Description

A spherical ASME pressure vessel for bulk storage of pressurised and refrigerated liquefied gases. Built to order: capacity, design pressure, design temperature and service are set at specification, not fixed on this listing.

A sphere is the strongest shape a pressure vessel can take. Internal pressure acts uniformly over a spherical surface, so stress is distributed evenly with no concentration at a corner or a knuckle, and a sphere presents less external surface for a given volume than any other shape, which reduces heat gain from the surroundings. Fewer seams means fewer weak points. Fabrication costs more than a cylinder, which is why spheres appear at large capacities where that premium is repaid.

Typical service is ammonia, propylene, LPG, butadiene and similar products stored as liquids below their boiling point at pressure. Vessels in refrigerated service run well below ambient, which makes the insulation system a design problem in its own right: the shell contracts as it cools and the diameter shrinks, so the insulation has to accommodate that dimensional change, and any moisture reaching the cold surface will condense and attack the system from the inside.

This is engineered plant, not a catalogue item. Capacity, design pressure, minimum design metal temperature, code stamp, connections, insulation, relief sizing and foundation all follow from the service, and the price quoted here reflects a specified build rather than a stock item. Tell us the product, the volume and the design conditions, and expect the specification to be settled with a pressure vessel engineer before anything is committed.