A novel design space concept for design of concrete foundation supporting chemical reactors

Abstract

PurposeThis paper presents a novel concept for design of concrete support system for chemical reactors used in refineries and petrochemical plants. Graphical method is described that can be used to size the concrete base and piling system. Recommendations are also provided to optimize the parameters required for the design. The procedure is illustrated for design of two reactor models commonly used in gas recovery units.Design/methodology/approachDesign space representation for the foundation system is described for chemical reactors with variable heights. The key points of the design graph are extracted from the numerical finite element models. The reactor load is idealized at discrete points to transfer the loads to the piles. Bilateral spring system is used to model the soil restrains.FindingsThe graphical approach is economical and provides the design engineer the flexibility to select the foundation parameters from wide range of options.Practical implicationsThe concept presented in the paper can be utilized by engineers in the industry for design of chemical reactors. It must be noted that little guidelines are currently available in practice addressing the structural design aspects.Originality/valueA novel concept is presented in this paper based on significant industrial design experience of reactor supports. Using the described method leads to significant cost savings in material quantity and engineering time.