PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 1 of 24

Introduction

The 2005 version of PVElite introduces an updated user interface. The interface is the area on
the screen where you, the user enter all the information such as dimensions, materials and
temperatures etc. For those of you who are familiar with the previous user interface, there are a
number of changes to which you will need to become accustomed.

To make matters clear, we shall deal with the most important features of the new interface, and
show the step by step procedures required to get a model built. We do not cover every aspect of
the data entry, but will provide you enough information for you to understand the basic principles,
after which, you will be able to perform any task. Remember, this is only a ‘Quick Start’
procedure. Further details in operating the program are to be found in the on line documentation.

Also, a little experimentation on your part will soon have you up and running with confidence. So,
let us begin…..

A Quick Look Around

Once you have PVElite up and running, you will see a screen that will look very much like this:

Before getting into any details let us simply build a simple vertical vessel. Our first attempt is a
vessel with 3 parts as shown below:
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Now, you must understand this important principle:

The vessel is built in PVElite from the bottom to the

top. Or, the case of a horizontal vessel, from left to
right. We shall consider building a horizontal vessel
later.

Below we show how the vessel is built component

by component:

This is how the vessel is built:

Let us now built the model of this vessel using PVElite:

Component Buttons

Near the top of the main input window, there is a row of buttons that look like this:

Working from left to right, the components referred are:

Cylindrical Shell

Ellipse Head (Ellipsoidal Head)

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Torispherical Head (F & D Head)

Hemispherical Head

Conical Head or Transition

Welded Flat Head

We shall not deal with the remaining icons (buttons) here, as I am sure you are anxious to start
building your first vessel. Before we leave this subject however, if you let your mouse cursor
hover over any of the buttons, you will get a ‘tool tip’, which briefly describes the function of the
button. In the case of the ellipse head button, the tool tip would look like this:

Building the vessel from the bottom up

1 Bottom head: Click the ellipse head button:

2 Main shell: Click the cylinder button:

3 Top head: Click the ellipse head button:

If you now look at the right hand window, you should see the see the 3D model, which will look
somewhat like this:

Window Divider

You will see that you get two models on the screen. On the left we have a 2D model, and on the
right we have a 3D model. By moving the adjustable Window Divider, you can enlarge or
reduce the left or right window; you can slide the window divider left or right. To do this, simply
place your mouse cursor over the frame, hold down the left mouse button, and slide the vertical
window divider left or right to suit your purpose.

What about the dimensions

Now, the actual height and other dimensions are probably not what you want for your vessel.
PVElite made certain assumptions as you built the model, including diameter, thicknesses,
lengths and materials.
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Let us look for a moment at the assumptions. Before we look at the dimensions, please click your
mouse on the bottom head, either on the 2D or 3D model. This will select the bottom head as
the current component.

If you look at the 2D model (Left model window), you will see that it has turned a light green color.
It looks like this:

Let us look at the dimension PVElite chose for the current component (light green in the
1
illustration above. The details will look like this :
2
Here are the major assumptions :

Inside Diameter: 96 inches

Straight Flange: 0.1667 feet – 2 ins
Finished Thickness: 0.2500 inches
Internal Corrosion: 0.125 inches
External Corrosion: 0
Internal Pressure: 100 psi
External Pressure: 15 psi
O
Temperatures: 100 F
Head Aspect Ratio 2.000 (Aspect Ratio)

There is other information, but let us now

make some changes to suit our vessel. First
we change the dimensions and the pressure:

New Values:

Inside Diameter: 60 inches

Finished Thickness: 0.5000 inches
Internal Corrosion: 0.0625 inches
External Corrosion: 0.0625 inches
Internal Pressure: 120 psi
O
Temperatures: 200 F

1
Your screen may look different, but follow along, and it will all become clear
2
If you are accustomed to working in the metric system, just follow along, we shall address that
situation shortly.
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Let us first change the diameter. Follow these simple steps:

Click on the left side of the dimension field so that it looks like this:

Note: The field description is highlighted in blue. Make sure you get this highlight effect.

