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DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF DOMESTIC LPG CYLINDER

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 Proceedings of the
International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Renewable Energy 2021
(ICMERE 2021) 12 – 14 December 2021, Chattogram, Bangladesh

ICMERE 2021-PI-052

DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF DOMESTIC LPG CYLINDER

Tonmoy Dey1, Md Zayed Bin Sultan2, Sheikh Faisal Kader Joy3 and Md Mehedi Hasan4
1-4
Department of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology,
Bangladesh
1
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract- A Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder is a thin pressure vessel where gas is stored in liquid
form under pressure. Currently, most countries use a huge amount of LPG for domestic purposes. The most
prevalent material used to manufacture LPG cylinders is steel. However, this steel cylinder has several
limitations, including weight, rust, leakage, handling, and others. Hence, it needs to be replaced by the
simplest possible alternative material. There are two materials such as Al6061T6, and Glass-Epoxy
material to alleviate the limitations of steel LPG cylinders. Which brings some benefits to its use. The
purpose of this research is to analyze and compare low carbon steel, aluminum, and glass epoxy which is
used in the manufacture of cylinders. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been used for comparison. A visual
model is drawn in SOLIDWORKS. Then, ANSYS software was used to perform FEA on those LPG cylinders,
and compare the results, such as stress and deformation, to theoretical results. The most viable material
between these three is chosen to construct the cylinder using safety factor analysis.

Keywords: LPG, FEA, ANSYS, SOLIDWORKS, Low carbon steel, Aluminum alloy, Glass epoxy.

