Introduction Sieve plate column is one of the distillation columns with cross-flow trays, which is widely

used in various mass transfer operations, for instance, modern industrial nitric acid plant. Sieve plates
offer high capacity and efficiency, low pressure drop, ease of cleaning and therefore, low capital cost
(Nandakumar 2000) When developing sieve plate column design, It is crucial to develop and specify the
basic design information for a particular vessel, to ensure the pressure vessel work effectively. The
design of such vessels requires application of current design codes and standards to be practiced along
with the stress analysis relatively. In all the major industrialized countries, the design and fabrication of
thin-walled pressure vessels is covered by national standards and codes of practice. In most countries it
is a legal requirement that pressure vessels must be designed, constructed (Sinnott 2008). and tested in
accordance with part or all of the design code drawn up by committees of engineers experienced in
vessel design and manufacturing techniques and are a blend of theory, experiment, and experience. The
primary purpose of the design codes is to establish rules of safety relating to the pressure integrity of
vessels and provide guidance on design, materials of construction, fabrication, inspection, and testing.
Improper vessel design and maintenance increase the risk of vessel failure and may lead to serious
safety hazard. Thus a mechanical design of the column is highly important in essence of keeping the
safety hazard and maintenance cost at minimum (Sinnott 2008). Therefore, based on the design code
drawn as well as specifications and requirements outlined, which include column wall thickness,
selection and sizing of vessel heads, reinforcement of any openings, nozzles, flanges, column supporting
skirt and base ring, the pressure vessel design is developed accordingly. Column wall thickness ,
selection and sizing of vessel heads , reinforcement of openings, nozzles and flanges , column supporting
skirt and base ring as well as design loads such as internal pressure, wind loading and dead weight of
vessel and its contents are considered when developing the intended design. Appropriate assumptions
are drawn in, to execute certain conditions for the design. To present the c