Trends in pressure vessel design: Vessel size increase by using prestressed concrete pressure vessels for coal gasification and oil desulfurization☆

Abstract In addition to their use for Gas Cooled Reactors, Prestressed Concrete Pressure Vessels (PCPV) are ideally suited also for non-nuclear thermal processes, when large volume and high pressure are required. Based on ten years' operating experience with the Austrian prototype vessel with hot liner, a number of nuclear and non-nuclear applications of PCPVs were investigated. Two such vessel designs are presented for • —Steam Gasification of Coal with Nuclear Heat; • —Hydro-Desulfurization of Mineral Oil. The technical description of the vessels is complemented by economic considerations. The PCPV offers advantages in operation, safety and cost.