1.1 LPG Cylinder

1. INTRODUCTION A pressurized vessel that stores a sufficient amount of
LPG is a mixture of hydrocarbon LPG gas for using purposes. LPG is colorless and
gases that's flammable. This gas is employed as fuel in odorless hence an odor agent is added to this gas to detect
cooking equipment, heating appliances, and vehicles. It its accidental leakage. This gas is subjected to evaporate
mostly consists of propane and butane. A combination of when it reaches atmospheric temperature and there is a
50% butane, 48% propane, and sometimes 2% pentane. possibility of explosion. So, an odor agent is essential for
This ratio varies depending on the ambient temperature this gas. Ethyl mercaptan is used as an odor agent. [2]
of the location. At normal temperature, it's a gaseous There are many sizes available for LPG cylinders.
state. When it cools down or drug pressure, then it 12kg,15kg,33kg,45 kg are the common sizes for LPG
changes its state to liquid. precisely the kind of liquid cylinder. These sizes mainly indicate the amount of gas
filled into the cylinder to be used as fuel. There are is store in the cylinder. But there is a weight of empty gas
numerous advantages to converting gas into a liquid. To cylinder which is known as tier weight. It helps to
sum it all up, LPG is in some ways a responsible source calculate the actual amount of gas in the cylinder. The
of energy. LPG could be fuel, similar to coal, fossil fuel, materials are used to manufacture an LPG cylinder are
and oil. Unlike the others, LPG never occurs on its own, more important for its safety aspect. Finite element
and you may only be ready to find it analysis helps to make a decision on which material is
naturally together with either fossil fuel or petroleum. suitable for LPG cylinder construction. Also, here we do
Day by day, the use of LPG cylinders has grown. theoretical analysis on our newly constructed LPG
However, the safety aspects are becoming a big concern cylinder materials. [3]
as the number of accidents initiated by LPG cylinders has There have been many studies conducted on the use of
increased as well. One of the factors behind this problem composite pressure vessels in various fields. Several
is the lag of constructing an efficient LPG cylinder. Some researchers looked into the impact of filament winding
common materials are used to construct LPG cylinders. technology and parameters on the efficiency of
As my research is about LPG cylinder design, so I focus composite pressure vessels like Shen's [4]. Mackerel was
on the materials used to construct LPG cylinders. [1] several publications that focused on the finite element
approach as a composite pressure vessel analysis tool [5].
According to E.0. Bergman, external loads applied to
© ICMERE 2021
vertical pressure vessels generate axial loading and  Main cylinder thickness = 2.5 mm
bending moments on the vessel, whether the longitudinal  Cylindrical body height = 354 mm
force in the shell is friction or compression, and whether  Dome height= 150mm
the vessel is exposed to internal or external strain,  Total body height = 654 mm
determines the construction approach to be used [6].  Foot ring height = 180 mm
Procedures for pressure vessel design and fatigue study  Foot ring Diameter(inner) = 300 mm
of welds in pressure vessels present functional problems  Foot ring Diameter(outer) = 294 mm
for the manufacturer, according to H. Mayer, H.L.Stark,  Thickness for foot ring = 3 mm
and S. Ambrose [7]. Alberto Corigliano, Egidio Rizzib,  Handle Diameter (inner) = 220 mm
Enrico Papaa, noted that the main findings of an  Handle Diameter (outer) = 226 mm
experimental and numerical investigation into the  Thickness for handle = 3 mm
mechanical behavior of a composite sandwich were
 Thickness calculation for Steel cylinder
designed primarily for naval engineering applications. To
Here, Maximum allowable stress, P = 240 MPa
thoroughly characterize the dynamic mechanical
Inner diameter, 𝐷𝑖 = 300 mm
behavior of such a highly heterogeneous substance,
Weld joint factor, j = 0.8
experimental experiments and numerical finite element
Material yield strength, 𝜎 = 260 MPa
(FE) simulations on both the sandwich composite and its 𝑃∗𝐷𝑖
separate components were conducted [8]. The action of a Thickness, t = (200∗0.8∗𝑗∗𝜎)−𝑃 (ISO 3196) [12]
gas-filled LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinder with 240∗300
= (200∗0.8∗0.8∗260)−240
dissimilar heads (hemispherical, semi-ellipsoidal, and
tori-spherical) and its responses to vertical (top) and = 1.9 mm
horizontal (side) natural impacts, as per Nikhil, Nilambe Additional requirements,
[9]. Kaptan A. and Kisioglu Y., using both experimental Corrosion allowance = 0.4 mm
and finite element analysis and determine the burst Transportation allowance = 0.2 mm
pressures (BP) and burst loss positions of vehicle So total thickness would be = (1.9 +0.4+0.2) mm
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fuel tanks [10]. CH V K =2.5 mm
N S N Moorthy and V Srinivas state that conventional
states that Steel Cylinders used for domestic applications  Dimensions of aluminum cylinder,
are not manufactured in a single joint but are welded.  Inner diameter = 300mm
While composite cylinders are made from composite,  Outer diameter = 306mm
composite components cannot be welded like steel  Main cylinder thickness = 3 mm
cylinders. Compared to steel cylinders, Composite  Cylindrical body height = 354 mm
cylinders are costlier. If mass production of composite  Dome height= 150 mm
cylinders is done then the cost may get reduced [11].  Total body height = 654 mm
 Foot ring height = 180 mm
2. RESEARCH MODEL  Foot ring Diameter(inner) = 300 mm
The focus of this paper is on designing and selecting  Foot ring Diameter(outer) = 294 mm
the best possible material for LPG cylinders. According  Thickness for foot ring = 3 mm
to a study of the literature on alternative materials for  Handle Diameter (inner) = 220 mm
LPG cylinders and research has been conducted.  Handle Diameter (outer) = 226 mm
However, certain simple customer specifications, such as  Thickness for handle = 3 mm
fuel level, rust-free, and less weight, must still be met.  Thickness calculation for Aluminum cylinder
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders fabricated of Here, Test pressure 𝑃ℎ = 60 MPa
steel, aluminum 6061T6 alloy, and glass-epoxy were Inner diameter, 𝐷𝑖 = 300 mm
subjected to finite element analysis. Material yield strength, Re = 276 MPa
SOLIDWORKS2016 is used to create the models, which Friction factor, F = 0.95
are then imported into ANSYS. A cylinder with internal Stress reduction factor, Z = 1
pressure is subjected to a finite element analysis. The 𝐷𝑖 10∗𝐹∗𝑍∗𝑅𝑒−√3∗𝑃ℎ
Thickness, t= [1 − √ ] (ISO 7886)
results of the ANSYS study are contrasted to traditional 2 10∗𝐹∗𝑍∗𝑅𝑒
mathematical formulations. The weight of the cylinders 300 (10∗0.95∗1∗276)−(√3∗60)
is calculated, and the material with the least weight is = 2
[1 − √ 10∗0.95∗1∗276
]
chosen for the new LPG cylinder. =3.00 mm
 Dimensions of composite cylinder
2.1 Calculating the Shape of the Cylinder
 Inner diameter = 300 mm
Consider a 17.5kg LPG cylinder, which is typically
21.9kg. 17.5kg is the safe limit for the cylinder. The point  Outer diameter = 307.2 mm
 Main cylinder thickness = 3.6 mm
to be noted is that we could not find any detailed
 Cylindrical body height = 354 mm
dimension of cylinders, so therefore some dimensions are
assumed, however, we think it is close to the standard.  Dome height= 150 mm
 Body height = 654 mm
 Dimensions of low carbon steel cylinder,
 Inner diameter = 300 mm  Thickness calculation for composite cylinder
 Outer diameter = 305 mm Here, Test pressure, 𝑃ℎ = 60 MPa
© ICMERE 2021
 Inner diameter, 𝐷𝑖 = 300 mm  Aluminum 6061-T6 cylinder:
Material yield strength, Re = 220 MPa
Stress reduction factor, Z = 1

