Modified Svensson’s Formula for More Accurate Burst Pressure Predictions of Thin Cylindrical Shells With Small Shell Length to Diameter Ratios

Abstract

For process safety management purposes, it is often required in industries to perform burst pressure calculations for pressurized equipment subjected to internal deflagrations. In predictions of burst pressures of vessels with short cylindrical shell sections, the stiffening effects of heads are often overlooked, which may lead to underestimated results. In this paper, a new improved method is proposed for predictions of burst pressures of thin cylindrical shells with small shell length to diameter ratios (L/D) at ambient temperature. The idea is to use the Svensson’s formula, modified by a factor that accounts for the effects of small L/D ratios, head types, and materials for more accurate predictions. Tables of such factors are developed based on study results from a series of elastic-plastic Finite Element Analyses including large displacement effect for different L/D ratios, thicknesses, materials, and head types. Some example problems are presented to validate the method.