Now simply enter the new diameter by typing ‘60’, after which the field will look like this:

Now press the <Enter> key on your keyboard twice, and this will move the cursor down to the
next field. Like this:

As you do not want to change the straight flange, press the <Enter> key again, you now get to the
thickness field. As in the case of changing the diameter, enter the new thickness ‘0.5’ and press
the <Enter> key twice. You should be able to complete the entries for you new dimensions, until
your input screen looks like this:

Make sure you have the same dimensions as shown above.

Material Specification

Let us change the material from SA-516 70 to SA 240 316L. This is simple, but follows the steps
carefully.

Click on the material button near the top of the screen. It looks like this:
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A new screen opens up that looks like this:

Grey Bar

In the field called: ‘Material Search String’, type in ‘SA240316L’. Don’t worry about spaces and
dashes. The material in the upper window will have a grey bar highlighting the first instance of the
material. Click on the grey bar to get this screen shown below:
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This screen gives you information about the material you have chosen. Simply click on the
‘Select’ button, and the material for your bottom head will have been changes as follows:

Updating the other components in the vessel

So far, we have updated the bottom head with the new data. Also, if you look at the screen you
will this odd looking vessel:
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 8 of 24

The vessel looks like this because the remaining components (main shell and top head) have not
had their data fields updated. We are going to use a short cut to copy the values for the bottom
to the remaining components.

This is the ‘Share’ button, located near the top of the screen:

Click on this button to get the following screen:

Notice the boxes that have been

checked. The checks indicate that
the items to which they refer will be
shared with all the other upper
3
components . Make sure you have
checked all and only the boxes
shown as being checked on the left.

Now click the ‘OK’ button, and all the

components should be updated to
the new data.

Your model now looks more realistic. You can see that at least the diameter of the bottom head
has been shared with the main shell and top head.

3
We discuss NODE numbers later. Just follow along for the time being.
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The Status Bar at the bottom of the screen

So far, we have only entered the data relevant to our vessel, and produced the model on the
screen. Let us now have a look at what computed data is available to us.

Select the main shell by clicking on it in either the 2D or 3D model. Your screen should look like
this:

If you look at the input data screen to the left, you will see that
the information has been updated to copy the information from
the bottom head.

Look at the bottom of the screen to the status bar. It looks like this:

The status bar gives us a lot of information for the selected component. Let us consider the fields
from left to right:

El# 2 of 3 : This is component number 2 of 3 components (from the bottom)

Fr: 0.17 to: 4.17 ft : This element spans from 0.17 ft to 4.17 ft from the datum line
Up : Do not worry about this field for the time being
Tr: 0.340 : This is the computed thickness for the internal pressure (120 psi)
Mawp: 206.8 : This is the MAWP for this element (206.8 psi)
MAPnc: 275.6 : Maximum allowable pressure new and cold (275.6 psi)
Trext: 0.327 : The computed thickness for the external pressure
Slen: 23.9 ft : The maximum unsupported length for the external pressure

Let us now see what happens when there is a problem with an element.

Go to the ‘Finished Thickness’ field, and change the thickness from 0.5 inches to 0.31 inches.

Now look at the status bar at the bottom of the screen. It now looks like this:

The required thickness for the internal and external pressures now appears in red, indicating that
there is a problem. In our case, the problem is the thickness. It is not adequate.

Change the thickness back to ‘0.5’ inches, to render the status bar values in black lettering.
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 10 of 24

The Output Processor

Now we have built our simple model, we need to get the complete details of the calculations
performed by PVElite. At the top of the screen there is a button that looks like this:

Click this button. We now get the ‘Output Processor’ as follows:

Your screen may look different, but it can easily be changed to look like the illustration above.

The left window has the heading ‘Report List’. In the right window, we are told ‘There are no
Reports Selected for Viewing’. In the left hand window, click on ‘Internal Pressure Calculations’
The right hand window now shows the results of the item you selected in the left hand window.
The output window now looks as shown below:
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You can scroll up and down to look at the complete calculation for the internal pressure
computations.