𝐷𝑖 10∗𝑍∗𝑅𝑒−√3∗𝑃ℎ
Thickness, t = 2
[1 − √ 10∗𝑍∗𝑅𝑒
]
𝟑𝟎𝟎 (𝟏𝟎∗𝟏∗𝟐𝟐𝟎)−(√𝟑∗𝟔𝟎)
= 𝟐
[𝟏 − √ 𝟏𝟎∗𝟏∗𝟐𝟐𝟎
]
= 3.6mm
Fig 2: Graphical dimension & isometric view of
designed aluminum cylinder.
Table 1: Material Properties [14]
 Composite cylinder:
Properties Low Aluminum Glass
Carbon 6061 T6 epoxy
steel
Density 7.80 2.70 1.45
kg/𝐦𝐦𝟑 kg/𝐦𝐦𝟑 kg/𝐦𝐦𝟑
Tensile 260 MPa 276 MPa 220 MPa
strength,
yield
Tensile 650 MPa 310 MPa 600 MPa
strength, Fig 3: Graphical dimension & isometric view of
ultimate designed composite cylinder.
Poisson’s 0.29 0.33 0.33
ratio 2.3 FE Analysis using ANSYS
Modulus of 200 GPa 68.9 GPa 60 GPa In engineering consulting conversations, the term
elasticity FEA often comes up, especially when talking about the
Stress 1 1 1 most effective FEA software to use for engineering
reduction projects. We’ve done our share of throwing around the
factor term, but want to require a step back and define it.
FEA (finite element analysis), a commonly used method
for multi-physics problems. Finite element analysis is
2.2 3D Modeling with SOLIDWORKS defined as a numerical method that provides solutions to
Nowadays, most companies and organizations are problems that may rather be difficult to get. In simple
increasingly using SolidWorks to design, engineer, and terms, FEA is a faster technique that gets results to
evaluate their products or systems, before manufacturing problems that are hard to solve.
and saving a significant production time and cost. At its most elementary level, FEA answers the question:
SolidWorks is the better choice when working on the 3D if we apply a force on a solid, what are the value of
design it is a strong modeler that is used for 3D design stresses, strains, and displacement at each material point?
applications and a parametric framework. SolidWorks For the non-science people, FEA tells us where an object
supports the standard 2D processes and provides design is prone to break or strain in a way, making it unsafe or
engineers to easy develop manufacturing drawings, unusable.
assembly drawings, and manufacturing documentation Determining stress intensity factors of a load upon a
with ease. given object is the most common FEA problem involves.
This will lead to taking the shape of structure analysis,
 Low carbon steel cylinder: solid mechanic analysis, dynamics, thermal analysis,
electrical analysis, biomaterials, etc.
FEA calculates component displacements, strains, and
stresses under internal and external loads upon an object
using displacement formulation. Most FEA calculations
involved metallic components. These components are
analyzed by either linear or nonlinear stress analysis.
Choosing linear or nonlinear depends upon how far you’d
wish to push the planning.
Fig 1: Graphical dimension & isometric view of FEA is a very important part of the product design and
designed low carbon steel cylinder. development process. It identifies where problems may
occur to the product or object. FEA mathematically
calculates the problem areas of an object, saving
engineers the time and energy needed to create a physical
prototype. Prototype tests don't provide the sort of
numerical information that FEA does, making the
product development process longer. FEA software saves

