Area-replacement check for shell openings larger than NPS 2 (API 650 §5.7.2)
◉ API 650 §5.7.2 STYLE CHECK · NOT A REGULATORY SUBMISSION TOOL
⚠ Indicative tool only, and more caveated than most in this suite. §5.7.2 states clear rules for what counts as reinforcement (excess shell, reinforcing plate, nozzle neck) but — unlike most sections in this app — doesn't reduce to one closed-form area formula, and API 650 provides no independent worked numeric example the way Appendix K did for shell design. So this tool auto-computes what's geometrically unambiguous (the reinforcing-plate annulus area) and asks you to directly enter the excess-shell and neck contributions using the zone extents §5.7.2.3–.4 describe — each field's hint states exactly which rule it's implementing. For standard nozzle sizes, Tables 5-6 through 5-8 already give pre-verified construction details; this tool is for sizing a custom/non-standard reinforcing plate, not for standard sizes.
Identification
Research entries stay private to you for practice/testing. Switch to Official once this is a real design your company should see.
Required Area of Reinforcement (§5.7.2.1)
Per §5.7.2.1: Arequired = d × t. Use the nominal shell-plate thickness, or the actual required thickness if you've calculated it considering all design and hydrostatic test load conditions (either is permitted; the required thickness gives a smaller, less conservative area).
Result
Required area Arequired—
Available Area — Excess Shell Plate (§5.7.2.3, Item d)
Reinforcement zone extends a distance above and below the opening centerline equal to d (the hole's vertical dimension) — contributing shell-plate thickness in excess of what the governing load condition requires there.
Result
Excess shell area A1—
Available Area — Reinforcing Plate (§5.7.2.3, Item b)
Annular plate area = (plate OD − hole diameter) × plate thickness. Auto-computed from geometry — leave plate OD blank if none is used.
Result
Reinforcing plate area A2—
Available Area — Nozzle Neck (§5.7.2.4)
Three portions count: the portion within the shell-plate thickness, plus portions extending outward and inward from the shell surface up to 4× the neck-wall thickness each way (or less, if the neck tapers to a thinner section within that distance). Enter the actual extents you're using; defaults assume the full 4tn each way with no taper.