Generating and Printing the final pressure vessel report

The illustration above shows the output only for the ‘Internal Pressure Calculations’. How do we
get all the information? To select the items you want included in your final report do the following:

Hold down the <Control> button on your keyboard, and while holding it down, click on the items
you want included in the ‘Report List’ (left) window. Your selected items will be highlighted with a
blue background like this (for example):
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 12 of 24

Once these items are selected, you are ready to generate the report.

If you simply want to send the output to a printer, then you need only click this button (the print to
printer button):

This will print the report immediately with page numbers and headings on each page.

There are other options. For example, you may find it convenient to send the output to MS-
TM TM
Word . Provided you have MS-Word installed on your computer, this is a simple process.
This time, click this button:
TM
This will send the selected output result to MS-Word .

This feature allows you, the user to edit the results, and add your own notes.

You can also send the output to a text file. This time, from the file menu at the top of the screen,
select ‘Print to file’:

You will be asked for a file name. This will be a text file with a filename extension of .txt. You will
TM TM
be able to access this file with any text editor such as Notepad , or MS-Word . When you send
the output to a text file, all the colored text will be lost, and will simply be in black type.
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 13 of 24

Data Input – Other information

If you look at the bottom of the Data Input screen, you will see a series of tabs that look like this:

If you look carefully at these tabs, you will see that the left most tab is currently selected. The full
name of this tab is: ‘General Input’. This tab refers to the the basic dimensional, pressure,
temperature and material section for the currently selected element. Let us now look at the other
tabs:

If we now click the ‘Heading’ tab we get the following screen:

We have entered form information to demonstrate what can be typed in the first three fields
(Lines 1,2 and 3). In the final output, whether sent to the printer, or to MS-WordTM, the three
lines will appear at the top of each and every page of the report like this:
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 14 of 24

There is another field also while we have the ‘Heading’ tab selected. This is this one:

Click the little button to the right (see the arrow in the above illustration) to have this screen open
up:

Design Constraints (Global Settings in PVElite)

Enter any information you care to, and it will be printed on the Title Page when sent to the printer
or to a file. This will over write the information PVElite would otherwise print as its default. If in th
output processor you select the title page, it will now look like this:

Let us now investigat the the ‘Design Constraints Tab’. It is this one:
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 15 of 24

This tab allows us to set the default values for the entire vessel. Let us look at some of the main
fields:

By entering the pressures and temperatures

in these first four fields, PVElite will use these
values as the default values for the whole
vessel. This saves time later.

The datum field.

If you look at your 3D model on the screen it will look something likd this:

PVElite has located the datum line at

the tangent line of the bottom head. We
can change the location of the datum
line at anytime to move it to a more
convenient location to suit your
purpose. Let us do this now to see
what happens:

Set the datum line to 3 feet up from its current location:

The model now looks like this:

Once you have a skirt attached to the bottom of the vessel you may wish to mover the datum line
to the bottom of the skirt as it may be more convenient.

Hydrotest Type and Position of the hydrotest:

From the drop down box, you can tell PVElite how it must calculate the hydrotest pressure
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 16 of 24

The next box also allows you to let PVElite know which position the vessel will be ini during the
hydrotest:

These are the choices you have available to you:

Tall towers for example, are usually hydrotested in the horizontal position. PVElite has to
compute the hydrostatic pressure from the water in the vessel at hydrotest time. If the vessel is
tested in the vertical position, the pressure at the bottom of the vessel will be greater than if the
vessel is tested in the horizontal position. Give careful consideration to the position that is
appropriate to your situation.

Nozzle Projections:

Enter the nozzle projection from the surface of the vessel pressure envelope. This information is
used by PVElite to compute any extra liquid level where the nozzle project higher than the vessel
envelope. This information is fairly straight forward, and needs no further explanation.

Minimum Metal Temperature:

Enter the minimum metal temperature. This temperature will be applied to the whole vessel. In
the case of carbon steel vessels, this temperature is very important. Where vessels are operating
at low temperature, the material and weldments may need to be impact tested (UG-34 and UCS
66 of ASME Division 1). Also, using normalized materials may enhance the low temperature
properties of the materials of construction.

