Design and Analysis of Commercial Pressure Vessels to 500,000 Psi

Abstract

On the basis of the finiteness of the flow strength of structural materials, the pressures permitted by current methods of pressure vessel design are limited. In this paper the analysis of a new method of design of commercial large volume pressure vessels is presented. This new design, which is a controlled fluid fill, may be used for many excursions to very high pressures without failure. The pressure that may be attained seems limited only by material property changes at extreme hydrostatic pressures. Large volume commercial vessels to 500,000 psi with reasonable outer to inner diameters may be built. The controlled fluid-fill pressure vessels in addition to piercing the current upper pressure barrier is also competitive with the shrink-fit method at pressures as low as 15,000 psi.