© ICMERE 2021
time and energy for engineers—they can tweak the
planning-supported FEA calculations. [13]
For these three models with three different materials,
First, we imported the cylinder model from
SOLIDWORKS which is already saved as an IGIS type
of file. After importing the cylinder model, we put in (a) (b) (c)
engineering data and additional requirement data to set
up the simulation. Fig 6: longitudinal stress in a) low carbon steel
b) aluminum c) composite cylinder.
 Mesh: As it is FE analysis, there is a need to mesh
the model. The analysis model should be meshed  Equivalent Stress: Equivalent stress is the
after importing the model from SOLIDWORKS to combination of hoop stress and longitudinal stress. It
set up the simulation. referred to the average stress act on the cylinder face.
An internal pressure 1MPa is applied inside of the
Table 2: Meshing size, number of nodes, number of cylinder and selects the faces for its working area.
elements of three cylinders. Later, desired simulation values come out. The red
area of the cylinder indicates the maximum
equivalent stress and periodically the blue color
Low Aluminum Composite
indicates the minimum equivalent stress of the
carbon
cylinder. The simulation results are shown below:
steel
1 Meshing 10 mm 10 mm 10 mm
size
2 Number of 137481 48348 20220
nodes
3 Number of 69053 96314 40234 (a) (b) (c)
elements
Fig 7: Equivalent stress in a) low carbon steel
b) aluminum c) composite cylinder.

 Radial Deformation: This is the result of applying an

internal pressure of 1MPa (according to the LPG
pressure inside the cylinder) to the cylinder. Here,
(a) (b) (c) the red area shows the maximum deformation points
of the cylinder and continues to the blue color area
Fig 4: a) low carbon steel b) aluminum c) composite is the minimum deformation area of the cylinder.
cylinder after mesh. Simulation results are shown below:

 Hoop Stress: An internal pressure 1MPa is applied

inside of the cylinder and selects the faces for its
working area. Later, desired simulation values come
out. The red area of the cylinder indicates the
maximum hoop stress and periodically the blue color (a) (b) (c)
indicates the minimum hoop stress of the cylinder.
The simulation results are shown below: Fig 8: Radial deformation in a) low carbon steel
b) aluminum c) composite cylinder.

 Longitudinal Deformation: This is the result of

applying an internal pressure of 1MPa (according to
the LPG pressure inside the cylinder) to the cylinder.
(a) (b) (c) Here, the red area shows the maximum deformation
points of the cylinder and continues to the blue color
Fig 5: Hoop stress in a) low carbon steel b) aluminum area is the minimum deformation area of the cylinder.
c) composite cylinder.

