Design of Lifting
Design of Lifting
a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t
Article history: Lifting attachments for the erection of large diameter and heavy wall pressure vessels require special
Available online xxx consideration to ensure that their attachment to their vessel shells or heads do not overstress the vessel
during the erection process when lifting these from grade onto their respective foundations. Today, in
Keywords: refinery and petrochemical services, large diameter vessels with diameters ranging up to 15 m and re-
Bolted top head lifting lugs actors with lifting weights in the range of 700e1400 tons are not uncommon. In today's fabrication
Welded lifting lugs
market, these vessels may be purchased and fabricated in shops dispersed globally and will require
Lifting trunnions
unique equipment for their safe handling, transportation and subsequent erection. The challenge is to
Tailing lugs
design the lifting attachments in such a manner that the attachments provide a safe, cost effective and
effective solution based upon the limitations of the job site lift equipment available for erection. Such
equipment for the transportation and subsequent lifting of large diameter and heavy wall pressure
equipment is usually scarce and quite expensive. Planning ahead, well in advance of the lift date is almost
a mandatory requirement.
Usually, the specific parameters of the vessel to be lifted and the lifting equipment available at the site
will dictate the type of lifting attachments to be designed for the vessel. Once the type of vessel
attachment has been chosen, careful consideration must be given to the design of attachments to the
pressure vessel in consideration to ensure that the vessel and lifting components are not overstressed
during the lifting process. The paper also discusses different types of lifting attachments that may be
attached to each end of the vessel either by bolting or welding and discusses the pros and cons of each.
The paper also provides an example of a finite element analysis (FEA) of a top nozzle, a FEA of a pair of
lifting trunnions and a FEA of welded on lifting lugs for buried pipe. The purpose of the paper is to outline
the effects on the vessel due to different types of lifting attachments in combination with the lifting
parameters. It is not the intent of the paper to provide guidance on lifting lug design.
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction the thick wall and large diameter thin wall vessels present their
own unique challenges for erection and must be given due
There can be a number of unique challenges in lifting heavy wall consideration in their design for safe and economical lift solution.
vessels onto their foundations. 700 ton hydrotreating reactors and In the U.S., ASME B30.20 “Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices” [1] and
1400 ton hydrodesulfurization reactors, similar to that shown in ASME BTH-1 “Design of Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices” [2]
Fig. 1 are common in refinery service. Likewise, large diameter mandate the rules related to the implementation and design of
vessels such as coke drums, fractionators, FCCU regenerators and vessel lifting lugs.
the like with diameters in the range of 10e15 m and with thinner
walls in the range of 25e50 mm are also common. However, both 2. Lift attachments-bolt on and welded
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0308-0161/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Please cite this article in press as: L.P. Antalffy, et al., The design of lifting attachments for the erection of large diameter and heavy wall pressure
vessels, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2016.02.020
2 L.P. Antalffy et al. / International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping xxx (2016) 1e10
properly selected for each lift. The stresses generated in the lifting
device and equipment must be evaluated for the imposed reactions
for the entire lifting process. The vessel designer must work closely
with the project rigging engineer in regard to the types of rigging
equipment and components such as slings, shackles, etc. The lifting
devices are broken down into 2 basic categories bolted and welded.
Flange lugs are typically welded to a flat blind and bolted to the
top and bottom equipment flange. Heavy wall vessels are prime Fig. 2. Bottom flange lug.
candidates for top flange lugs where the vessel head, nozzle and
flange diameters and thicknesses are sufficient to take the large
usually employed on large diameter thinner wall vessels with sig-
loads during the lifting process without requiring significant
nificant lift loads, such as coke drums and FCCU reactors. Typically
modifications to the existing components. Typical examples of
trunnions are in the range of 1200 mme1500 mm in diameter.
flange lugs are found in lifting heavy wall vessels such as hydro-
Similar to the welded on head lugs, a spreader bar, as shown in
cracking and hydrotreating reactors. In Fig. 1, the top head lug
Fig. 5, is typically used with the trunnions so that the lift load is
utilizes a single and double lifting lug welded to the bolt on lifting
applied vertically on each trunnion.
cover which forms the base of the lifting lug. In Fig. 2 the lugs are
welded to the side of a large diameter bottom cover on a coke drum.
2.5. Weld on lifting devices
2.3. Side mounted top or bottom lugs
Welded on lugs are usually used on towers and columns where
Side mounted lugs are typically constructed of flat rolled plate the choice of lifting lugs is not dictated by operational conditions or
welded to the upper or lower shell section and they extend past the design conditions. See Figs. 3e5 and Appendices B and C for ex-
end of the equipment. Spreader bars are typically used to eliminate amples of an analysis of weld on lift devices.
any weak axis bending of the flat plate. Side mounted lugs transmit
the load to the shell through shear and axial load. Little bending is
created in the shell for this type of welded lug attachment. See 2.6. Skirt tailing lug
Figs. 3 and 4.
