Major fixes available with version 2018.2

Opening reinforcement, ASME VIII Division 1

In version 2018.2 some corrections have been introduced to the calculation of the reinforcement of the openings of Division 1. Some of these corrections can lead to the reduction of the area available for reinforcement, particularly:

• External corrosion was not considered correctly in previous versions. It is possible that, if the nozzle or shell are exposed to external corrosion, the area that contributes to the reinforcement is reduced. It is possible to restore the calculation to the previous state by removing or reducing external corrosion. This problem can be identified by checking the difference between a previous calculation and the current one, in the “net thicknesses” section.
• The calculation of the welds of the nozzles has been corrected for some configurations: the corrosion is now correctly considered while a check has been introduced to satisfy the verification of the minimum sum between internal and external weld fillet sizes

Further corrections may lead to an increase in the available area, in particular:

• The minimum required net thickness of the nozzle was overestimated when calculating with F=0.5: opening diameter was used in lieu of nozzle diameter. This behavior has now been corrected.

Opening reinforcement, EN13445

The calculation of the area to be compensated when there are oblique or off-center nozzles has been corrected. The “additional area due to obliquity” was previously set to zero, now this value is correctly calculated. The area to be compensated could therefore increase.

Platforms, area exposed to wind

Until now, the surface area exposed to the wind for this kind of component has always been optional. We have decided to make it mandatory, so as to make the user more aware of the need to insert this data, which can sometimes be a determinant in the presence of considerable exposed surfaces. Upon opening, the files containing this component will show validation errors for “missing required properties”. Simply open the “platform” components and then enter a non-zero value in “External Loads”> “Area exposed to wind”. The requested value is the surface area of the portion of platform section that is outside the vessel’s section.