Numerical Simulation of Failure Analysis of Storage Tank with Partition Plate and Structure Optimization

Storage tanks with partition plates are widely used in the petrochemical industry. However, relevant standards do not propose corresponding design criteria and methods for this type of structure, and theoretical design formulas cannot be applied to ensure the reliability of its structure. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze and design the storage tank with a partition plate by using finite elements. This paper studies the problem of buckling depression and cracks in the welded parts of the S-shaped tank with a partition plate during its operation. We used the finite element software ANSYS to analyze the overall strength and stability of the structure and obtain the larger stress area. Based on this, a safe and economical optimization plan is proposed: under the condition of strictly controlling the liquid level difference on both sides of the partition, the tank structure is optimized by adding stiffeners and tie rods. The study revealed that the measure effectively improves the overall rigidity of the tank body and reduces the maximum stress of the structure and enhances the safety performance of storage tank. Additionally, it provides a reference for the structural strength design of storage tanks with partition plates.

A Note on the “Optimal” Design of Disc-Shaped Heat Exchangers

The continuous quest for improving the performance of heat exchangers, together with evermore stringent volume and weight constraints, especially in enclosed applications (engines, electronic devices), stimulates the search for compact, high-performance units. One of the shapes that emerged from a vast body of research is the disc-shaped heat exchanger, in which the fluid to be heated/cooled flows through radial, often bifurcated, channels inside of a metallic disc. The disc, in turn, exchanges heat with the heat/cold source (the environment or another body). Several studies have been devoted to the identification of an “optimal shape” of the channels: Most of them are based on prime principles, though numerical simulations abound as well. The present paper demonstrates that, for all engineering purposes, there is only one correct design procedure for such a heat exchanger, and that this procedure depends solely on the technical specifications (exchanged thermal power, materials, surface quality): The design, in fact, reduces to a zero-degree of freedom problem! The argument is described in detail, and it is shown that a proper application of the constraints completely identifies the shape, size and similarity indices of both the disc and the internal channels. The goal of this study is not that of “inventing” a novel heat exchanger design procedure, but that of demonstrating that -in this as in many similar cases- a straightforward application of prime principles and of diligent engineering rules may generate “optimal” designs. Of course, the resulting configurations may be a posteriori tested as to their performance, their irreversibility rates, their compliance with one or the other “techno-economical optimization methods”, but it is important to realize that they enjoy a sort of “embedded” optimality.