ASME Pressure Vessels Built to Your Specifications

The primary difference is the pressure the equipment is designed to contain and the codes and standards that govern its design and fabrication.

A pressure vessel is designed to contain liquids, gases or vapors at pressures above or below atmospheric pressure. Many industrial pressure vessels in the United States are designed, fabricated, inspected and tested in accordance with ASME Section VIII, Division 1.

Storage tanks, by comparison, typically operate at or near atmospheric pressure and are used to store liquids or other materials. Depending on their size, service and operating conditions, storage tanks may be designed to standards such as API 650, API 620 or other applicable specifications.

The distinction isn't always obvious early in a project. Operating pressure, temperature, process conditions and applicable regulatory requirements can all affect how the equipment should be classified and designed. If you're unsure whether your application requires an ASME pressure vessel or a storage tank, Savannah Tank can review the design conditions with you and help determine the appropriate approach.

Yes. You do not need to provide completed fabrication drawings for Savannah Tank to design and manufacture a custom ASME pressure vessel.

Some customers come to us with detailed vessel specifications, datasheets, and drawings. Others have established the basic process requirements but need help developing those requirements into a vessel that can be engineered and fabricated.

Our engineering team can develop the mechanical design of the vessel based on the required design conditions and applicable code requirements. Depending on the project, this can include ASME code calculations, vessel dimensions and configuration, nozzle and manway arrangements, supports, jackets or coils, internal components, fabrication drawings and 3D models.

We also frequently work with customers through multiple drawing and design revisions as their projects develop. Our objective is not simply to manufacture what's on a drawing; it's to help you arrive at a practical, code-compliant design that meets your unique requirements and that can be efficiently manufactured to reduce your overall project cost.

Savannah Tank fabricates custom ASME pressure vessels in a variety of materials to meet customer-specified project requirements.

Common materials include carbon steel and 304 and 316 stainless steel, along with other stainless grades, duplex stainless steels, and corrosion-resistant alloys when required by the application.

The appropriate material of construction should be determined by the customer or their process engineer based on the process fluid, operating conditions, corrosion environment, and other application-specific requirements. We cannot provide metallurgical or chemical-compatibility recommendations.

Once suitable material options have been identified, however, we can help you understand the practical and commercial tradeoffs associated with those alternatives. For example, if both carbon steel and stainless steel would be suitable for your project, we can discuss differences in material and fabrication cost, availability, fabrication requirements, and other factors that may affect the vessel design, price, or delivery schedule.

For projects involving unusual materials, we encourage you to contact us early, as these materials often have much longer lead times.

Inspection and testing are integral parts of Savannah Tank’s ASME pressure vessel manufacturing process. Our internal quality-control team is involved throughout fabrication, maintaining material traceability and required documentation, performing rigorous in-process and final inspections, coordinating required nondestructive examination (NDE), and overseeing pressure testing and other inspection requirements established by the Code and customer specifications.

For every vessel built and stamped in accordance with ASME Section VIII, Savannah Tank’s internal QC process is supplemented by Code-required independent inspection by an Authorized Inspector (AI). The AI performs required inspections during fabrication and reviews the applicable quality-control documentation, including Code calculations, material test reports (MTRs), weld maps, welding procedures, and inspection records. At final inspection, the AI witnesses the required pressure test and reviews the completed documentation before the vessel is stamped and released.

Depending on the project, inspection and testing may include hydrostatic or pneumatic pressure testing, dimensional inspection, material verification and various forms of nondestructive examination (NDE), including:

• Radiographic testing (RT)
• Ultrasonic testing (UT)
• Liquid penetrant testing (PT)
• Magnetic particle testing (MT)
• Positive material identification (PMI)
• Ferrite testing
• Other project-specific examination methods as required

In addition to the Code-required Authorized Inspector, you are welcome to visit Savannah Tank during fabrication and inspection, and customer-appointed third-party inspectors can be accommodated when required. We can also establish customer witness points or hold points for specific manufacturing and testing activities.

If you are planning an ASME pressure vessel project, send us your datasheet, specification, inspection plan, or whatever information you have. We can review the inspection, testing, and documentation requirements with you during the quotation stage and incorporate them into the project scope, schedule, and pricing from the beginning.

Yes. Savannah Tank regularly designs and manufactures replacement pressure vessels, including vessels that have been in service for several decades.

In the best-case scenario, the customer has the original vessel drawings, which may date back 40 or 50 years. Savannah Tank can review those drawings, confirm the current design and operating conditions, perform new engineering and code calculations, and develop a replacement vessel designed to current applicable standards.

But original drawings aren't always available. In those situations, we can often start with some pictures of the tank, field measurements and whatever information the customer has about the existing vessel and its service. Our engineering team can then work with you to establish the necessary design conditions and develop the replacement equipment.

We can also consider existing nozzle locations, supports, overall dimensions and other interface points when designing the new vessel. This can be particularly important when replacing equipment inside an operating plant, where piping connections, foundations, structural supports or surrounding equipment may be difficult or expensive to modify.

So, if you need to replace or replicate an existing pressure vessel but don't have a complete set of original drawings, don't assume you have to recreate the specification yourself before contacting us. Send us what you have, and we'll help determine what additional information is needed to engineer the replacement.