2009 obtain the partial volume, which for most application is beyond the scope of practicability.
Available online 26 November 2009 This paper suggests a unique method that simplifies the calculation procedure for the
various types of head profiles by using one common set of equations without the need for
Keywords: numerical or complex computation methods. For ease of use, all equations presented in
Refrigeration system Vessel this paper are summarized in a single table format for horizontal and vertical vessels.
Storage ª 2009 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.
Two-phase mixture Calculation
Volume
Parameter
Geometry

Calcul du volume partiel des récipients sous pression

Mots clés : Système frigorifique ; Réservoir ; Stockage ; Mélange diphasique ; Calcul ; Volume ; Paramètre ; Géométrie

1. Introduction weight or charge in a vessel. Refrigeration contractors have to

Numerous applications require an accurate estimation of the
volume and weight of a fluid stored in a vessel. For example,
regulatory requirements such as PSM/RMP requires owners
and operators of systems with hazardous chemicals to know
the amount of chemical contained in the vessels and in the
entire system. In refrigeration, liquid contained in vessels
shall not occupy more than 90% of the vessel volume. For
vessels fitted with level transmitters it is sometimes desirable
to automatically calculate and display the liquid volume,
exactly determine how much refrigerant must be initially
charged to operate a system reliably. Surge and ballast
volumes must be accurately calculated to properly size
vessels. However, the engineer is challenged with the fact that
vessels are constructed with dished heads, and formulas to
estimate the liquid volume in the head portion are not readily
available in open literature. This paper will close this gap and
demonstrate how the equations for calculating partial and
total volumes in vessels with various types of head profiles are
derived and applied.

* Tel.: þ1 425 557 0464

E-mail addresses: bwiencke@gmail.com, bent.wiencke@us.nestle.com
0140-7007/$ – see front matter ª 2009 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2009.11.009
 international journal of refrigeration 33 (2010) 868–876 869

Nomenclature S Chord of shell and head at liquid height

‘‘H’’ (m or ft). See Fig. 2.
a Major axis of ellipsoid, equal to inside diameter
SF Straight flange portion of head (m or ft). See Fig. 3b.
‘‘ID’’ (m or ft)
t Material thickness of vessel shell and head (m or ft)
AH Partial cross sectional area of shell and heads with
VH Volume as function of liquid height ‘‘H’’ (m3 or ft3)
respect to the liquid height ‘‘H (m2 or ft2)
VTotal Total volume of vessel (m3 or ft3).
b Minor axis of ellipsoid, equal to twice the inside
NOTE: The formulas are structured such, that any unit
dish depth ‘‘IDD’’ of head (m or ft)
can be applied. However, only values with
c Constant determined by head type
identical units should be entered into the
CL Length of cylindrical portion of vessel (m or ft).
formulas. For example, if the outside diameter
H Liquid height in vessel (m or ft)
(OD) and the shell thickness (t) are entered in
ID Inside diameter of vessel shell and head (m or ft)
‘‘inch’’, the overall length (OAL) must also be
IDD Inside dish depth of head (m or ft). See Fig. 3b.
entered in ‘‘inch’’. The resulting value will be in
ITL Inside total length of vessel (m or ft)
cubic inch (inch3). Equally, if the outside diameter
L Inside crown radius of head (m or ft). See Fig. 3b.
(OD) and the shell thickness (t) are entered in
OAL Overall length of pressure vessel (m or ft)
‘‘mm’’, the overall length (OAL) must also be
OD Outside diameter of vessel shell and head (m or ft)
entered in ‘‘mm’’. The resulting value will be in
r Inside knuckle radius (m or ft). Same as inside
cubic millimeter (mm3).
corner radius of head. See Fig. 3b.

