Experimental and Numerical Investigation on Manufacturing-Induced Material Inhomogeneity in Hydrogenation Reactor Shell

Abstract Hydrogenation reactor services as key equipment in chemical and energy industries. Manufacturing processes of hydrogenation reactor changes its performance before long-term service but impact of manufacturing residual influence remains unclear. In this work, actual material strength distribution (MSD) in hydrogenation reactor shell was investigated. First, a hydrogenation reactor shell made from 2.25Cr1Mo0.25V was dissected to measure MSD in thickness. Then, a numerical model was proposed to predict actual material strength in hydrogenation reactor shell. The model employs both data-driven and finite element techniques to simulate material evolution during manufacturing. Third, the predict results were discussed with respect to accuracy based on experiment result. Results exhibit good agreement between predicted value and experiment outcomes. At last, impact of manufacturing residual influence on load capacity of hydrogenation reactor shell was investigated. Results indicate that fit for service (FFS) evaluation of hydrogenation reactor based on heat treatment material properties is not conservative. This work will contribute to the accurate description of hydrogenation reactor's performance.