PV Elite is a comprehensive engineering application designed for the design, analysis, and evaluation of pressure vessels and heat exchangers. Widely used by engineers in the process, chemical, oil and gas, and power industries to ensure that pressure vessels are safe, reliable, and compliant with various international design codes and standards.
PV Elite provides engineers, designers, estimators, fabricators, and inspectors with solutions that match their pressure vessel and heat exchanger design needs. Because the software is user-friendly, it is perfect for both regular and occasional users requiring fast start-up and confidence in their safety code calculations.
PV Elite is a complete solution for the quick and intuitive design of new pressure vessels. It also evaluates and re-rates existing vessels, including fitness for service analysis. The software considers the whole vessel, addressing all the wall thickness rules and stress analysis requirements for vertical towers, horizontal vessels, and heat exchangers. You can also evaluate individual vessel components.
Users benefit from faster workflows thanks to tube sheet design and analysis, rectangular and noncircular vessel analysis, and individual component analysis. PV Elite boosts confidence in your safety code calculations with the software’s design tools and wizards, plus comprehensive error checking to deliver clear, concise, and accurate results.
Pressure vessels and heat exchangers are complex equipment, operating under significant pressure and temperatures, carry loads from attached piping, and may contain hazardous fluids. Safety is paramount as the failure of such equipment can be disastrous. Failure of a pressure vessel can cause severe damage to an industrial facility, and potentially lead to loss of life. PV Elite is used to ensure correct calculations are performed, according to recognized international standards, to ensure that the design of a pressure vessel or heat exchanger is safe.
PV Elite is typically used when:
PV Elite is used by EPC contractors during detailed design, pressure vessel and heat exchanger OEMs involved in design and manufacturer, and owner operators, to check the remaining operational life of their assets. It is also widely used by Notified Bodies for approving and verifying calculations to provide the necessary certification so the vessel can be put into operation.
Due to the wide variation in design and application of pressure equipment, PV Elite is used in many different industries. PV Elite can help ensure the containment is fit for purpose in any industry where a fluid is stored in a vessel, or wherever heat exchangers are used in cooling or heating processes – such as
Software internationally recognised by EPCs, Owner operators, and Notified Bodies.
PV Elite supports a wide range of international codes and standards, ensuring that the designs are compliant with regulations worldwide. Perform analysis in accordance with international code standards - ASME Section VIII Divisions 1 and 2, PD 5500 and EN-13445.
Perform rapid API579 (Fitness for Service) assessment to evaluate the current state and remaining life of existing vessels.
Wind and seismic code compliance (such as ASCE, NBC, UBC, IS, etc.)
PV Elite offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies the design and analysis process. Its graphical user interface allows for easy navigation, which significantly reduces the learning curve for inexperienced users. Logical design ‘as you go’ workflow makes the software easy to learn and efficient to use.
The software provides 3D visualization and easy creation of realistic pressure vessel and heat exchanger models, particularly useful for detecting potential issues early in the design phase, including quick definition of boundary conditions.
PV Elite offers FEA tools, to provide detailed stress analysis of pressure vessel components. This helps in identifying high-stress areas and optimizing designs for better performance.
The software offers comprehensive analysis of loads, stresses, and material behaviour under various conditions, including wind, seismic, and thermal loads.
The ability to design and analyse individual components such as shells, heads, nozzles, saddles, and supports, provides detailed insights into each part of the vessel.
Vessel material definitions, piping and steel component data, local wind-loads, and local seismic loads of many regional markets - are all included.
PV Elite automates many of the complex calculations required for pressure vessel design, significantly reducing the time engineers need to spend on manual calculations.
Engineers can easily reuse existing designs, which speeds up the development process and ensures consistency across projects.
PV Elite generates detailed reports that can be customized to meet the specific needs of a project or client. This includes summaries, detailed analysis results, and compliance documentation.
The software provides detailed documentation of the design process, making it easier to track design decisions and changes over time. Analysis results structured by MAWP and component type making it easy for the user and inspectors to verify the accuracy of equations and calculations output to reports.