 Longitudinal stress: An internal pressure of 1MPa is

applied inside the cylinder, and the faces for its
working area are chosen. Later, desired simulation (a) (b) (c)
values come out. The red area of the cylinder
indicates the maximum longitudinal stress and Fig 9: Longitudinal deformation in a) low carbon steel
periodically the blue color indicates the minimum b) aluminum c) composite cylinder.
longitudinal stress of the cylinder. The simulation
results are shown below:
© ICMERE 2021
2.4 THEORETICAL ANALYSIS & CALIBRATION Table 3: FEA Results.
To compare with the values obtained from FE
analysis using ANSYS, we have also calculated hoop Stresses Low Aluminum Composite
stress, longitudinal stress, equivalent stress, radial carbon 6061-T6 cylinder
deformation, longitudinal deformation theoretically. The steel cylinder
equations used, cylinder
𝑃𝐷
Hoop Stress, 𝜎ℎ = 𝑖 Hoop stress 61.81 51.59 MPa 42.67 MPa
2𝑡
𝑃𝐷𝑖 MPa
Longitudinal stress, 𝜎𝑙 =
4𝑡 Longitudinal 40.96 32.77 MPa 26.81 MPa
Equivalent Stress = √(𝜎ℎ 2 + 𝜎𝑙 2 ) − (𝜎ℎ ∗ 𝜎𝑙 ) stress MPa
Radial deformation = 2 [
1 𝑃𝐷𝑖 2 (2−𝜈)
] (change in radius) Equivalent 54.18 45.36 MPa 37.82 MPa
4𝑡𝐸
1 𝑃𝐷𝑖(1−2𝜈)𝐿
stress MPa
Longitudinal deformation = 2[ 4𝑡𝐸
](change in half Longitudinal 0.04 0.08 mm 0.05 mm
of the length) deformation mm
Radial 0.04 0.09 mm 0.09 mm
2.5 Weight Calculation deformation mm
Weight is the relative density of a body or the amount
of matter it contains, which causes a downward force; the Table 4: Theoretical Results.
heaviness of an object or item. Here I calculated the
empty cylinder weight except for the foot ring, handle, Stresses Low Aluminum Composite
and other additional things. This is known as a cylinder's carbon 6061-T6 cylinder
tare weight. steel cylinder
As the cylinder has two portions, one is cylindrical and cylinder
one is spherical. So, we considered both portions for the Hoop stress 60 MPa 50 MPa 41.66 MPa
weight calculation. Equations used for weight calculation, Longitudinal 30 MPa 25 MPa 20.83 MPa
stress
The volume of the cylindrical portion = 𝜋 (𝑟𝑜 2 − 𝑟𝑖 2 )ℎ Equivalent 51.96 43.30 MPa 36.07 MPa
4
Volume of spherical portion = 3 𝜋 (𝑟𝑜 3 − 𝑟𝑖 3 ) stress MPa
Total volume, V = (Volume of cylindrical portion + Longitudinal 0.02 0.04 mm 0.04 mm
Volume of spherical portion) deformation mm
∴ Weight of the cylinder = Density * Total volume Radial 0.035 0.09 mm 0.08 mm
= 𝜌*V deformation mm

2.6 Strength Calculation Table 5: Weight of Cylinders

Strength is an object's or substance's ability to tolerate Low carbon steel cylinder 12.16 kg
a lot of force or strain. We calculated the strength of Aluminum cylinder 5 kg
cylinders by using their weight to respective stresses. Composite cylinder 3.2 kg
Because it is more accurate, the stress values are taken
from the cylinder's FE analysis. Histogram graphs are made to understand the changes in
Specific strength according to hoop strength values as we are using different materials to manufacture
Maximum hoop stress the cylinder. The FEA values are more accurate from
= Weight of Cylinder
theoretical solutions as they are derived from numerical
solutions.
Specific strength according to longitudinal stress
Maximum longitudinal stress
= Weight of Cylinder

Specific strength according to equivalent stress

Maximum equivalent stress
= Weight of Cylinder

3. RESULTS & DISCUSSIONS

LPG cylinders have different parameters that indicate

the safety factors. Every parameter is important. In this Fig 8: Comparison of all types of stress.
research, different types of parameters are examined and
the following results have been obtained for three For a 17.5 kg LPG cylinder, the graph explicitly shows
different materials. the three stresses (hoop stress, equivalent stress, and
longitudinal stress) for three different materials. The
graph clearly shows that all three stress values for LCS
are higher than the other two materials. Since the distance
is so little, we can quickly close the gap by changing a
© ICMERE 2021
 few process parameters. 5. REFERENCES

