Industry Sector

RTD Thematic Area

Date

Power & Pressure Systems

Durability and Life Extension

Jun-02

Defect Assessment of a Pressure Vessel Nozzle

Keith Wright - Structural Integrity Assessments Ltd, Melbourne, Derby, United Kingdom
&
Janak Patel Robust Solutions Ltd, Oadby, Leicestershire, United Kingdom

Summary
The use of FEA in the defect assessment of a pressure vessel nozzle is described along with
a summary of some possible future workshop activities for the Durability and Life Extension
technology areas of FENet.

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Advantica Technology

A leading provider of technology and engineering services to customers in gas,

pipelines and associated industries internationally.
Heritage going back over 30 years.
Formerly BG Technology Ltd with origins in the research, technology and
engineering arms of British Gas.
An 80 million turnover with operating experience in over 30 countries.
Part of the Lattice Group Organisation that was demerged from BG Group in 2000.
Lattice Group has annual turnover of over 3 billion
Lattice Group has operating profit of over 1 billion

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High Pressure Gas Storage Vessels

Used to smooth out

diurnal pressure
fluctuations.

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High Pressure Gas Storage Vessels

Typically 3m Diameter
Length of 55m to 75m
Manufactured
between 1968 to 1972

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Flaw Assessment Procedures

BSI PD6493 (First published 1980) Guidance on methods for assessing the
acceptability of flaws in fusion welded structures

BSI PD6493 (Second edition 1991)

BS7910 (1999) Guide on methods for assessing the acceptability of flaws in

metallic structures

Also:

R6
SINTAP
API 579

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High Pressure Gas Storage Vessels

Inlet/Outlet
nozzle.

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HPSV Nozzle FE Model

Inlet/Outlet nozzle

Protruding design

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HPSV Nozzle FE Model

Inlet/Outlet nozzle

Max principal stress

distribution,
normalised to unit
hoop stress in
vessel shell, due to
internal pressure.

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Nozzle Defect Assessment

The uncracked body through wall stress distribution are input to:
CRACKWISE3 or
R6

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Nozzle
Defects

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CRACKED BODY FE ANALYSIS ?

Concerns over COST and TIME
80 vessels x 6 nozzles x ? Defects per nozzle
Also Technical difficulties:
Revised defect dimensions for crack growth analyses
Modelling of SECONDARY welding residual stresses
Sensitivity studies for material property variations
Aim is to develop a PRAGMATIC assessment method
Use Flat Plate Solutions
Use Mode 1 radial crack opening stress distributions
JUSTIFY BY UNDERTAKING SOME CRACKED BODY FE ASSESSMENTS

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HPSV Nozzle Cracked

Body FE Model

Embedded Defect.
Defect length fully
circumferential.
Defect height
13.5mm.
3mm ligament.
Displaced shape
shown due to
pressure loading.

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HPSV Nozzle Cracked

Body FE Model
Displaced Shape

Midside nodes to
point position.
ABAQUS v6.2.
C3D20R
elements.
Internal pressure
loading only.

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Elastic Stress Intensity Factors Calculated By:

ABAQUS
Type=K Factors on *CONTOUR INTEGRAL
Effective Stress Intensity Factor (Keff) Calculated By:

K eff = {K I + K II

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K III
+
}
1

Keff & KI, KII and KIII

Near Surface
Crack Front.
3mm ligament
Keff dominated
by mode 1.

Shallow Point KI, KII and KIII.

(13.5m m defect, 3m m ligam ent)

Stress Intensity Factors, KI,

KII, KIII

25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
-5.0 0

KI Shallow Front
KII Shallow Front
KIII Shallow Front

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

-10.0
-15.0
Crack Front Location (degrees)

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Keff Shalow Front

Keff & KI, KII and KIII

Deepest Crack
Front.
3mm ligament
to near surface.
Keff still
dominated by
mode 1 at
deepest point.

Deepest Point KI, KII and KIII.

(13.5m m defect, 3m m ligam ent)

20.0
Stress Intensity Factors, KI,
KII, KIII

15.0
KI Deepest Point

10.0

KII Deepest Point

KIII Deepest Point

5.0

Keff Deepest Point

0.0
-5.0

20

40

60

80

Crack Front Location (degrees)

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Keff derived from J

K eff =

JE
(1 2 )

K Effective along Crack Front.

(Gillingham 6" nozzle, 13.5m m defect, 3m m ligam ent)
m)

Good
Agreement with
Keff derived from
KI, KII and KIII.
But an Elastic
analysis.