2. Horizontal vessels p a ðID=2  HÞ$S=2

AH;Cyl ¼ $ID2 $  2$ (1)
4 2p 2
Commonly only 3 parameters are known when attempting
with
to calculate the liquid volume in vessels: the outside
diameter (OD), the liquid level within the vessel (H ), and ðID=2  HÞ
the overall length (OAL) or sometimes the shell length (SL) cosða=2Þ ¼ (2a)
ID=2
of the vessel (see Fig. 1). Conclusively it is desirable to
develop a set of equations that calculate the liquid volume  
H
of vessels based solely on these three parameters. In a ¼ 2$arccos 1  2$ (2b)
ID
addition, the type of head used must be known, and for
more accurate calculations the wall thickness (t) of the ðS=2Þ2 þðID=2  HÞ2 ¼ ðID=2Þ2 (3a)
vessel must be known. The required information can easily
be obtained from the vessels U-1A form or similar pressure  
S2 ¼ 4$ ID$H  H2 (3b)
vessel certificates.
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
S ¼ 2$ ID$H  H2 (3c)
2.1. Cylindrical vessel section of horizontal vessels
Substituting (a) and (S ) in Eq. (1) with Eq. (2b) and (3c) results
in the following
 Eq. (4):
    qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
Fig. 2 shows a schematic of a partial cross sectional area of 2 H 1 H  H 2
1 H
AH;Cyl ¼ ID $ 4$arccos 1  2$   $ ID  ID
a horizontal shell. ID 2 ID ð4Þ
The first step in calculating the liquid volume occupying with 0  H  ID or 0  ID H
1
a vessel requires the computation of the partial cross sectional
area of the cylindrical portion of the vessel occupied by the
liquid:

OAL
CL
SL
ID
α

OD
AH H

VH H t
S
Fig. 2 – Partial cross sectional area of a horizontal vessel
Fig. 1 – Schematic of a horizontal vessel. shell.
870 international journal of refrigeration 33 (2010) 868–876

Alternately, Eq. (3c) can be integrated over the liquid height p   p  

(H ) with respect to dH. Although, different in format the
resulting equation provides results identical to Eq. (4).
The liquid volume occupying the cylindrical portion of the
vessel is calculated with:
AS;Head ¼ c$ $4$ ID$H  H2 ¼ c$ $ ID$H  H2 (9)
8 2
To calculate the liquid volume occupying a single head
without the straight or cylindrical portion of the head, Eq. (9)
must be integrated over the liquid height (H ) with respect to dH:

VH;Cyl ¼ CL$AH;Cyl (5) Z H

p 
VH;Head ¼ c$ ID$H  H2 dH (10)
2.2. Vessel heads of horizontal vessels 2 0

 H
To simplify the calculation process, at this point the assump- p 1 1
VH;Head ¼ c$ $ $ID$H2  $H3 (11a)
tion is made that the rounded dished portion of all head profiles 2 2 3 0

can be defined as an ellipsoid in the horizontal plane for all

values of (H ). This assumption is valid for semi-elliptical and h  H 2  3 
H
p
VH;Head ¼ c$12 $ID3 $ 3$ 2$
hemispherical heads. For other heads this method introduces ID ID (11b)
a minor but generally negligible error. Using this method will with
H
simplify the calculation process and allow for the usage of the 0  H  ID or 0  ID 1
same set of equations for all head profiles.
Fig. 3a and b illustrates a schematic of an ellipsoid and
a vessel head. As illustrated in 3b, a typical head commonly 2.3. Total liquid volume of a horizontal vessel
exists of a cylindrical portion and a dished portion. The inside
depth of the head dish varies with the liquid height (H ) and is at Fig. 4 shows the key parameters of a horizontal vessel.
its maximum where (H ) is half the diameter of the vessel. The The total liquid volume of a horizontal vessel is the sum of
maximum inside dish depth is commonly designated with IDD. the liquid volume contained in the dished portion of both
As per the design criteria of an elliptical head, the ratio between heads added to the liquid volume contained in the cylindrical
the long and short axis of the head is constant with varying portion of the vessel:
liquid level (H ). To make the calculation process simpler
VH ¼ VH;Cyl þ 2$VH;Head (12a)
a constant (c) shall be introduced, which represents the ratio
between the short axis and the long axis of the ellipsoid:   2  3 
p H H
b 2$IDD VH ¼ CL$AH;Cyl þ c$ $ID3 $ 3$ 2$ (12b)
c¼ ¼ (6) 6 ID ID
a ID
The cylindrical section of a horizontal vessel (CL) is calcu-
The area of an ellipsoid is defined by the following formula:
lated with:
p p
AEllipsoid ¼ $a$b ¼ c$ $a2 (7) CL ¼ OAL  2$t  2$IDD (13)
4 4
The cross sectional area in the horizontal plane of a head Inserting Eq. (4) and Eq. (13) into Eq. (12b), Eq. (12b) can be
varies with the height of the liquid level (H ). To compute this rewritten as:
 