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquefied_petroleum
_gas ( DOA: 10 April,2021).
[2] httpswww.alibaba.comproduct-detail22Kg-
Cooking-Gas-Cylinder-LPG-
Gas_60175790423.html ( DOA: 11 April,2021).
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_cylinder ( DOA:
12 April,2021).
[4] Shen, C. (1995), "filament-wound structure
technology overview," Materials Chemistry and
Fig 9: Comparison of specific strength Physics, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 96-100.
[5] Mackerle, J. (2002), “Finite elements in the
From the graph above, as compared to the low carbon analysis of pressure vessels and piping, an
steel cylinder, aluminum 6061 T6, and composite addendum: a bibliography (1998-2001),”
cylinder specific strength, it is apparent that the International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping,
composite LPG cylinder has the highest specific strength. Vol. 79, No. 1, pp. 1-26.
As a result, it is suggested that using glass epoxy [6] E. 0. Bergman, (1996), The Design of Vertical
(composite materials) is a better choice. Pressure Vessels Subjected to Applied Forces.
[7] H. Mayer and H.L. Stark, S. Ambrose, (2000),
Design procedures for pressure Vessel,
International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping,
Vol 77, Pages 775–781.
[8] Alberto Coriglianoa, Egidio Rizzib, Enrico Papaa,
“Experimental characterization and numerical
simulations of a syntactic-foam/glass-fibre
composite sandwich”, Composites Science and
Technology, Volume 60/11, pp. 2169–2180, 2000.
Fig 10: Comparison of deformation [9] Nikhil Kumar Mahraur and Nilamber Kumar
Singh, (2009), Household LPG Cylinder: Effects of
According to figure 10, the deformation of the low different heads and Impact analysis using ANSYS.
carbon steel cylinder is minimal in comparison to the [10] Kaptan A. and Kisioglu Y., Determination of burst
other two cylinders. But the difference is not much pressures and failure locations of LPG cylinders,
greater. Pressure Vessels and Piping, 84, 451-459, 2007.
However, the benefit of the composite cylinder over steel [11] Stress Analysis of Domestic Composite LPG
and aluminum cylinders is that the composite cylinders Cylinder Using Classical Lamination Theory (CLT).
are extremely light. They are better than many other [12] Alok Tom, Geo Mathew Pius, George Joseph,
options because they are resistant to explosions. It's easy Jacob Jose and Mathew J Joseph “Design And
to use and stackable. It is resistant to external influences Analysis Of Lpg Cylinder”.
and impacts. It's easy to sweep. The material is UV [13] https://blog.rgbsi.com/what.isfea#:~:text=FEA%2
immune, which means it won't fade in the light. The low 0stands%20for%20finite%20element,that%20are
production cost gives the company a competitive edge in %20hard%20to%20solve.(DOA: 24 April, 2021)
the industry. [14] http://www.matweb.com/ (DOA: 20 April, 2021)

4. CONCLUSIONS

Aluminum alloy and glass epoxy both are ideal for 6. NOMENCLATURE
replacing steel cylinders, according to the study, and
these cylinders can handle more stress than steel Symbol Meaning Unit
cylinders. Since these cylinders have a lower degradation Di Inner diameter (K)
risk than steel cylinders, their life span would be doubled. P Internal pressure (MPa)
Conventional steel cylinders used for domestic t Thickness Mm
applications are not manufactured in a single joint but are v Poison’s ratio Dimensio
welded. While composite cylinders are made from nless
composite, composite components cannot be welded like E Modulus of elasticity MPa
steel cylinders. Compared to steel cylinders, composite ro Outer radius Mm
cylinders are more expensive. If mass production of 𝜌 Density kg/𝑚3
composite cylinders is done then the cost may get
reduced. When comparing aluminum and glass epoxy,
glass epoxy might be superior to aluminum due to its
lighter weight, higher strength, and lower stress
generation.

© ICMERE 2021

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