Is there a program for evaluating the loads on a FRP tank nozzle?

This is a FRP tank with quite a few connections from various sizes of carbon steel and stainless steel piping up to 8" size. The loads are not real high, say 500# max but I need some way to qualify them.

Hi Mul211
Ask FRP tank vendor for allowable nozzle. Most of the Tank vendor say their nozzle is not design to take any piping load . It is not practically possible to design an piping system with zero nozzle load. We generally use bellow & pass as minimum as possible nozzle load to client & vendor for there approval.

In contrary to the above we never use bellows between piping and FRP tanks if piping is FRP piping. When you're connecting steel piping to an FRP tank my first question would be why you aren't using FRP piping. :-)

If you're using FRP piping the flexibility of the piping has to be good enough to relax the forces on the tank. If you're using steel piping that wouldn't be possible though and you should use a bellow.

To answer your original question: as far as I know there aren't programs that check nozzle loads for FRP tanks. Most FRP tank codes even don't have nozzle-load calculations. And even good programs to calculate FRP tanks itself are seldom to be found.

I do not have all of my specifications with me but if I remember correctly there is "thick" FRP BS (British) tank/pressure vessel specification.

You mean BS 4994 I guess.

Could be. I figured out that there are not too many FRP pipes or tanks on a nuclear island of 1400 MW unit. Left the standard home.

Mul,

Yes, we have several stainless steel piping connectng to a FRP tank. In some cases we have rubber exp. joint connections between the piping and the tank nozzles, but, it is always much better to route the pipe where you don't need REJs with it.

For the load allowables, ask the vendor... If you can't get it, provide them the loads. In our job, we don't assume something we are not certain about.

Goodluck!