cross sectional area at the liquid level (H ) and using Fig. 2 as OAL  2$t  2$IDD
VH ¼ ID3 $ $
a reference, the following relationship is introduced: ID
0 1
    sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
 2ffi
1 p
p @ 1 H 1 H H H A
AS;Head ¼ $ c$ $S2 ¼ c$ $S2 (8)  $arccos 1  2$   $ 
2 4 8 4 ID 2 ID ID ID
Since (S ) is unknown in Eq. (8), (S ) is substituted with
Eq. (3b):

t OAL
a b
ITL
r CL
SL

L
b = 2·IDD IDD
a = ID
ID
IDD OD ID
OD

r
VH H

SF
SF t
Fig. 3 – a and b: Schematic of ellipsoid and vessel head
profile. Fig. 4 – Schematic of horizontal vessel.
 international journal of refrigeration 33 (2010) 868–876 871

  2  3  ID
p H H
þc$ $ID3 $ 3$ 2$
6 ID ID
SF
H
with 0  H  ID or 0  1 and OAL  ð2$IDD þ 2$tÞ IDD
ID H
(14)
S
It is not uncommon that the thickness of the vessel shell
differs from the thickness of the heads. But, for all practical Fig. 6 – Bottom head of a vertical vessel.
purposes and since the difference is minor compared to the
overall size of the vessel, the assumption can be made that the
 2 
2 ID2
thickness of the head is equal to the thickness of the vessel S 1 c
þ $ $ID  H ¼ (17a)
shell. The resulting error is negligible. 2 c 2 2

 
1 1
S2 ¼ 4$ $ID$H  2 $H2 (17b)
3. Vertical vessels c c

Substituting (S ) in Eq. (15) with Eq. (17b) gives the following

When calculating the liquid volume in a vertical vessel, the
expression for ASBH,Head:
vessel must be divided in to three individual sections: the  
bottom head, the cylindrical portion, and the top head. Fig. 5 1 1
ASBH;Head ¼ p$ $ID$H  2 $H2 (18)
c c
shows a schematic of a vertical vessel.
The inside partial volume of the bottom head can be found
3.1. Vessel heads of vertical vessels by integrating Eq. (18) over the height of the liquid level (H ) in
the vessel with respect to dH:
Fig. 6 shows a schematic of a bottom head of a vertical vessel. Z H 
1 1
The area in the horizontal plane occupied by the liquid is VVBH;Head ¼ p $ID$H  2 $H2 dH (19)
0 c c
calculated by:
 H
p 1 1
ASBH;Head ¼ $S2 (15) VVBH;Head ¼ p$ $ID$H2  $H3 (20)
4 2$c 3$c2 0

To find an expression for ASBH,Head, as a function of the 

3 2
liquid level (H ) for a bottom head, the following relationship is VVBH;Head ¼ p6$ $ID$H2  2 $H3
c c
introduced:
H
with 0  H  IDD or 0  IDD 1 ð21Þ
 2  2  2
S 1 ID
þ $ðIDD  HÞ ¼ (16) Fig. 7 shows a schematic of a top head of a vertical vessel.
2 c 2
The area in the horizontal plane occupied by the liquid is
inserting Eq. (6) into Eq. (16), Eq. (16) can be rewritten as: calculated by:

p
ASTH;Head ¼ $S2 (22)
4
To find an expression for ASTH,Head, as a function of the liquid
level (H ) for a top head the following relationship is introduced:
 2  2  2
S 1 ID
þ $H ¼ (23a)
2 c 2
OD 4
S2 ¼ ID2  2 $H2 (23b)
c
ID
OAL Substituting (S ) in Eq. (22) with eqn. (23b) gives the following
t expression for ASTH,Head:
ITL
 
p 4
CL ASTH;Head ¼ $ ID2  2 $H2 (24)
4 c
SL
S

H
SF IDD
H

IDD
SF ID

Fig. 5 – Schematic of a vertical vessel. Fig. 7 – Top head of a vertical vessel.