Skirt tailing lugs are typically an integral part of the vessel base
2.4. Top or bottom trunnions ring. The lug can be installed between the upper and lower base
rings or can be positioned above the base ring on the skirt. Either
Trunnions (pipe attached to the outside of the equipment) can single lug or dual lugs are provided based on the skirt/base ring
be either used for the top or bottom pick points. Trunnions are analysis. See Fig. 6.
Please cite this article in press as: L.P. Antalffy, et al., The design of lifting attachments for the erection of large diameter and heavy wall pressure
vessels, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2016.02.020
L.P. Antalffy et al. / International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping xxx (2016) 1e10 3
A bottom lift frame is typically bolted to the bottom skirt. Bot- Fig. 7. Bottom lift frame.
tom lift frames can be fitted and reused for multiple lifts. See Fig. 7.
Please cite this article in press as: L.P. Antalffy, et al., The design of lifting attachments for the erection of large diameter and heavy wall pressure
vessels, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2016.02.020
4 L.P. Antalffy et al. / International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping xxx (2016) 1e10
3. Design considerations WRC-537 [3] and WRC-297 [4]. For thick vessels, such as those
found hydrocracking and hydrotreating reactors, the existing
The choice of the type of lifting lug to be used for the erection of nozzle neck and head thickness is usually sufficient to take stresses
a vessel is usually depends on many factors including the type of generated during the lift. For larger diameter thinner wall vessels
vessel, amount of dress out, thickness, diameter, weight, site con- the nozzle neck may be required to be thickened as well as utilizing
ditions, erection equipment. The choice of lug is may also be based a thicker circular central head insert plate. The insert plate thick-
on the limitations of the vessel design, including consideration of ness may end up having to be substantially thicker than the rest of
operating temperatures, post weld heat treatment, environmental the head plate. When a thicker head plate is required they are
factors, cyclic service and materials. Each type of lifting lug presents normally supplied with a 4:1 taper at the periphery of the insert
different challenges regarding the implementation of a safe design. plate to match the head thickness.
Unlike bolt on lifting devices, load testing is not required for the When using skirt tailing lugs, the skirt base plate system must
welded on lugs. be evaluated for the lift load and in many cases the skirt base ring
Welded lifting lug can readily be designed, fabricated and will most likely require stiffening in order that the pick load does
installed by fabricators. not overstress and distort the skirt. The skirt and base plate stiff-
ening may also be achieved with a bolt on device. Typical skirt
stiffening configurations are indicated in Fig. 8.
3.2. Welded on devicesedisadvantages
Some shell materials dictate the amount of preheat prior to and As with all lifting lugs, consideration must be given to the timing
during welding that must be carefully maintained. This can be of the lift. Lifts performed during cold spells or cold climates must
difficult as lugs and trunnions are normally welded manually. Many
chrome moly welds have experienced cracking resulting from
incorrect preheat and in numerous cases these have only been
found after the welds have been removed.
When removing welded on lifting lugs great care must be taken
when cutting or grinding near the pressure boundary so that the
thickness required for pressure is not removed. The removal will
require adjacent platforms or scaffolding and, when the vessel is
insulated, subsequent insulation installation after device removal.
Please cite this article in press as: L.P. Antalffy, et al., The design of lifting attachments for the erection of large diameter and heavy wall pressure
vessels, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2016.02.020
L.P. Antalffy et al. / International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping xxx (2016) 1e10 5
address the potential for a brittle fracture failure during lift. Typi-
4. Lug and equipment design criteria
cally a tough material is chosen to prevent facture. For cold climates
the lug may be post weld heat treated to lower the residual welding
Great care must be taken when determining the acceptability of
stress and be fully inspected to minimize the presence of flaws. Full
the “Lifting Device” and the “Equipment”. The design criteria and
non destructive examination (NDE) during fabrication and upon
limitations that are used for the Lifting Device and Equipment are
completion of post weld heat treatment (PWHT) is mandatory for a
not the same.
safe lift.
4.1. Lug or trunnion design
3.8. On-site weight considerations
In the U.S. the design of the below the hook components such as
When establishing the design loads for a lift, the first step is the lug itself, whether it is a bolt on lifting lug, a pair of welded
establish the weight of the equipment to be lifted, In the past this lifting lugs, a pair of lifting trunnions or tailing lugs is based on
usually meant lifting of the vessel without any additional weight ASME B30.20, Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices. As commented in
due to the internals (such as packing, trays, support beams) or the Standard, “ASME BTH-1 provides the design requirements for
external attachments (such as insulation, pipe supports, platforms), the lift component. As such, BTH-1 should be used in conjunction
however, today due to the high cost and risk of performing work at with ASME B30.20, which addresses safety requirements. The
elevation, vessels are typically dressed out to some degree. This has design criteria set forth are minimum requirements that may be
resulted in higher lift loads at the job site. In many cases the weight increased at the discretion of the qualified designer.
