Abstract:
This study investigated the interaction of flow fields between two adjacent petrochemical heaters under the action of strong wind. The effect of flow field interaction on the force and stress distribution are analyzed for four relative positions of the two heaters. The analysis results reveal that the relative position of the heaters has a significant influence on the stress distribution. When the relative position of the two heaters changes, the pressure and vortex distribution through the heaters also change, and the pressure and friction forces acting on the heaters are affected, too. For heater A, when it is located behind heater B, heater A is subjected to the lowest stress and all monitored positions are safe without the risk of fatigue failure. When heater A is located to the right of heater B, heater A is subjected to the greatest stress and 23 of the 50 monitored stresses exceed the fatigue limit (75 MPa). On the other hand, for heater B, when heater A is located ahead of heater B (i.e., heater B is located behind heater A), the stress on heater B is the lowest and all monitored positions are safe without the risk of fatigue failure. When heater A is located to the right of heater B, heater B is subjected to the greatest stress and 9 of the 48 monitored stresses exceed the fatigue limit (75 MPa). When the smaller heater B is located behind the larger heater A, the pressure resistance of the rear heater B is smaller than that of the rear heater A when the larger heater A is located behind the smaller heater B. When heater A is located behind the right of heater B, the pressure resistance is greater than the case of one heater located behind or ahead of the other and less than the case of heater A located at the right of heater B. Further, when heater A is located behind the right of heater B, the stress on heater B is smaller than that on heater A.
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