872 international journal of refrigeration 33 (2010) 868–876

!
The internal liquid volume of the top head can be found by H  OAL þ 2$t þ IDD
p
VH ¼ 24 $ID3 $ 3$c$  c$
integrating Eq. (24) over the height of the liquid level (H ) in the IDD
vessel with respect to dH: !3 !
Z   H  OAL þ 2$t þ IDD OAL  2$t  2$IDD 
p H 4 þ6$ þ 2$c
VVTH;Head ¼ ID2  2 $H2 dH (25) IDD ID
4 0 c
with : IDD > 0
 H (31b)
p 4
VVTH;Head ¼ $ ID2 $H  2
$H3 (26)
4 3$c 0
 2
 4. Total volume of a vessel
p 4
VVTH;Head ¼ 12$ 3$ID $H  c2 $H 3 ð27Þ

H
with 0  H  IDD or 0  IDD 1 To compute the total volume of a vertical or horizontal vessel,
(H ) is substituted with (ID) in Eq. (14) or (H) is substituted with
(OAL - 2$t) in Eq. (31b). Both methods result in the following
3.2. Cylindrical vessel section of vertical vessels equation for the calculation of the total volume of a vessel:
!
The liquid volume occupying the cylindrical portion of the ð3$OAL  6$t  6$IDDÞ
p
VTotal ¼ 12$ID3 $ þ 2$c
vessel is simply calculated with the following formula: ID (32)
with OAL  ð2$IDD þ 2$tÞ
VH;Cyl ¼ p4$ID2 $ðH  IDDÞ ð28Þ

with IDD  H  ðOAL  2$t  IDDÞ 5. Vessel heads

The type of head used is determined by the pressure rating of

3.3. Total liquid volume of a vertical vessel the vessel. Pressure vessels with lower pressure ratings typi-
cally have shallower heads and pressure vessels with higher
To calculate the liquid volume in a vertical vessel three (3) pressure ratings have more rounded heads, approaching
conditions must be observed: a spherical shape with increasing pressure.
Condition I:
H
for : 0  H  IDD or 0  1 5.1. ASME 2:1 elliptical heads
IDD
 
p 3 2 Heads with a semi-ellipsoidal shape (ANSI/ASME Boiler and
VH ¼ $ $ID$H2  2 $H3 (29a)
6 c c Pressure Vessel Code, 2001) are the most widely used head
types for pressure vessels and in industrial refrigeration they
Using Eq. (6), Eq. (29a) can be rewritten as:
are almost exclusively used. The ratio between the long axis
 2  3 ! and short axis of a 2:1 elliptical head is 2 with the long axis
H H
VH ¼ p
c$24 $ID3 $ 3$  being equal to the inside diameter of the vessel and the short
IDD IDD (29b)
axis being equal to twice the internal dish depth of the head.
with IDD > 0
This means, that the inside dish depth of the head is one-
Condition II: fourth the inside diameter of the vessel. An elliptical head
consists of a rounded (dished) portion and a straight portion
for : IDD  H  ðOAL  2$t  IDDÞ
as illustrated in Fig. 3b. The straight flange portion (SF) is
(30a) commonly 200 , but may vary depending on the vessel manu-
p p
VH ¼ c$ $ID3 þ $ID2 $ðH  IDDÞ
12 4 facturer’s specification and the head manufacturer. With
IDD ¼ ID/4:
If the head thickness is equal to the shell thickness Eq. (30a)
can be rewritten as: 2$IDD 2$ID=4 1
c2:1 Head ¼ ¼ ¼ (33)
      ID ID 2
p H IDD
VH ¼ $ID3 $ 3$  3$ þc (30b) When applied to vessels with elliptical heads, the method
12 ID ID
described in this paper provides accurate results without any
Condition III: error margin.