of the lift will be decided by the available equipment and the access Components meeting the definition of “Below-the Hook Lifting
at the job site. In some rare cases, the lift weight limitation may Devices” are designed in accordance with ASME B30.20 and also
have to be included in the original design of the equipment. ASME BTH-1and these standards are usually used as guides for the
Depending on the method of calculation the lift weight a weight design of lifting components which do not meet the definitions of
factor should be applied to account for the accuracy of the calcu- “Below-the Hook Lifting Devices”. However, for the erection of
lation. Typically a 5e10% factor is applied to the weight based on vertical vessels components required for the lift will normally meet
the lift weight. If the equipment is weighed using load cells, no lift the definition for “Below-the Hook Lifting Devices”.
factor is applied. For the bolt on lifting lugs the design of the lug, and bolting for
bending, tensile, fracture, shear (tear out) and bearing stresses in
3.9. On-site lift considerations the lug components and attachment welds are carried out in
accordance with the rules of ASME BTH-1.
Careful attention must be provided to potential interference The Impact Factor is included in the design category and an
when vessels are dressed out on the ground. Piping, platforms, and additional impact factor is not applied to the lift load when using
insulation may need to be left off so that there is no interference the calculations provided in ASME BTH-1.
with rigging equipment and cables.
Typically wind is not a design consideration during the lift, but 4.2. Vessel or equipment design
wind conditions that may be encountered during lifting and their
effect should be considered. Normally a wind speed limit is set A vessel lifting analysis is required to be carried out as the vessel
above which the lift of vessels will not be undertaken under is being lifted from its horizontal position to its vertical position.
Please cite this article in press as: L.P. Antalffy, et al., The design of lifting attachments for the erection of large diameter and heavy wall pressure
vessels, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2016.02.020
6 L.P. Antalffy et al. / International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping xxx (2016) 1e10
4.3. Recommended limitations Many factors must be taken into consideration when making the
selection of the type of lift arrangement to be used for a particular
(1) Local or general membrane stress limited to 0.9xFy piece of equipment. Not only must the limitations of the available
(2) Local or general membrane plus bending stress limited to lifting equipment and/or limited access at the job site be consid-
1.1 Fy ered, but the foremost consideration is first of all the protection of
(3) The compressive membrane stress is limited to the personnel followed by the protection of the pressure equipment
Maximum Longitudinal or Circumferential Compressive against damage during the lift process and subsequent operation.
Stress as defined in ASME Section VIII [5]. Careful consideration must be made of the impact of welded on
lugs or trunnions with respect to the safe operation of the partic-
ular piece of equipment.
Appendix A
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vessels, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2016.02.020
L.P. Antalffy et al. / International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping xxx (2016) 1e10 7
The results are shown in Table A1.1 & A1.2. The stresses at the
juncture are linearized to compare with the 0.9 Yield for membrane
and the 1.1 Yield for the membrane and bending (Material yield is
determined from Ref. [6], typical for each Appendix). As can be seen
the bending is dominant in both load cases.
Conclusion:
Table A1.1
Summary of Results.
Table A1.2
Summary of Results.
Fig. A1.4. Von Mises Stress for Vertical Lift Position (Mpa).
Please cite this article in press as: L.P. Antalffy, et al., The design of lifting attachments for the erection of large diameter and heavy wall pressure
vessels, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2016.02.020
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Fig. A1.6. von Mises Stress for Horizontal Lift Position (MPa).
Appendix B
Conclusion
Please cite this article in press as: L.P. Antalffy, et al., The design of lifting attachments for the erection of large diameter and heavy wall pressure
vessels, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2016.02.020
L.P. Antalffy et al. / International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping xxx (2016) 1e10 9
Conclusion
The local stresses which are above yield for this material are
very isolated to the tips of the gusset plates. The overall membrane
and bending stress are well below the 288.2 MPa (41.8 ksi) limit for
membrane and bending.
Fig. A2.5. von Mises Stress Trunnion/Shell/Pad (MPa). Fig. A3.1. Beam Model for Load in Welded lugs.
Table A2.1
Summary of Results
Table A2.2
Summary of Results
Appendix C
Please cite this article in press as: L.P. Antalffy, et al., The design of lifting attachments for the erection of large diameter and heavy wall pressure
vessels, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2016.02.020
10 L.P. Antalffy et al. / International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping xxx (2016) 1e10
Table A3.1
Summary of Results
Table A3.2
Summary of Results
References
Further reading
[5] ASME Section VIII Divisions 1, 2 and 3 Pressure Vessel Codes 2014, American
Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York, NY.
Please cite this article in press as: L.P. Antalffy, et al., The design of lifting attachments for the erection of large diameter and heavy wall pressure
vessels, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2016.02.020