PVElite computes the minimum allowable metal temperature, and compares it with the required
minimum metal temperature.

Flange Distance to Top:

Enter the distance from the centerline/face of flange to the top of the vessel. This value will be
used in case the flanges govern the MAP of the vessel. If the vessel is being in the vertical
position and the vessel is being tested in accordance with UG-99 c, this value will used in
conjunction with the flange projection from top to determine the total static head to subtract for the
type hydrostatic test.
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Construction Type:

The meanings are fairly obvious. It is most likely that the default ‘Welded’ is used about 99.9 %
of the time. That is why it is the default setting.

Service Type:

The type of service is specific to ASME Section VIII, Division 1. The code (Section UW) imposes
special requirements for vessels in lethal and steam services. This is usually left at the default
value of ‘None’

Degree of Radiography:

From the drop down box, click on the appropriate degree of radiography. PVElite does NOT
automatically set the joint factor (E) from this global selection.

Design Code:

PVEite allows the user to perform vessel calculations in several pressure vessel codes.

The following design codes are supported by PVElite:

• ASME Section VIII, Division 1

• ASME Section VIII, Division 2
• The British PD 5500
• The European EN 13445
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 18 of 24

Once a code is selected, the user will have to re-select the materials, as each code has its own
design stress tables.

User Defined MAWP:

The ASME Section VIII, Division 1 code determes the Maximim Allowable Working Pressure
(MAWP) the vessel is able to sustain. PVElite uses the MAWP to compute the shop hydrotest
pressure and the required reinforcement for nozzle reinforcement. The code (Division 1) allows
the designer to set the MAWP to the design pressure. If you want the MAWP to be limited to a
paraticular value, then PVElite will use this value instead of the computed MAWP in its
computations. It is possible that the MAWP will exceed the allowable pressure rating of the vessel
flanges. The computed MAWP could for example force the design to increase the flanges (for
example) from Class 150 to Class 300, which could be expensive.

User Defined MAPnc:

In the cold condition, the flange ratings again could be exceeded. The user can set his own value
of Maximum Allowable Pressure New and Cold.

User Defined Hydro. Pressure:

In the case of ASME Division 1, the hydrotest pressure is computed per UG-99 with varying
degrees of severity. The user can reduce or change the hydrotest pressure. PVElite computes
the actual stresses existing in the various components during the shop hydrotest. The stresses
can be reduced by the user by setting the test pressure to a lower value.

Aditional Operating Static Pressure:

If for example, the vessel had a piping system attached, the liquid contained in the piping could
add to the design pressure. If there are other factors that raise the pressure during the operating
condition, this added pressure can be catered for.

Use Higher Longitudinal Stress:

The ASME Code (Section VIII, Division 1, Paragraph UG-23(d)) allows the allowable stress for
the combination of earthquake loading, or wind loading with other loadings to be increased by a
factor of 1.2. if the operating condition is below the following temperatures. To take advantage of
this concession, check the box as shown above. Seismic and wind loads are considered to be
occasion, whereas pressure loading is considered to be sustained.
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 19 of 24

Hydrotest, Allow Unmodified:

By default PVElite uses the hydrotest stress times the allowable stress increase factor for
occasional loads (times the joint efficiency. on the tensile side). However, for stainless steel
vessels this value is often limited to 0.9 times the yield stress. Then this field should checked in
order to use the defined value without any modification.

Consider Vortex Shedding:

If this box is checked PVElite will perform vortex shedding calculations on the vessel. This
method is documented in the National Building Code of Canada and in texts on wind engineering.
If are analyzing a tall slender vessel it may be susceptible to vortex shedding. PVElite will
compute the likelihood of this occurrence based on the research of Zorilla and Mahajan. If there is
no possibility of wind vibration and you have this box checked, PVElite will warn you that
unrealistic (high) stresses will result and give you the option to turn this calculation off at run time.

Is this a Heat Exchanger:

Note: This check box is optional.

