Task:

Students are required to produce a detailed project report on a specified engineering project, with its subsystems. There are multiple tasks in a project, each requiring expertise from the subjects covered along the course of the module. The report, then, is gradually completed, from early stages to its final submission. (Equivalent wording: 4500 words)

Project Report Task 01 – Torsion

A member of your engineering team asked if a vertical stretch of an in-service pipe transporting hot pressurized water would be subject to torsion. The pipeline is installed on a platform, a few hundreds of meters above the sea. Provide an answer to the query, elaborating on what mechanical loads this vertical pipe may be subject to. Explain how these mechanical loads are developed (what agent causes them, etc).

1. Using a fictional tubular cross-section whose internal radius is half the outside radius, prove that the tubular cross-section is the best geometry to resist torsion.
2. Using the data obtained from the laboratory session; experiment 1 (Torque and diameter). Refer to ES5 worksheets Table 1. Plot both the actual and theoretical twist angle in degrees against the Torque. (Show how all calculations were done).
3. If the specimen was changed to Copper, what effect would this have on the twist angle and other properties with regards to torsion?

Project Report Task 02 – Pressure Vessel

You are required to design a pressure vessel. Preliminary measurements of the cylindrical vessel indicate that the normal stresses due to pressure are as shown below.

• Determine the maximum absolute shear stresses in the pressure vessel (OBS: use the online stress calculator such as efunda).
• Determine the principal stresses acting on the pressure vessel (also use the online stress calculator such as efunda).
• Compare the result using the online stress calculator for stress transformation and the analytical solution. Are the answers the same? If not, explain with reasons.

• Elaborate a guide for welders who are going to manufacture the pressure vessel. Should they weld the sheets longitudinally? Or should the weld bead be transversal?

Project Report Task 03 – Pipe support

On task 1, you have specified a commercially available pipe. A linear stretch of a piping system forming a by-pass of the main line is now under your responsibility. The by-pass line is situated between two anchorage points (supports) 18 m apart from each other and will be filled with water at 4°C for testing its deflection, although the in-service conditions specify water at 20°C being transported through this stretch.

1. Prepare a technical sheet for the deflection testing, specifying:

• Technical information on the pipe (relevant dimensions, material, and its properties);
• The free-body diagram for the by-pass line, with its loading configuration and magnitudes of the loads (caused by the self-weight of the structure and the water in the pipes).
• Where to measure the deflection (and reasons why);
• Reasons for the test being carried out with water at 4°C;

2. Calculate the maximum bending stress on the by-pass line and its location. OBS: you will need to calculate the second moment of inertia of area for the tubular cross-section.

3. Calculate the maximum deflection of the by-pass line. ASME VIII – Section II Engineering Standard recommends the deflection to be:

5mm, for Ø3’’ or less
10 mm, for Ø4’’ or more

Check if the current setup of the by-pass is in agreement with the Standard. If not, recommend actions to rectify it.

4. Recommend a validation method for checking the above calculations.

Project Report Task 04 – Spring support

In the previous project task, you have estimated the weight of the by-pass pipeline. The next step is devoted to the project of the support itself. The engineering team has decided to deploy variable spring support on each anchorage point from task 3. A spring, having a free length of 407 mm and a solid length (this latter identifies the length of a spring when it is fully compressed) of 186 mm, is to be used. The initially selected spring has a constant k = 21.1 kgf/cm, but it can be replaced if needed.

1. For one support, calculate the length of the spring with the pipeline installed on it.

2. Given that the by-pass line will also transport hot water, and knowing that the heated up pipeline displaces 2 cm vertically, determine the new load on the spring after it has been relieved by this displacement.

3. Knowing that the relieved load is transmitted to the neighboring supports and that the American Petroleum Institute API 570 Standard recommends a maximum of 12% of the load to be transferred, determine if pre-compression (a.k.a. pre-load) should be applied on the spring, for compliance with the standard.

4. The by-pass pipeline is connected to a pump operating at 2960 rpm. Check if the spring of the pipe support is adequate for this condition. If not, recommend a value.

5. Using the APPLET or other software (MATLAB), demonstrate the effect of introducing damping into the system (play with the applet/matlab varying the value of the damping constant “c”) and include an explanation, in your report, of the effect of damping on the frequency of the system and on its amplitude.

Project Report Task 05 – Discharge & pipe dimensioning

Consider the following fluids and recommended speeds. On Stage 2 of the project, you have selected the pipe diameter. Now you have to determine the maximum flow the by-pass line is capable of withstanding, in m3/s. Consider the cases for water and oxygen.

Table 1 – Recommended speeds for fluids in pipes.

Determine what type of flow is exhibited in both cases. What significance does this determination have on the system?

Project Report Task 06 – Relief valve

An important accessory of the pipeline, especially in the case of the mainline served with a by-pass, is the safety valve/relief valve. With the discharge from the last stage, you are now capable of dimensioning a relief valve.

Dimensioning a valve means to calculate, via equation 1, an orifice corresponding to an admission diameter and an output diameter, according to the API-RP 526 Standard, as indicated in table 1:

Table 1 – Valve standardization according to the API-RP 526.

Dimension the valve for the by-pass line and choose between a safety valve and a relief valve, explaining the differences between both. The by-pass line follows the same pressure specification of the mainline, represented by the 2D flowchart of the pressure reduction station on the back. Replicate this flowchart in an A3 drawing (use a CAD software), representing the installation of the selected valve for the by-pass line.

Project Report Task 07 – Engine Cycle

In order to power the generator required to generate electricity for the industrial water usage, design a closed-system air-standard gas power cycle composed of four processes and having a minimum thermal efficiency of 40 percent. The processes may be isothermal, isobaric, isochoric, isentropic, polytropic, or pressure as a linear function of volume. Prepare an engineering report describing your design, showing the system, P-v, and T-s diagrams, and sample calculations.

Explain in detail the processes mentioned above and the differences between the Otto and Diesel cycle using diagrams to buttress your points.

OBS: The construction of the document will be explained in detail, so as to standardize and allow the creation of a template by the students.

OBS: The use of reference material is strongly encouraged, particularly Codes of practice and Engineering Standards from professional bodies, but not limited to these. Journal papers, books, etc. are also welcome.