for : ðOAL  2$t  IDDÞ  H  ðOAL  2$tÞ

5.2. ASME hemispherical heads

p p For vessels with hemispherical heads (ANSI/ASME Boiler and

VH ¼c$ $ID3 þ $ID2 $ðOAL2$t2$IDDÞþ
12 4 ð31aÞ Pressure Vessel Code, 2001), the head is simply one-half of

a sphere, i.e. IDD is simply one-half of ID. Unlike 2:1 elliptical
p
12
$ 3$ID2 $ðHðOAL2$tIDDÞÞc42 $ðHðOAL2$tIDDÞÞ3 heads, hemispherical heads are commonly not constructed
with a straight flange portion (SF), i.e. that the cylindrical
If the head thickness is equal to the shell thickness Eq. (31a) portion of the vessel (CL) is equal to the shell length (SL). With
reduces to: IDD ¼ ID/2:
 international journal of refrigeration 33 (2010) 868–876 873

2$IDD 2$ID=2 5.4. Heads according to DIN and European pressure

cHemispherical Head ¼ ¼ ¼1 (34)
ID ID equipment directive (PED)
When applied to vessels with hemispherical heads, the
method described in this paper provides accurate results Depending on the pressure rating of the pressure vessel three
without any error margin. head designs are commonly used in Europe. The same
comments made for the ASME F&D heads also apply here. The
5.3. ASME flanged & dished (torispherical) heads only difference is that the inside crown radius (L) and knuckle
radius (r) are direct proportional to the outside diameter (OD).
ASME F&D heads (ANSI/ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code,
2001) basically consists of a spherical and an elliptical head a) Torispherical Heads (DIN 28011:1993-01) with L ¼ OD and
portion. ASME F&D heads are constructed with an inside crown r ¼ 0.1$OD
radius (L) that is typically equal to the outside diameter (OD) and
an inside knuckle radius (r) equal to minimum 0.06$OD or 3$t To compute the inside dish depth (IDD) Eq. (35) is reduced to:
whichever is greater. However, although uncommon the crown pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
IDD ¼ OD  0:65$OD2  t2 þ 0:8$OD$t (37)
radius (L) can also be less than the outside diameter (OD). See
Fig. 3b for details. The exact dimensions may vary depending on For the computation of the value c, the following equation
the manufacturer. The correlation described by Eq. (6) does not has been developed using the same approach described in
apply to torispherical head profiles. For an exact calculation of paragraph 5.3:
the inside dish depth (IDD) the following equation has been    2
derived from Fig. 3b and is valid for all head configurations: t t
cL¼OD;r¼0:1$OD ¼ 0:37802 þ 0:05073$ þ 1:3762$ (38)
OD OD
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
IDD ¼ L  ðL  rÞ2 ðOD=2  t  rÞ2 (35)
b) Semi ellipsoidal heads (DIN 28013:1993-01) with L ¼ 0.8$OD
The crown radius (L), the knuckle radius (r) and the thick- and r ¼ 0.154$OD
ness (t) can be obtained from the vessels U-1A form. Since the
inside dish depth (IDD) is not straight proportional to the This head profile is typically used for refrigeration appli-
inside diameter (ID), but rather dependent on the outside cations. To compute the inside dish depth (IDD) Eq. (35) is
diameter (OD), the knuckle radius (r) and the thickness (t), an reduced to:
exact computation of the internal head volume as a function pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
of the liquid height (H ) can be cumbersome and complex for IDD ¼ 0:8$OD  0:2976$OD2  t2 þ 0:692$OD$t (39)
horizontal vessels. Exact equations to calculate the total head
For the computation of the value c, the following equation
volume are presented in Appendix A. To be able to apply the
has been developed using the same approach described in
method presented in this paper to ASME F&D heads, the value
paragraph 5.3:
c must be computed based on the knuckle radius (r) and the
thickness (t). The equation for c was derived from computing    2
t t
the total head volume according to Attachment A and then cL¼0:8$OD;r¼0:154$OD ¼ 0:49951 þ 0:10462$ þ 2:3227$
OD OD
calculating the value c using Eq. (50). The constants in the (40)
following equation were derived from using a curve fit:
When applying the above equations to the method
ðr  0:06$ODÞ described in this paper, the error margin is virtually zero for
cL¼OD;r¼min 0:06$OD ¼ 0:30939 þ 1:7197$
ID completely filled heads. For exact results the same statements
   2
t t made in paragraph 5.3 apply.
 0:16116$ þ 0:98997$ (36)
OD OD