PV Elite can integrate with other Hexagon products, such as CADWorx Plant Professional, and Intergraph Smart 3D, enabling seamless data exchange and workflow efficiency. Bi-directional integration with CADWorx Plant Professional’s Equipment module reduces risk of errors and costly iteration time between equipment design and stress analysis disciplines.
Includes CodeCalc for quick and efficient design and evaluation of individual components.
Hexagon provides comprehensive technical support to assist users with troubleshooting, software updates, and best practices, ensuring that teams can fully leverage the software's capabilities. Hexagon regularly updates PV Elite to ensure compliance with the latest codes and standards, as well as to improve functionality and performance.
Users have access to a variety of training resources, including webinars, tutorials, and documentation, to help them maximize the benefits of PV Elite. Free eLearning available via Hexagon University.
By ensuring designs meet stringent safety standards and industry best practices, PV Elite helps mitigate the risks associated with pressure vessel failures.
The software includes tools for assessing the remaining life and integrity of existing vessels, helping operators make informed decisions about maintenance and repairs.
PV Elite is widely adopted by companies in various industries worldwide, which speaks to its reliability and the trust professionals place in its capabilities.
It is recognized as a standard tool for pressure vessel design and analysis, often preferred by engineers for its comprehensive features and ease of use.
PV Elite is a powerful tool for engineers involved in the design and analysis of pressure vessels. Its combination of ease of use, comprehensive code compliance, advanced analysis capabilities, and integration with other engineering tools making it an invaluable tool for ensuring safety, reliability, and efficiency in pressure vessel projects. Whether designing new vessels or evaluating existing ones, PV Elite offers the features needed to support complex engineering decisions.
PV Elite provides intuitive workflow and features that help mechanical engineers develop models quickly, accurately, and easily, and according to applicable design codes.
Rectangular vessel capabilities have been available in the CodeCalc module of PV Elite, for ASME VIII Div 1 Appendix 13. These capabilities have been expanded and moved into the main PV Elite module. A rectangular vessel can be modelled and analysed, according to both ASME VIII Div 1 Appendix 13 and EN 13445-3 Section 15.
External nozzle loadings can be transferred to vessel supports. A setting available in the Configuration will, when activated, automatically resolve any applied nozzle loadings to the supporting structure according to the requirements of EN 13445. The loads are then automatically included in the design of the foundation, bolts, and base plates.
Vessels in operation may need to be periodically assessed, particularly if a flaw is identified during inspection. PV Elite can perform fitness-for-service assessment calculations according to API-579. A flaw identified during inspection can be entered in PV Elite and the appropriate Level 1 and/or Level 2 calculations performed. Using this approach, operators can be sure that the vessel or exchanger is safe to remain in operation.
For pressure vessels and heat exchangers in compliance with the European Pressure Equipment Directive (PED), the PED Classification tool can be used. This utility will perform calculations on the current model to determine compliance with the design and fabrication standards of the PED, and a report is generated accordingly during the analysis.
Items of equipment such as large pressure vessels are often extremely expensive and have long lead times as they are typically custom fabricated items. Ensuring that the vessel is ordered on time can be vital to prevent delays in construction. Increasing efficiencies can therefore be crucial. Reducing rework can be an important part of streamlining this workflow. Integration between CADWorx Equipment and PV Elite can significantly reduce rework on both the designer and the analyst. A vessel designed in CADWorx Equipment can be exported directly to PV Elite via the native PVDB file format. This saves the analyst time in building the model from scratch. The vessel can then be analysed in PV Elite and any changes made to ensure code compliance. Those changes can then be re-imported back into CADWorx Equipment to update the design model, to ensure that design and analysis are always synchronised.
Heat Exchangers are complex from a mechanical point of view, consisting of many tubes and multiple conditions such as pressure and temperatures. PV Elite can help with this type of equipment, with analysis capabilities to various standards such as TEMA, ASME UHX, EN 13445 and PD 5500. The complex data entry is simplified and streamlined through tools such as an automated tube layout assistant or the ability to import from HTRI thermal design software. The analysis and load cases, whilst complex are presented in simple, easy to read summary tables and detailed results can be printed for each load case processed and for each combination of corroded and uncorroded state, as selected by the user.
