What Does
Process Vessel Mean?
A process vessel is a tank or container designed and equipped with the controls and accessories to complete a sub-process as part of an overall process. The material that the process vessel is made of, as well as its accessories and controls, depend on its intended use.
Blending, separation, cooling, purification and changing a material’s state are just some of the processes carried out in a process vessel. A process vessel may be connected to the previous or next processes horizontally or vertically.
Corrosionpedia Explains Process Vessel
The various steps, stages or processes in the process industries usually have specific requirements such as time, pressure, temperature and other operating conditions. The appropriate process vessels allow the proper control of the required operating conditions in every step until the desired product is attained.
The process industries include refineries, food and drug manufacturing, chemicals, paint and other similar operations that manufacture products in bulk quantities. Following are some of the common types of process vessels:
- Pressure vessels to separate components from the raw material or process input such as the benzene splitter in an oil refinery.
- The reactor pressure vessel for processes that require pressure to take place or create pressure resulting from the process.
- Jacketed process vessels for processes that need to maintain a required temperature.
- Lined process vessels commonly found in the food, pharmaceutical, chemical and paper industries, for processing substances that may cause rust or corrosion to the equipment.
- An autoclave is used for processes that require high temperatures and high pressures in a sterile environment.
Process vessels are usually designed and manufactured according to the manufacturer's process requirements.