When applying Eq. (36) to the method presented in this
paper an accuracy can be expected sufficient for practical
purposes. When compared to the total head volume this
method provides results with an error margin of less than
0.001%. For partially filled heads the error margin is greater.
However, when compared to the overall vessel volume the
error margin becomes negligible for all practical purposes. If
accurate results are desired the head section must be calcu-
lated individually for the spherical and the elliptical head
section. Instead of dividing the vertical vessel into 3 sections,
it must be divided into 5 sections: spherical section of bottom
head, elliptical section of bottom head, cylindrical section,
elliptical section of top head, and spherical section of top
head. For horizontal vessels, the calculation method is much
more complex and requires numerical methods. For an
accurate estimation of c, calculate the exact head volume
using Appendix A and then use Eq. (50) to determine c.
c) Hemispherical heads (DIN 28011:1993-01)
The same comments made for ASME Hemispherical Heads
apply here:
cHemispherical Head ¼ 1:
6. Comparison with approximation method
Since the volume contained in the vessel heads of a vessel is
relatively small when compared to the total volume of a vessel
numerous approximation methods have been developed in
the past. For example, one such approximation is to assume
that the volume of a 2:1 elliptical head is equivalent to
a cylinder of the same inside diameter as the head, but only 2/
3 of the inside dish depth of the head. The partial volume of
a horizontal vessel is therefore approximated by:
874 international journal of refrigeration 33 (2010) 868–876

Approximation Method vs. Accurate Method When compared with the exact method presented in this
1.0 paper Eq. (41) will overestimate the volume when the vessel is
(SL + 2 ••SF)/ID = 0
nearly empty and the level is below the center axis of the
(SL + 2 ••SF)/ID = 1

0.8 (SL + 2 ••SF)/ID = 2 vessel, and underestimate the volume when the level is above
(SL + 2 ••SF)/ID = 4 the center axis of the vessel. The shorter the vessel the greater
(SL + 2 ••SF)/ID = 8
0.6 the margin of error. Fig. 8 shows the error versus height for
H/ID

(SL + 2 ••SF)/ID = 16

(SL + 2 ••SF)/ID = 32 various relative vessel length defined by (SL þ 2$SF)/ID.

(SL + 2 ••SF)/ID = 64
0.4

0.2 7. Conclusions

0.0 This paper demonstrated that one set of equations can be

-5 0 5 10 15 20 applied to all common type of dished head profiles with error
Error [%]
margins that are zero or virtually zero for all practical purposes.
Fig. 8 – Error versus height of liquid for approximation The calculation process is hereby significantly simplified and
method versus exact method. allows the use of computerized spreadsheet applications to
estimate partial vessel volumes and corresponding charges.

 
SL þ 2$SF 1 Appendix.
VH;Appox ¼ ID$ þ $AH;Cyl (41)
ID 3

Formulas for the computation of partial volumes of horizontal vessels.

t
OAL
ITL
r
CL
SL
L
IDD

ID
IDD
OD ID OD

r
VH H

SF
SF t

Partial volume of vessel

h


rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ffi

2
3
i
H 2
VH ¼ ID3 ðOAL2$t2$IDDÞ
ID
1 H 1 H
4arccosð1  2$ID  2  ID
H
ID
 ID H
Þ þ c$p6$ 3 ID H
 2 ID
H
with ID ¼ ðOD  2$tÞ and 0  H  ID or 0   1 and OAL  ð2$IDD þ 2$tÞ
ID
Total internal volume of vessel
p
VTotal ¼ 12$ID3 $ðð3$OAL6$t6$IDDÞ
ID
þ 2$cÞ with ID ¼ ðOD  2$tÞ and OAL  ð2$IDD þ 2$tÞ

