Full vacuum criteria for design

Ghasem Bashiri Process Lead Engineer at EIED Top Contributor

For plants without steam such as gas plant with hot oil as heating medium...what should be
criteria for considering vacuum as design pressure as there is no steam for steam out....

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Prathyush

Prathyush Viswaroopan

Senior Process Engineer at PEG Engineering & Contracting

Full vacuum is specified usually if vacuum develops during start-up or due to heat loss or
temperature corresponding to full vacuum is normal operating temperature as specified.

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o 6 days ago

Naser

Naser Fallah

Senior Process Engineer

Hi Ghasem,

Cooling down a vessel filled with the steam for steam out operation in which the steam
condenses to water isn't the only source of vacuum, but there are other sources such as
unloading a vessel or tank while isn't adequately vented...

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o 6 days ago

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Murad

Murad Ali

Process Design Engineer at Descon Integrated Projects Limited (formerly JGC Descon
Engineering Limited)

Agree with Sir Naser

Also, Reduction in pressure due to temperature change (i.e minimum ambient which
results in sudden contraction of fluid in liquid filed equipment) and Maloperation of
valves are also creating vacuum. they need to be critically investigated.

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o 6 days ago
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Farzad

Farzad Abdollahi Demneh

Senior Oil and Gas Engineer at Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd

I suggest to check the vapour pressure of the hot oil you are using for that gas plant at the
lowest ambient temperature.

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o 5 days ago

Saeid

Saeid Rahimi Mofrad

Senior Specialty Process Engineer at Fluor

The equipment may need to be designed for (partial or full) vacuum in the following
cases:

'1) operating at pressures below atmospheric pressure (0 barg) shall be designed for full
vacuum. Some companies design the vessel for full vacuum when maximum operating
pressure is below 0.5barg.

'2) that can face vacuum condition under abnormal conditions shall be designed for full
vacuum or protected by vacuum relief valve. This includes:

>> Equipment exposed to steam purging during start-up, shut down or regeneration

>> Equipment normally operating full of liquid that can be blocked in and cooled down

>> Equipment containing condensable vapor that can be blocked in and cooled down,
such as steam drum and pressure storage containing sub-atmospheric vapor pressure
materials (e.g., some alcohols and aromatics).

>> Loss of heat input (coil, jacketing, tracing or reboiler failure) where cooling continues
 by a condenser or through heat loss such as fractionation of alcohols and aromatic
solvents

>> Loss of heat input where considerable quantities of steam are generated such as sour
water stripper or amine regenerator

>> Rapid withdrawal of nonvolatile liquid from a vessel (especially liquid filled ones)
shall be treated on a case-by-case basis. They shall be designed for full vacuum unless
fully reliable protective devices are provided (vacuum breaker, atmospheric vent,
pressurization gas, low pressure trip, etc.). For example, vacuum can occur in cooling
water side of an exchanger located 10 meter aboveground depending on cooling water
return pressure and cooling tower elevation.

For further information refer to

http://www.chemwork.org/PDF/board/A%20guideline%20for%20Design%20Pressure%
20-%20Part%20%201.pdf

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Alireza

Alireza Ranjbarmehr

Senior Concept/Process Engineer at Wood Group- CCC (Oman Branch)

Dear Ghasem,
1- For plants without steam system, operation team utilizes portable steam system for
steam out. Steam out operation is not obliged by having steam/condensate system in the
plant.
2- Lots of other causes to have FV rather that steam out operation (as Saeid explained
above)

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Francesco

Francesco Longo

Process Safety Engineer

Hi Ghasem,
you have to consider to design your vessel for FV or or partial vacuum when:
- operating pressure is below atmospheric pressure
- there is the possibility to have condensation of some vapour in some conditions (e.g.
shut-down of a distillation column, condensation of the vapour phase in a vessel due to
atmospheric cooling, etc.)
- the vessel is emptied by pumps or compressors, and it is assumed a failure of blanketing
system
- some kind of purges (e.g. steam out)
In your case you have not steam out, but you can check if other cases have occurred.
If you don't want (e.g. for economical reasons) to design the vessel for a vacuum
condition, you may consider the possibility to install a VSV.

Consider that some studies have shown that for vessel with a diameter greater than 2.5 m
and a design pressure lower than -0.5 barg, design the vessel for full vacuum is
economically convinient.

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o 1 day ago

PERVAIZ

PERVAIZ RIZVI

consultant at eprf

for gas plant Amine Stripper is a source I have witnessed a near miss when a whistle
sound was heard near the stripper on shutdown but the stripper was designed for full
vacuum.The stripper was heated with hot oil
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