25.0

Stress Intensity Factor (MPa

20.0
15.0

Shallow Point

10.0

Deepest Point

5.0
0.0
0

20

40

60

80

Crack Front Location (degrees)

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100

Elastic-Plastic J Integrals Calculated By:

Crack tip nodes allowed to move apart to model blunting.
ABAQUS Default option on *CONTOUR INTEGRAL
Stress-Strain Curve
Assumed to be Bi-linear
Negligible (1.5%) work hardening increase of yield stress after 1% plastic strain.
Equivalent Effective Stress Intensity Factor (Keff) Calculated By:

K eff =

JE
2
(1 )

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Keff Comparison From

Elastic/Plastic &
Elastic Analyses

Higher Keff at
near surface
crack front from
elastic/plastic
analysis.
Good
agreement at
the deepest
crack front.

Stress Intensity Factor (MPa m)

K Effective along Crack Front.

(Gillingham 6" nozzle, 13.5m m defect, 3m m ligam ent, Elastic/Plastic)

30
25

Elastic/Plastic
Shallow Front

20

Elastic/Plastic
Deepest Front

15

Elastic Shallow
Front

10

Elastic
Deepest Front

5
0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Crack Front Location (degrees)

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80

90

HPSV Nozzle Cracked

Body FE Model

Embedded Defect.
Defect length fully
circumferential.
Defect height
13.5mm.
1mm ligament.

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Keff Comparison From

Elastic/Plastic &
Elastic Analyses
1mm Ligament

Much Higher
Keff at near
surface crack
front from
elastic/plastic
analysis.
Differences at
the deepest
crack front too,
unlike 3mm
case.

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Stress Intensity Factor (MPam)

K Effective distribution along crack front.

(Gillingham 6" nozzle, 13.5mm defect, 1mm ligament, Elastic/Plastic)

60
50

Elastic/Plastic
Shallow Front

40

Elastic/Plastic
Deepest Front

30
20

Elastic Shallow
Crack Front

10

Elastic Deepest
Crack Front

0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Crack Front Location (degrees)

80

90

How to Use The Cracked Body FE Nozzle Defect Assessments?

Comparisons made with Flat Plate Solution for Embedded Defect.

Linearised stress distribution over defect location obtained from uncracked FE
model.

Results of Comparison Between Elastic/Plastic FE and Flat Plate Solution

Ligament

Max Keff from

elastic/plastic Cracked
Body FE Analysis

Max KI from
CRACKWISE3 Flat
Plate Solution

Mixed Mode / ElasticPlastic Factor

1mm

47.8 MPa.m^0.5

41.4 MPa.m^0.5

1.15

3mm

25.4 MPa.m^0.5

25.1 MPa.m^0.5

1.01

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What Lessons Have Been Learnt?

Flat plate solutions predict highest KI value to occur at 0 degree position. However
cracked body FE work shows highest Keff occurs at 45 degree position. This is due
to the mixed mode loading effects.

MORE SIGNIFICANTLY, for embedded defects with small (<3mm) ligament

dimensions the effects of plasticity on Keff for the near surface crack front must be
considered in an analysis.

HENCE, when using pragmatic assessment methods such as flat plate solutions to
assess defects in a nozzle geometry then allowances for mixed mode and plasticity
effects need to be made.

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What Next?

Example discussed was an Inlet/Outlet nozzle (Internal Diameter approx 150mm) of

a set through or protruding design. There are other nozzle designs such as set on or
flush with significantly different dimensions. Eg Manways with compensating pads.

Also, nozzles with multiple defects and possibilities of defect interaction.

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Example of Multiple Defects in a Nozzle Weld Defect Interaction?

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What Next?

Example discussed was an Inlet/Outlet nozzle (Internal Diameter approx 150mm) of

a set through or protruding design. There are other nozzle designs such as set on or
flush with significantly different dimensions. Eg Manways with compensating pads.

Also, nozzles with multiple defects and possibilities of defect interaction.

T-stresses (those that act parallel to the crack flank) obtained from FE analysis can
be used to modify the Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD) if they can be shown to be
compressive. (Can be considered as an increase in the apparent fracture
toughness).

Provide a pointer to existing Guidance, extend and improve it.

NAFEMS - How to Undertake Fracture Mechanics Analysis
API 579, Section B.6.4.3
R6 Revision 4, Section III.2

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Suggestions For Future FENet Activities

Benchmarks for verification and validation

Particularly for Defect assessment of pressure vessel nozzles
Guidelines for application of 3D cracked body FE analysis

Provide guidance to, and liaise with, other Thematic Networks such as FITNET on
the use of FE methods in defect assessments.

Defect Interaction Studies Using FEA

Accuracy, identify potential pitfalls.

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