Values for various head profiles

Head Type Values and Equations for c Equations for IDD
ASME 2:1 Elliptical head 1/2 ID/4
Hemispherical head 1 ID/2
Flat head 0 0
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ASME Torispherical head 0:30939 þ 1:7197$ðr0:06$ODÞ
ID
L  ðL  rÞ2  ðOD=2  t  rÞ2
t t 2
with L ¼ OD and r¼min 0.06$OD 0:16116$OD þ 0:98997$ðOD Þ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
t 2
DIN Torispherical head t
0:37802 þ 0:05073$OD þ 1:3762$ðOD Þ OD  0:65$OD2  t2 þ 0:8$OD$t
with L ¼ OD and r ¼ 0.1$OD pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
t 2
DIN Semi ellipsoidal head t
0:49951 þ 0:10462$OD þ 2:3227$ðOD Þ 0:8$OD  0:2976$OD2  t2 þ 0:692$OD$t
with L ¼ 0.8$OD and r ¼ 0.154$OD

Notes: Above formulas assume that the head thickness is equal to the shell thickness. If different, use shell thickness for head thickness.
When using above formulas use units consistently.
For ASME torispherical heads assume <0.001% error margin for completely filled heads. For DIN heads the error margin for completely filled
heads is virtually zero.
 international journal of refrigeration 33 (2010) 868–876 875

Formulas for the computation of partial volumes of vertical vessels.

t OD

ID
r OAL

t ITL

L CL
IDD
SL
ID

OD

r H
SF

SF

IDD

Partial volume of vessel

Condition I: for : 0  H  IDD and IDD > 0
H 2 H 3
p
VH ¼ c$24 $ID3 $ð3$ðIDD Þ  ðIDD Þ Þ
Condition II: for : IDD  H  ðOAL  2$t  IDDÞ
p
VH ¼ 12$ID3 ð3$ðID
H
Þ  3$ðIDD
ID
Þ þ cÞ
Condition III: for : ðOAL  2$t  IDDÞ  H  ðOAL  2$tÞ and IDD > 0
p
VH ¼ 24$ID3 $ð3$cðHOALþ2$tþIDD
IDD
Þ  c$ðHOALþ2$tþIDD
IDD
Þ3 þ 6$ðOAL2$t2$IDD
ID
Þ þ 2$cÞ
with ID ¼ ðOD  2$tÞ and 0  H  ID or 0  H=ID  1 and OAL  ð2$IDD þ 2$tÞ

Total internal volume of vessel

p
VTotal ¼ 12$ID3 $ðð3$OAL6$t6$IDDÞ
ID
þ 2$cÞ with ID ¼ ðOD  2$tÞ and OAL  ð2$IDD þ 2$tÞ

Values for various head profiles

Head Type Values and Equations for c Equations for IDD
ASME 2:1 Elliptical head 1/2 ID/4
Hemispherical head 1 ID/2
Flat head 0 0
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ASME Torispherical head 0:30939 þ 1:7197$ðr0:06$ODÞ
ID
L  ðL  rÞ2  ðOD=2  t  rÞ2
t t 2
with L ¼ OD and r¼min 0.06$OD 0:16116$OD þ 0:98997$ðOD Þ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
t 2
DIN Torispherical head 0:37802 þ 0:05073$ODt
þ 1:3762$ðOD Þ OD  0:65$OD2  t2 þ 0:8$OD$t
with L ¼ OD and r ¼ 0.1$OD pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
t 2
DIN Semi ellipsoidal head t
0:49951 þ 0:10462$OD þ 2:3227$ðOD Þ 0:8$OD  0:2976$OD2  t2 þ 0:692$OD$t
with L ¼ 0.8$OD and r ¼ 0.154$OD

Notes: Above formulas assume that the head thickness is equal to the shell thickness. If different, use shell thickness for head thickness.
When using above formulas use units consistently.
For ASME Torispherical heads assume < 0.001% error margin for completely filled heads. For DIN heads the error margin for completely filled
heads is virtually zero.

