What is a Small Pressure Vessel and Its Uses?

Keeping things under controlled pressure is very important for many things. People use pressurized storage for many purposes. Almost everyone should have seen the propane tanks which are used in a number of applications for something as common as running the outdoor grill or a small generator when camping or  traveling in a RV.  You can find different kinds of pressure vessels though the most common of these are small pressure vessels. 

What is a Small Pressure Vessel?

A small pressure vessel is a specially designed container, generally in the form of a cylinder, though other shapes are also available depending upon specific applications. The vessel is designed to hold gasses or liquids at a pressure that is much higher than the ambient pressure. There are a number of companies which are involved in the manufacturing of these vessels. Generally the process with design selection. Standardized designs are available for most applications though custom designs can also be made. Along with design, material selection is also done to decide what the vessel will be made of.

This is generally metal though some research is being done to make such vessels with exotic materials. Then the actual manufacturing starts where metal is cut and shaped as per design requirements. This is followed by  forming and rolling through which the shell of the vessel is prepared. The shell is then welded shut and given heat treatment. After this, various tests are done for example the vessel is connected with LNG cryogenic hoses to fill it and test for its durability and leakage of any kind. Next step is surface treatment and finishing before the product is sent for final testing and certification. 

Common Uses of Small Pressure Vessel

• LNG storage: Liquified Natural Gas is one fuel which has started to become very popular in the last few years. When connected with high quality LNG cryogenic hoses the small vessel can store usable quantities of LNG without having to resort to a large scale gas storage and distribution system. This is very good for small businesses which have neither the need, nor the resources to install and operate large scale LNG equipment. 
• Compressed air storage: This is a more simple application of a small pressure vessel. A small vehicle repair shop can benefit by having an onsite machine for compressed air storage which can not only be used to fill the vehicle tires but also be used to clean the parts of vehicles which have a lot of dirt and gunk on them. An air compressor fitted with a small vessel can be run for a few hours in the early morning when energy costs are low and can store enough compressed air to be used throughout the day. 
• Water treatment equipment: Water treatment done onsite for industrial purposes can be much more affordable and environmentally friendly than having to pay huge bills to utility companies for commercial usage of water connection. Small pressure vessels are parts of reverse osmosis as well as water softening systems. These can be used to store and process large volumes of water in relatively short time. 
• Boilers and steam generators: While steam engines may not be in common use anymore, in the industrial sector boilers and steam generators are still being used at a very large scale. Small vessels can store water at high pressure levels which is then boiled and turned into steam for efficient usage. 
• Chemical industry usage: Many activities in the chemical industry need to be done under pressurized conditions. This is where pressure vessels are used extensively where reactions are carried out under controlled pressure conditions to ensure the safety and efficiency of chemical processes.

All in all, small vessels are being widely used in different industries for different purposes.