If the Dimensional Solutions 3D file interface button is checked see above right), PVElite will write
out a text file that contains the geometry and loading information for this particular vessel design.
If this box is checked, the program will simply write this data out to the Jobname.ini file created in
the current working directory. More information about the Dimensional Solutions product line can
be found on their website at the following web site: www.Dimsoln.com

To completely define an exchanger it is necessary to enter in the required information regarding

the tubes, tubesheets and the floating head (if any). With the exchanger data, PVElite can then
compute the weights and required thicknesses of the exchanger components

Corroded Hydrotest:

By default PVElite uses the uncorroded wall thickness when the stresses on the elements during
the hydrotest are computed. In some cases it is necessary to hydrotest the vessel after it has
corroded. If you wish to use a corroded thickness in the calculations, check this box. Please note
that longitudinal stresses due to Hydrostatic test pressure will also be computed in a similar
manner.
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Hydrotest Allowable 90% Yield:

For ASME Division 1, the hydrotest allowable stress is 1.3 times the ambient allowable stress for
the material. When the vessel is tested, the largest circumferential stress should not exceed this
value. If you wish to use 90 percent of the ambient yield stress instead of 1.3 the ambient
allowable, then you can check this box.

ASME Steel Stack:

PVElite will analyze steel stacks in accordance with ASME STS-2000. A further discussion is
outside the scope of this Quick Sart document.

Let PVElite automatically select thickness / Stiffening Rings etc.:

If any of the items is set to yes, PVElite will correct the item should it fail in the analysis. For
example, if ‘Select Wall Thickness for Internal Pressure’ be set to ‘Yes’, PVElite will automatically
increase the thickness of a component should it not be thick enough.

By now, you should be able to figure out what the rest of the tabs at the bottom of the data input
screen do. A little experimentation will make their use quite cliear.

Building a Horizontal Vessel – Start a new vessel

As discussed above, the vessel is built either from bottom to top, or from left to right. Let us
quickly build a simple horizontal vessel:

On the input data screen start with the first head. Simply click on this button :

The head will look like this:

Clearly, PVElite has assumed you are building a vertical vessel, and this is the bottom head. We
need to Flip this head to enable us to build a horizontal vessel To do this, locate the ‘Flip’ button
which looks like this:

Click on this button, and the head will then be turn clockwise through 90 degress to look like this:
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 21 of 24

Now add the cylindrical shell and right hand head (as shown in the beginning of this document),
until the vessel looks like this:

The rest of the design is can be completed from here.

Inserting a Component

As discussed above, a vessel is built from the bottom to the top, or from left to right. Often a
component is missing, and has to be inserted into the model. The procedure is very simple.

These are the steps you must take:

• Select the item on your model (click on the component in the 2D model is easiest). The
selected component will turn light green.
• Near the top of the screen click on the insert button:
• A new screen opens up:

• In the upper frame select the type of element you wish to insert
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• In the lower frame, determine if you want the inserted element to inserted before (below
or to the left) or after (above or to the right) of the formerly selected element.
• If you experiment, it will all become quite cliear.

Deleting a Component

The steps are very simple:

• Select the item you wish to delete (make sure there are no nozzles in this element). The
selected element will turn light green in the 2D model.
• Click the delete button:
• Then follow the on screen instructions.

What is meant by Node Numbers

This is a very important topic. All elements that make up a vessel exist between nodes. At the
top of the input screen you will see a box that looks lke this:

Every main element (not attachments such as nozzles etc) has two nodes. Consider these two
vessels shown below:

Notice that every element from the bottom to the top, or from the left to the right exists between
two node numbers. There is a ‘From Node’, and there is a ‘To Node’. In the case of the bottom
(or left) head the nodes are situated at the tangent line and the weld line.

The PVElite Help System

PVElite has an extensive on screen help system. Let us once your cursor is sitting in a particular
field, and you want information about that field. You can press the ‘F1’ key on your keyboard, and
instant help is availlable. Also, the complete user manual is available at any time you need it. To
ger the on screen user manual, click on ‘Help’ in the menu line, and select ‘View Documentation’
PVElite 2005 version Quick Start Page 23 of 24

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of our Quick Start discussion. If you work you way through this
document, you will be able to build just about any type of vessel you please.