Appendix A: Exact equations for Using Fig. A1 the inside dish depth (IDD) is calculated to:
torispherical heads
ðL  rÞ2 ¼ ðL  IDDÞ2 þð0:5$OD  t  rÞ2 (42a)
This method can be applied to any torispherical head profile qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
for establishing a value for c and computing IDD. IDD ¼ L  ðL  rÞ2 ðOD=2  t  rÞ2 (42b)
Fig. A1 shows a schematic of a torispherical head with its
critical dimensions.
876 international journal of refrigeration 33 (2010) 868–876

t The cross sectional area of the elliptical head portion is

SF
defined as follows:
p pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
2
r AEl ¼ $ ID  2$r þ 2$ r2  h2 (49)
4
To obtain the volume of the elliptical head portion Eq. (49)
L
must be integrated from 0 to h2 with respect to dh:
SSL IDD
Z h2 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
2
ID p
V h2 ¼ ID  2$r þ 2$ r2  h2 dh (50a)
OD 4 0

r 
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
Vh2 ¼ p4$ 8$r2 $h2  43$h32 þ 2$ID$h2 $ r2  h22 þ 2$ID$r2
h3 h1  
h2
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
h2 $ arctan pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi  4$r$h2 $ r2  h22  4$r3
r2 h22
  
h2
Fig. A1 – Schematic of a torispherical head. $arctan pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
2 2
þ ID2 $h2  4$h2 $ID$r ð50bÞ
r h2

qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
The total head volume is calculated by adding the volume of
IDD ¼ L  ðL  rÞ2 ðID=2  rÞ2 (42c)
the spherical portion to the elliptical portion:
The spherical limit (SSL) is calculated to:
VHead ¼ Vh1 þ Vh2 (51)
SSL =2 ðID=2  rÞ
¼ (43a) To determine an exact value for the constant c the following
L ðL  rÞ
equation derived from Eq. (11b) can be used:
ðID  2$rÞ
SSL ¼ L$ (43b) 12 Vh1 þ Vh2
ðL  rÞ c¼ $ (52)
p ID3
The height of spherical section (h1) is calculated to:

2 S
2 Nomenclature:
L2 ¼ ðL  h1 Þ þ SL (44a)
4

rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
S2 c Constant determined by head type
h1 ¼ L  L2  SL (44b) h1 Height of spherical head section (m or ft)
4
h2 Height of elliptical head section (m or ft)
The height of elliptical section (h2) is calculated to:
h3 Difference between ID/2 and SSL/2 (m or ft)
r2 ¼ ðSSL =2  ID=2 þ rÞ2 þh22 (45a) ID Inside diameter (m or ft)
IDD Inside dish depth; IDD ¼ h1þ h2 (m or ft)
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
 2ffi L Inside crown radius (m or ft)
2
SSL ID OD Outside diameter (m or ft)
h2 ¼ r   þr (45b)
2 2
r Inside knuckle radius (m or ft)
The difference between ID/2 and SSL/2 is calculated to: SF Straight flange of head (m or ft)
SSL Spherical limit of head (m or ft)
ðr  h3 Þ ðID=2  rÞ t Material thickness of head (m or ft)
¼ (46a)
r ðL  rÞ Vh1 Inside volume of spherical head section (m3 or ft3)
r$ðL  ID=2Þ Vh2 Inside volume of elliptical head section (m3 or ft3)
h3 ¼ (46b)
ðL  rÞ VHead Total inside volume of head (m3 or ft3)

The cross sectional area of the spherical head is defined as

follows: references

ASP ¼ p$ 2$L$h  h2 (47)

ANSI/ASME, 2001. Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII,
To obtain the volume of the spherical head portion Eq. (47)
Rules for Construction of Pressure Vessels, Division 1. 3 Park
must be integrated from 0 to h1 with respect to dh: Avenue. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),
Z h1
New York, NY. 10016–5990.
Vh1 ¼ p 2$L$h  h2 dh (48a) DIN 28011:1993-01, 1993. Gewölbte Böden; Klöpperform.
0 (Torispherical Heads). Beuth Verlag GmbH.
  DIN 28013:1993-01, 1993. Gewölbte Böden; Korbbogenform.
1
Vh1 ¼ p$ L$h21  $h31 (48b) (Ellipsoidal Heads). Beuth Verlag GmbH.
3